Salubfoto It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

Calum Hutton It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

Roxie The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Phillipa Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Uriah43 This movie begins essentially where its predecessor "Dracula Has Risen from the Grave" left off with Dracula (Christopher Lee) having been run through with a large crucifix and in the process of dying. It's at this time that a man named "Weller" (Roy Kinnear) comes along and takes what remains of a totally decomposed body--in particular his clothes and a vial of his blood. As it so happens, three men interested in adventure come upon a man named "Lord Courtney" (Ralph Bates) who is involved in black magic and Satanism. Intrigued at the prospect of a new diversion, they have supper with him and it is at this time that he convinces them to buy the relics from Weller with the secret intention of resurrecting "the Prince of Darkness". Unfortunately, something goes horribly wrong during this ritual and the three men kill Lord Courtney out of fear and then run off. Unknown to them, the evil forces at work had not yet completed and soon the soul of the vampire inhabits Lord Courtney's body and subsequently reconstitutes itself into Dracula's old image—and he vows vengeance upon those who killed his loyal servant. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this film was every bit as good as its predecessor mainly because of the dark, gloomy atmosphere which dominated every scene. Of course, that shouldn't be too surprising because that is what most Hammer films are known for in the first place. In any case, this is a pretty solid vampire film and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.

GL84 Trying to party around their village, a group of thrill-seekers find that the latest addition to their social circle has plans for them to resurrect Count Dracula, and when their efforts indeed raise him he sets out for revenge against their daughters forcing them to stop his plans.For the most part this one here was quite the impressive and truly enjoyable entry in the franchise. Much like the usual inclusions into the genre, this one really manages to work the Victorian era look and feel of these films into a strong and cogent whole that's quite immersive and enjoyable here. Focusing on the group here for much as it does makes the film half really swim in those typical Gothic tropes of them wandering through the different forms of entertainment which makes for a strong enough tone before going for the more stylistic choices being in the church where's resurrected. Part of the usually elaborate and ornate decorations that are perfectly in keeping with this one's overall sense of grandeur while taking in the raging thunderstorm at the time generally featured in this style. The unnoticed resurrection that follows is quite fun and chilling which makes for yet another great resurrection piece in the church that sets up the rather intriguing second half that plays like the fun traditional Hammer- style effort. The revenge angle is quite quite fun as there's a lot to like here with his seduction scenes of the daughters in the castle as well as the mounting search for them as they've gone missing along the way giving this part some rather enjoyable elements coming along into the remaining parts of the film which has a lot to like here. There's some solid action with the best friend getting seduced and turned in the castle, their return to investigate the disappearances only to find the vampires there before getting attacked themselves and the rather short but still fun brawl across the castle grounds in the finale that also manages to include the rather fun and enjoyable melt-down of the vampire at the very end. Coupled with the nice amount of sleazy goings-on in the beginning, this here comes off rather nicely even though there's a minor but still troubling flaw that comes up here in that there's a rather flimsy and confusing manner of Dracula's death. It doesn't really make any sense what actually happened to cause him to perish, as it's supposedly based on the idea of him being struck by lightning and falling into the tomb, but even that is pure speculation and it doesn't really make any sense if that was the cause here to finally end him as it's been a tactic that isn't employed again and doesn't really offer up any reason why it should. Beyond this, though, there's not a whole lot about this one that holds it back.Rated R: Violence and Brief Nudity.

TheLittleSongbird Taste the Blood of Dracula is neither the best(Horror of Dracula) or worst(Satanic Rites of Dracula from what I recall, the film needs a re-watch though) of the Hammer Dracula series, for me it's somewhere in the middle as a flawed but very enjoyable film.One of Taste the Blood of Dracula's biggest flaws is the ending, which is one of the series' most unimaginative and is far too protracted and drawn out, Dracula's demise is also too easy and the silliest of his demises in the series. The script is flat and far too talky, some of the talk not adding much, while Dracula's few lines of dialogue are rather ludicrous. While not as bad as in the films following it, the pacing in the first half is on the pedestrian side too.However, the photography is incredibly stylish with lots of vibrant and creepy colour and use of camera that adds to the atmosphere. The sets and period detail are very evocative and splendidly Gothic, while the effects are decent(thankfully no laughably fake bats like there were in Scars of Dracula). The music thunders thrillingly, has a lot of personality, is orchestrated beautifully and cleverly and is deliciously spooky. It is a great score on its own and adds a lot to the film. Not all of the story works, but there are some cool death scenes, some chilling violence, gore that doesn't get too gratuitous and once the film does pick up there is a good deal of suspense and a real sense of horror and dread, something that Hammer excels in better than most horror films(before, during and now).Taste the Blood of Dracula boasts some fine direction from Peter Sasdy, and as long as one doesn't expect any development the characters at least serve a point to the story and engage. The acting is good, with Ralph Bates making the most of his deliciously hammy and sinister character, Geoffrey Keen being appropriately stiff and shady and Linda Hayden is alluring and spunky. Anthony Higgins is very likable too, not the most well-developed of characters but one of the better-acted hero characters in the Hammer Dracula series. Christopher Lee does not have very much screen time and has to work with lines that are too few and pretty bad, meaning that he doesn't have a lot to do, but the suave and incredibly intimidating presence that he brings to Dracula really captivates so he is still memorable.All in all, an enjoyable entry in the Hammer Dracula series, without being one of the series' best or worst. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Bonehead-XL "Taste the Blood of Dracula!" Now that's a title that doesn't mess around! Anyway, the plot: Picking up minutes where the last one left off, a British businessman wanders by just as Dracula is dying. Taking his cape, broach, and a vile of his blood, the man returns to England. Meanwhile, a group of four idle old men spend their nights in brothels. Looking for further experiences, they team up with young Lord Courtley, a budding Satanist. All four get together to revive Dracula, who Courtley is seemingly a big fan of. After the other men refuse, Courtley drinks the Count's blood and dies. Dracula is reborn through his corpse. Alive again, the Count goes after the four men in a poorly defined quest for revenge."Taste the Blood of Dracula" was released in 1970. By that point, Hammer was starting to loose ground to more explicit horror films. The film is a good example of how the loosening censors of the time and the studio's need to catch up with other companies. "Taste" is sexier, bloodier, and darker then previous Dracula films. The thrill seekers' late night visit to a brothel provides plenty of titillation and some briefly glimpsed female nudity. When Dracula bites a female victim, the sexual subtext of the act is more obvious then ever before as the girl seems to have an orgasm. As for the violence, aside from the dripping goblet of bubbling Dracula blood, we see a shovel wound to a head in close-up detail, shootings, stabbings, and easily the most graphic impalement ever seen in one of these films. For extra points, a living human is staked, proving that procedure works just as well on the living as it does the dead.The movie is darker in tone too. While Dracula's always been the Prince of Darkness, this is the first in the series to explicitly reference the Count's Satanic roots. Actually, quite a lot of attention is paid to Satanism and the dark arts. Predicting what would happen in the eighties with the famous slasher villains, "Taste the Blood of Dracula" is obviously on the vampire's side. The four men he's hunting down are a despicable lot. Geoffrey Keen's William Hargood is a hypocrite who spends the night in whore houses but forbids his daughter from going out. He's also an alcoholic who, in one drunken scene, attempts to whip his daughter with a riding crop. The other two are cowardly jerks who are more then willing to let a murder just happen. The audience is rooting for Drac to take these a-holes out.As is commonplace by now, the script was written so that Christopher Lee would have as small a role as possible. Originally, he wasn't even supposed to be in the movie. The first half of the film focuses on the wicked old men and how they eventually resurrect the Count. Even if the thrill seekers are unpleasant folks, this part of the film packs in enough cheap thrills to keep you watching. More over, Hammer assembles another great cast. Ralph Bates, especially, tears it up as the wicked Courtley. Keen is seriously hate-able while Peter Sallis and John Carson are slightly more sympathetic as the other two members. After all that build-up, it's a blast watching the Count work his way through the cast.After the Thriller Seekers are eliminated, "Taste the Blood of Dracula" falls into a less interesting pattern. As is the way by now, Dracula targets young women. In this case, he hypnotizes Alice, the daughter of Hargood, and bites another girl named Lucy, this one being the daughter of Peter Sallis' character. Instead of getting his hands dirty, Dracula has the girls do his work for him. (Linda Hayden and Isla Blair both look nice in the low-cut gowns, providing the required amount of heaving bosoms.) Once the fathers are gone, Alice's boyfriend – another guy named Paul – sets about saving her from the Count. This leads to one of the lamest endings in the Hammer cannon. Dracula had set up camp in a desecrated church, which was maybe not the best decision. Paul adds all the crosses back to the church, re-blessing the place, all under Dracula's nose. Upon realizing that his crib is covered with Christian symbols, Drac freaks out, falls off a balcony, and turns to dust. Not the most dignified way for the greatest vampire in the world to go.The film was directed by Peter Sasdy, a minor Hammer director who also handled "Countess Dracula" and "Hands of the Ripper." (In addition to Brit-horror cult classic "The Stone Tape," which I keep meaning to check out.) Sasdy is not as good at building tension as Terence Fisher nor as flashy as Freddie Francis. Indeed, Sasdy's direction is probably why "Taste the Blood of Dracula" is the first Hammer-Drac flick to lack any scares what so ever. But Sasdy has his moment. The guy throws in some British fog. The graveyard and old church sets all look fantastic. Sasdy shows a decent use of shadow and I like how he shines a light on Lee's face, bringing the Lugosi film to mind."Taste the Blood of Dracula," awesome title and all, is probably the weakest of Hammer's Dracula films thus far. After getting off to a decent start, the film really falters in its second half and wraps up on a seriously disappointing ending. Yet it still maintains the Hammer house style and provides the fun viewers are looking for.