Rating of
3/4
The Fake Bat Army of Dracula
kcvidkid - wrote on 11/10/08
Well, my predictions about the Hammer Dracula series after watching the last one ("Taste the Blood of Dracula") don't seem to be coming true as "Scars of Dracula" is quite a throwback to earlier days. In fact, if I didn't know better, I would swear it was made BEFORE "Taste".
I think the difference lies with the location for much of the action. Here, it is back to the castle with more interior sets (and close-ups of bloodshot eyes). And there is a complete regression of cinematography with Roy Ward Baker at the helm. I actually prefer the style; I think it better suits the subject.
Also, I complained last time about Drac's character not progressing. Here, it actually does, but I think in a distasteful manner. He begins to express sadism, especially in his treatment of manservant Clove. That may sound like a nonsensical complaint, but think about it. You know Dracula is evil. But until now, his "crimes" were limited to sucking the blood of beautiful babes. In relative terms, that's pretty harmless. But now he's taken to beating his servants with red hot swords?
He also displays for the first time his control over fake bats. At first, the effect seemed pretty bad. But once you accept it (and it is frequent) the purpose is well-intentioned. In fact, an early scene where a church has been desecrated by an army of fake bats is quite effective.
Growing up, there were some Hammer films to which I was never exposed. For some reason, some of them were "imported" and got major releases while others were only read about in "Famous Monsters of Filmland". I've always had the impression that the ones I never saw were the really awful ones. "Scars of Dracula" shoots down that theory, as I actually enjoyed it quite a bit.
Skin Rating = 2 (out of 5). Hammer Hottie in this one = Christopher Matthews. In his final scene, he's impaled to the wall, but hey; he is shirtless! His brother (Dennis Waterman) is also cute, but he keeps his shirt on.
