If you're a fan of vampire movies in general, then you're probably familiar with the Count Yorga films, which would mean that you are also at least somewhat familiar with Robert Quarry.
In my opinion, with the possible exceptions of Frank Langella (Dracula -1979), and Richard Lynch (Vampire - 1979), Robert Quarry brought the dapper, aristocratic, unrepentant vampire to the screen like none other. And while I would credit Christopher Lee with the definitive screen portrayal of Dracula himself, Lee was more a character of mysterious menace rather than the more personable yet just-as-menacing vampires brought to life by Langella, Lynch, and Quarry.
After the enormous success of Quarry's "Count Yorga, Vampire" at the box-office, he signed up for something of a departure from the proper, Bulgarian count that he had previously portrayed. The storyline that was eventually decided upon by Quarry and others, called for him to portray an ancient, evil vampire who interposes himself into the troubled world of a group of youthful hippies, earns their trust with various philosophical manipulations and sheer force of personality, and eventually attempts to turn them all into a coven of the undead.
Faced with lawsuits over similarities to "Count Yorga, Vampire," the producers of "Deathmaster" were forced to sell their work to American International Pictures, which released it to a minimum of screens in order to recoup costs, and then promptly buried it. Deathmaster made appearances on television throughout the 70's and 80's, and then seemed to vanish from the airwaves. I myself caught it in the 80's on Count Gore DeVol's "Creature Feature" program on Channel 20 in the Washington DC area, and always wondered what became of it.
For those of you who have posted here, as well as others who may have wondered what happened to this bit of 70's horror cheese, fear not! It was resurrected on DVD in September, 2002, and is now available for purchase for the first time in the U.S. This DVD is packed, too. It features a theatrical trailer, radio spots, film commentary with Robert Quarry (and, I believe, the director...), scene selection, etc. Beware of one thing in regard to this DVD though: my copy says "widescreen" on the DVD snap-case, but the film is actually presented in full screen format, which would be fine except for that fact that it cuts the title credits off a bit. DEATHMASTER becomes EATHMASTE. Otherwise the DVD transfer is excellent. Others I know actually do have widescreen versions. My copy must have been an error of some type.
For the uninitiated, this film is indeed a prime sampling of 70's horror cheese, but Robert Quarry gives his usual stand-out performance as Khourda, the millennia-old vampire who has come to corrupt and prey upon our modern, wayward youths. This film features a big, lovin' spoonful of hippie-dom, hippie-music, etc., and is quite amusing at the very least. But Quarry's performance is very well done indeed, and is worth the price alone. Feel free to give the rest a healthy dose of the MST-3000 treatment though.
Contents: Minimal blood, minimal language, moderate violence, no sexual scenes, one brief glimpse of partial nudity (girl, from the back). Rating: 3 out of 4. Quarry's performance is excellent, the movie is just plain fun, and the DVD quality/extras are excellent.
Best Retromedia DVD yet for campy but fun Quarry shocker
My experience with Retromedia DVDs has been pretty spotty, and I had never seen Deathmaster before buying this, so I'm glad to say I'm very pleased on both counts. Deathmaster was concocted as an indie production by Quarry and actor/first-time director Ray Danton to cash in on the huge success of AIP's Count Yorga: Vampire and make a subtle comment on the then-recent Manson family murders. AIP chief Sam Arkoff, angered by Quarry's swift and bold move, threatened a lawsuit, eventually buying the picture and giving it a very limited release. After a run on TV in the '70s it disappeared, never available on video. The movie starts with a surfer finding the coffin of Khorda (Quarry) washed ashore, but he's soon dispatched by Khorda's creepy flute-playing henchman Barbado. We're then introduced to the main characters, a bunch of disaffected but 'lovable' guitar-strumming Hollywoodized 'hippies' squatting in a huge old mansion who smoke lots of weed, run from 'the heat,' sing dippy inspirational folk songs, and use lots of hilarious sixties jargon. (The main folksinging hippie is a nearly unrecognizable Bobby 'Boris' Pickett of Monster Mash fame.) Khorda just sort of shows up in their midst, spouting existentialist/cosmic mumbo-jumbo (some of it improvised by Quarry) that the simple-minded flower children instantly 'groove' to even though they have no idea what he's talking about. Only biker dude Monk (whose iron cross repels Khorda) is skeptical, and bolts in search of whiskey and steak, leaving girlfriend Esslin to be seduced/attacked later by the vampiric 'guru.' The other hippies are so inspired by Khorda's rhetoric that they clean up their pad and start digging lame muzak, co-written by Ray Conniff (!!) and Pickett. Despite their copious herbal consumption these hippies apparently don't believe in free love: the guys and gals retire to separate quarters at night! Monk returns, is promptly dispatched by Khorda, and, inexplicably, everyone except 'gung fu' practicing hero Pico (who's hair looks like a really fake wig but is apparently his own) and heroine Rona go into a mystical dance-trance while Barbado plays congas (unconvincingly) and Khorda mingles. Pico and Rona try to escape the house, but are captured by Barbado, though Pico eventually gets away to seek help from balding serape-wearing hippie entrepreneur Pop (John Fiedler, ubiquitous professional milquetoast character actor and voice of piglet in the Walt Disney Winnie the Pooh cartoons). Pop just happens to have one of those old occult books (in paperback!) that explains what's going on (with handy pictures of the amulets the newly-baptized vampire cult are wearing). They mount their assault on Khorda and his minions with mallets and broom-handle stakes, and the movie finishes with one of those typically '70s 'shock/twist' endings and the only moment of actual 'special effects' in the picture. Amazingly, despite being surrounded by some really bad acting and dated dialogue, Quarry acquits himself quite admirably, creating a fairly menacing, believable character (ignoring of course all the psychobabble he's given to mouth). He looks great in an assortment of groovy custom-made robes, is occasionally introduced by sitar licks on the soundtrack, and has the same multi-pointed fangs as in Count Yorga (although everyone else is stuck with obvious dime-store 'goofy teeth'). There is no real nudity and minimal gore, even for 1972 (though the leeches are a nice, if unexplained, touch). The plot has its holes, and the relentless hippie-ness gives the film a goofy, campy aura, but Danton keeps the camera and the story moving so its quite enjoyable, never boring, and worth it for Quarry's magnetic performance and a few effectively creepy sequences. A little-seen treat for all Yorga/Quarry fans or anyone who loves the old AIP drive-in sleaze in general. Fortunately, Fred Olen Ray/Retromedia have actually done a surprisingly decent job in rescuing this from rights-issues limbo. The print is very clean, with virtually no spotting or other damage, and matted to 1.85:1 (although it looks a little closer 1.75:1 or so to me). The color is not spectacular but quite serviceable, and isn't going to look any better since the transfer is from the original 35mm camera negative. The black level, brightness, contrast, and detail are all fine, and I didn't notice any artifacting or other weirdness that plagues other Retromedia discs I own (King Dinosaur, Faceless Monster). There are four still galleries: publicity, behind-the-scenes, Quarry portraits, Quarry on stage and screen; 30- and 60-second radio spots for Count Yorga; really scratchy TV promos for Count Yorga and Sugar Hill, a Lucky Strike commercial featuring Quarry, and a classic, funny Shasta orange soda commercial featuring Fiedler and Frankenstein's monster. While these extras are nice and generally well done, the real highlight of the set is Quarry's audio commentary (with Fred Olen Ray, who directed Quarry in dozens of low-budet indies in the 1980s and '90s), which is nearly as entertaining as the feature. Quarry is sophisticated and witty, as expected, providing much interesting behind-the-scenes production info and some amusing anecdotes, with little if any dead air. Finally a Retromedia disc worthy of my unqualified highest recommendation. Get it!
Peter Cushing delivers his most cold-blooded portrayal of the mad Baron in his fifth turn as Dr. Frankenstein. Abandoning his latest experiment after a drunk stumbles into his secret lab (upsetting a severed head) he hurriedly finds new lodgings with a sweet young thing (Hammer glamour babe Veronica Carlson) whose boyfriend (Simon Ward, in his film debut) works in the local sanitarium. Frankenstein blackmails the lovers into complicity with his latest experiment, resorts to kidnapping and murder for his subjects, turns accomplice Ward into a killer, and even rapes Carlson in a coldly brutal scene. The goriest film of the series kicks off with a flamboyant beheading with a scythe (seen only as a spray of blood across a window) and is full of bloody brain surgery, conveniently... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Peter Cushing - Veronica Carlson Director(s): Terence Fisher DVD Release Date: Released the 27 April 2004 Usually ships within 24 hours
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"Drac" is back once again in this fourth installment of Hammer's Dracula films starring Christopher Lee. Under the guidance of Satanic Priest Lord Courtley, three middle-aged professionals seek to add more spice to their love lives by dabbling in rituals to the Dark Prince. After drinking the blood of the Count, the pleasure seekers kill Lord Courtley, inadvertently awakening Dracula who is dead set on avenging his Priest's murder. Though not on par with Hammer's original "Horror of Dracula", Taste the Blood of Dracula does take all the key elements from the original (beautiful heroines, picturesque settings, gothic ambiance, and Lee as the "Count") and somewhat successfully "cheeses" it up for audiences of the '70s. Those wishing to expand their cheesy '70s Dracula experience... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Christopher Lee Director(s): Peter Sasdy DVD Release Date: Released the 27 April 2004 Usually ships within 24 hours
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Dracula Has Risen from the Grave is the third Christopher Lee Dracula film from Hammer Studios. While trying to rid the former Dracula's Castle of evil after the mysterious death of a local girl, the Monsignor inadvertently raises the dark prince from his deathly slumber. Once awaken from the grave, the parched prince only has one thing on his mind, the yummy taste of blood which he fiendishly extracts from the local maidens. Though a little weak in plot, Dracula Has Risen from the Grave still comes off as a strong vampire film, delivering the goods on the gothic visuals, eerie sets, and Lee's performance. --Rob BraccoMore Info about this DVD Director(s): Freddie Francis DVD Release Date: Released the 27 April 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Peter Cushing as the Baron.This time,Baron Frankenstein starts off with another bizarre experiment.He intends to take souls from fresh corpses,and give them new life,in another body.In order to do this,the Baron,and his colleague Dr.Hertz,need two fresh corpses.A bizarre string of events unfold,and inevitably,the experiment takes place,with mixed results.Without the presence of Cushing,it's average in every respect.For the film,3.0/5.The picture quality on this disc is excellent,no defects at all,no grain.Sharp throughout.No problems,4.0/5. The sound quality is also without fault,a Dolby Digital (Mono) track is sufficient to re-create the classic Hammer feel.3.5/5. Overall,a reasonably entertaining film,certainly not Peter Cushings best outing as the Baron,but a great transfer from Anchor... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Terence Fisher DVD Release Date: Released the 25 July 2000 Usually ships within 24 hours
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The Dracula legend gets a suavely competent makeover in this 1970 bloodsucker, bringing vampirism to present-day Los Angeles with a harem of semi-clad females and the sharp casting of Robert Quarry in the title role. The film's original title (The Loves of Count Iorga, Vampire) is perhaps more fitting, since it's really about how Quarry--posing as a Bulgarian psychic medium--seduces his female clients into neck-bitten submission. The victims' abandoned boyfriends (including Michael Murphy, who costarred in M*A*S*H the same year) recruit a vampire-hunting doctor (Roger Perry) to track Yorga down (with wooden stakes made from a broomstick, no less), and the body count rises predictably. Dry performances and tepid dialogue don't help much, but the then-modern setting and... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Bob Kelljan DVD Release Date: Released the 28 August 2001 Usually ships within 24 hours
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