COUNTESS DRACULA (1971) – Episode 210 – Decades Of Horror 1970s

“Devil Woman! Devil! Devil!” With evil on her mind? Join your faithful Grue Crew – Doc Rotten, Bill Mulligan, and Jeff Mohr along with guest host Gregory Crosby – as they take a trip to the land of Hammer with Ingrid Pitt and Nigel Green in Countess Dracula(1971).

Decades of Horror 1970s
Episode 210 – Countess Dracula (1971)

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Decades of Horror 1970s is partnering with the WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL (https://wickedhorrortv.com/) which now includes video episodes of the podcast and is available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, and its online website across all OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop.

In 17th-century Hungary, elderly widow Countess Elisabeth Nádasdy maintains her misleading youthful appearance by bathing in the blood of virgins regularly supplied to her by faithful servants.

 

• Directed by: Peter Sasdy
• Writing Credits: Jeremy Paul (screenplay); (story by) Alexander Paal & Peter Sasdy; Gabriel Ronay (based on an idea by); Valentine Penrose (book) (uncredited)
• Costume Design by: Raymond Hughes
• Makeup Department:
  • Pat McDermott (hairdressing supervisor) (as Pat McDermot)
  • Tom Smith (make-up supervisor)
• Special Effects by: Bert Luxford (special effects)
• Choreography: Myrtill Nádasi (as Mia Nardi)
• Selected Cast:
  • Ingrid Pitt as Countess Elisabeth
  • Olive Gregg as Countess Elisabeth Nádasdy (voice) (uncredited)
  • Nigel Green as Captain Dobi
  • Sandor Elès as Imre Toth
  • Maurice Denham as Master Fabio
  • Patience Collier as Julie
  • Peter Jeffrey as Captain Balogh
  • Lesley-Anne Down as Ilona
  • Leon Lissek as Sergeant of Bailiffs
  • Jessie Evans as Rosa
  • Andria Lawrence as Ziza (as Andrea Lawrence)
  • Susan Brodrick as Teri
  • Ian Trigger as Clown
  • Nike Arrighi as Gypsy Girl
  • Peter May as Janco
  • John Moore as Priest
  • Joan Haythorne as Second Cook
  • Marianne Stone as Kitchen Maid
  • Charles Farrell as The Seller
  • Sally Adcock as Bertha
  • Anne Stallybrass as Pregnant Woman
  • Hülya Babus as Belly Dancer (as Hulya Babus)
  • Lesley Anderson as Gypsy Dancer
  • Biddy Hearne as Gypsy Dancer
  • Diana Sawday as Gypsy Dancer
  • Albert Wilkinson as Circus Midget
  • Ismed Hassan as Circus Midget

Grue Believer Celebration Shenanigans continues with this review of Countess Dracula (1971), selected by special guest host and Decades of Horror fan Gregory Crosby. In this episode, the Grue Crew tackles another Hammer film from the Seventies featuring the stunning and talented Ingrid Pitt in the title role. While the film has no fangs and has little to do with Dracula, it borrows heavily from the legends of Countess Bathory who is said to have bathed in the blood of virgins to restore her youth. Countess Dracula is far more serious and mature than many of Hammer’s offerings throughout the decade and is well worth a revisit. Check out the Grue-Crew discussion to discover why.

At the time of this writing, Countess Dracula is available to stream from Classic Horror Movie Channel, Wicked Horror TV Channel, Shudder, AMC+, and Tubi. The film is available on physical media in Blu-ray format from Synapse Films.

Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1970s is part of the Decades of Horror two-week rotation with The Classic Era and the 1980s. In two weeks, the next episode, chosen by guest host Dirk Rogers, will be Trog (1970). Directed by Freddie Francis; produced by Herman Cohen; written by Aben Kandel; starring Joan Crawford & Michael Gough; and with dinosaur scenes by Willis H. O’Brien and Ray Harryhausen? It’s gotta be great, right? Right? 

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