Grave of the Vampire (1972) – Episode 129 – Decades of Horror 1970s

"I'm not afraid... I even left my crucifix upstairs.” Oh-oh. Big mistake. Join your faithful Grue Crew - Doc Rotten, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, and Jeff Mohr - as they go vampire hunting and find one in Grave of the Vampire (1972).

Decades of Horror 1970s
Episode 129 – Grave of the Vampire (1972)

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Kroft, a legendary vampire, returns from sleep. Kroft attacks a couple in a graveyard, raping the woman. The child born feeds only on blood from his mother's breast.

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• Director: John Hayes
• Writers: David Chase (screenplay), John Hayes (screen treatment)
• Selected Cast:
  • William Smith as James Eastman
  • Michael Pataki as Caleb Croft/Professor Lockwood
  • Lyn Peters as Anne Arthur
  • Diane Holden as Anita Jacoby
  • Kitty Vallacher as the unwilling mother
  • Lieux Dressler as Olga
  • Ernesto Macias as Lieutenant Panzer (as Eric Mason)
  • Jay Adler as Old Zack
  • Jay Scott as Paul
  • William Guhl as Sergeant Duffy
  • Margaret Fairchild as Miss Fenwick
  • Carmen Argenziano as Sam

Grave of the Vampire is a lesser-known vampire film from the 1970s with aspects that make it worth a watch. Bill identifies Michael Pataki’s character as the most sleazy and detestable vampire ever, even making the vampire in Vampire Circus look like a debonair man about town. Chad hated Grave of the Vampire when he saw it back in the day and he still hates it, wearing out the 10-second fast forward button while he was watching. Agreeing that the movie lacks execution in many areas, Jeff also points out the violence and the number of kills. Doc didn’t care much for it when he saw Grave of the Vampire in the 1970s, but the film is now one of the many 70s horror films he classifies as guilty pleasures.

If you skipped Grave of the Vampire in the past due to the poor visual quality, you might want to think about giving it another shot based on the improved look of current versions. As of this writing, the movie is available on physical media as a Blu-ray from Scream Factory and can be viewed streaming on Amazon Prime and Epix.

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 in their very flexible schedule will be George Romero’s The Crazies (1973), chosen by Chad. 

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