DVD Review: THE TRAIL OF DRACULA: FROM FOLKLORE TO SCREEN (2013)

THE TRAIL OF DRACULA
Written & Directed by  David Mitchell
Distributed by Intervision Pictures/Severin Films and CAV Distributing

  I am a big fan of horror documentaries, and this one will rank up near the top of the list of well made docs.   The subject is Dracula.  The film is THE TRAIL OF DRACULA:  FROM FOLKLORE TO SCREEN.    Here is the basic plot from the Severin/Intervision website:

  Diabolical. Seductive. Immortal. Vampires have been an icon of evil in folklore and popular culture for more than three centuries, yet only one name still personifies the ultimate aristocrat of bloodlust. Now join the world’s foremost experts on Dracula – including academics, authors and horror historians – as they explore the untold story of the Transylvanian Count, from the legend of Vlad The Impaler and Bram Stoker’s celebrated novel through its landmark stage productions and classic movie adaptations. It’s a crimson trail of twisted archival materials, startling film clips and rare interviews – featuring Bela Lugosi, John Carradine and Christopher Lee.

  While I thought this was going to be more of a doc about Dracula films, I found out that it focuses a lot more on the folklore and history of Dracula.  It was interesting to hear about the Dracula character from historians and then see how some of that translated over to film.   The film is paced very well, and while you could probably fill up hours and hours with info on Dracula, I thought the 63 minute running time was perfect.  It got to the point, and didn't have time for any slow or dull segments. 

  This is a great horror doc that I would highly recommend.   If documentaries really aren't your thing, then I would recommend buying this DVD based solely on one of the special features.  The DVD contains 94 minutes of Dracula movie trailers.   Almost any Dracula movie you can think of is presented here in this trailer compilation.  This alone is well worth the price of the DVD in my opinion.

 THE TRAIL OF DRACULA is available now on DVD from Intervision Pictures/CAV Distributing and contains the following Special Features:

*  All-New Feature Length Documentary THE TRAIL OF DRACULA

*  Over 90 Minutes of DRACULA Movie Trailers

*  Christopher Lee Reads Bram Stoker’s Dracula

*  Video Interview With Werner Herzog

*  Audio Interviews With Christopher Lee, Udo Kier, Alexander D’Arcy and Francis Lederer

CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD

Blu-ray Review: DRACULA UNTOLD (2014)

DRACULA UNTOLD
Directed by  Gary Shore
Distributed by  Universal Pictures Home Entertainment

  I used to think I wasn't a big fan of vampire films, but I have seen quite a few lately that I have really enjoyed.  The latest is last year's hit film, DRACULA UNTOLD, which turned out to be even better than I expected it to be.   Here is the film's plot synopsis courtesy of the film's official website:

  Witness the origin story of one of legend's most captivating figures in the action-adventure, Dracula Untold. The year is 1462 and Transylvania has enjoyed a prolonged period of peace under the just and fair rule of the battle-weary Vlad III (Luke Evans, Fast & Furious 6, The Hobbit series), the prince of Wallachia. But when Sultan Mehmed II (Dominic Cooper, Captain America: The First Avenger) demands 1,000 of Wallachia's boys – including Vlad's own son – become child soldiers in his army, Vlad must enter into a Faustian bargain to save his family and his people. He gains the strength of 100 men, the speed of a falling star, and the power to crush his enemies. In exchange, he's inflicted with an insatiable thirst for human blood that could force him into a life of darkness and destroy all that he holds dear.

  This film was a very interesting take on the Dracula story.  I honestly have never been a big fan of vampire films  (I'm more of a zombie type guy), so I know very little about the Dracula story.  I don't think I had ever heard much of a background story about Dracula, so it was interesting to see how and why he became a vampire.  He is shown as a hero in this film, the good guy, which is something I have never associated Dracula with.

  The film was a very well done.  The acting was superb from everyone involved and the cinematography was amazing.  The scenery and some of the shots were tremendous, and while most all of it was CG, it still looked great.  While the film is a vampire movie first and foremost, it was also war/battle movie similar to the likes of a film like 300.   The battle scenes were spectacular and it was nice to see the good mix of horror and action.    

  DRACULA UNTOLD is a film I would highly recommend.  The films was great and is actually pretty family friendly overall.  If you have older kids, they could probably watch this film as there was not any real gore and no explicit sex scenes.   Now don't get me wrong, I love my horror with lots of gore and nudity, but it is nice every now and then to find a fun film in the horror genre that the whole family can enjoy together.

  DRACULA UNTOLD is available now on DVD and Blu-ray and contains the following special features:

Luke Evans: Creating a Legend  (Blu-ray exclusive)

Alternate Opening with Optional Commentary by Director Gary Shore and Production Designer François Audouy  (Blu-ray exclusive)

Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary by Director Gary Shore and Production Designer François Audouy  (Blu-ray exclusive)

Day in the Life - Luke Evans

Dracula Retold

Slaying 1000

The Land of Dracula  (Blu-ray exclusive)

Feature Commentary with Director Gary Shore and Production Designer François Audouy

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD
CLICK HERE to purchase the Blu-ray/DVD combo pack

Check out the trailer for the upcoming film, DRACULA: UNTOLD

 I have always been a zombie fan, but Vampire movies are starting to slowly become one of my favorite sub-genres of horror.  The latest vampire film is called DRACULA: UNTOLD and tells the story about how the man we know as "Dracula" came to be.  

  This trailer looks great, sort of a Dracula film with a the fighting and style of a film like 300 mixed in.  I will be checking this one out in theaters for sure!   The film is directed by Gary Shore , who from the looks of his imdb.com page is a first time feature director.  This film seems like a huge undertaking for a new director, but from the looks of the trailer, he did an amazing job!

   DRACULA: UNTOLD will be released to theaters  October 17th of this year.  Check out the trailer and let me know what you think about this one...are you excited to see this one?



CLICK HERE to watch the trailer

Blu-ray Review: DRACULA (1974)

DRACULA
Written by Richard Matheson
Produced & Directed by Dan Curtis   
Distributed by MPI Home Video

  There have been tons of films made about the story of Count Dracula.  There are a few good ones, and there are some really bad ones.  Luckily, the subject of tonight's review falls into the category of good ones!   Dan Curtis' DRACULA was released in 1974 as a TV movie, which explains the lack of gore in the film.  Yet even with minimal gore, this is a very well made adaptation of the Dracula story!  Here is some info on this new release from the MPI press release:

  Academy Award winner Jack Palance stars in this terrifying adaptation of Bram Stoker's classic vampire novel Dracula, written for the screen by sci-fi/horror master Richard Matheson (The Twilight Zone, I Am Legend, Duel) and produced by the legendary Dan Curtis (Dark Shadows, Trilogy of Terror, The Winds of War). Palance (City Slickers, Batman, Shane, Contempt) is Count Dracula, whose centuries-old existence is threatened after he attacks the lovely Lucy Westenra (Fiona Lewis, Dr. Phibes Rises Again), and her fiance (Simon Ward, The Tudors, Young Winston) calls in famed vampire hunter Dr. Van Helsing (Nigel Davenport, A Man for All Seasons; Mary, Queen of Scots) to investigate. Originally shown on CBS-TV in 1974, DAN CURTIS' DRACULA has long been considered among the most frightening versions of the Dracula story; the

Los Angeles Times called Palance "the definitive Count Dracula - as flesh-crawling an experience as you've ever had." Filmed on location in England and Yugoslavia,

DAN CURTIS' DRACULA has been transferred and restored in 2K High Definition from the original 35mm camera negative and presented here on Blu-ray for the first time.

 

  I have to admit, I had no idea of this movie's existence.  I never knew Jack Palance had ever played Dracula. I really haven't seen Jack Palance in too many things, other than his later stuff like when he hosted Ripley's Believe it or Not back in the 80's or for his role in the film CITY SLICKERS.  I am not familiar with his earlier work, but if this performance is any indication, he was a remarkable actor in his day.   Christopher Lee has always been my favorite "Dracula", but after seeing this film, Mr. Palance may have taken my top spot!

 

  This film had some great names involved, and it is hard to believe it was a made for TV movie.  The production value is very high for a TV movie from this time.   The film was written by Richard Matheson and was produced and directed by Dan Curtis who gave us the TV show,  DARK SHADOWS.   So with that much talent behind the camera, and the talent of Mr. Palance in front of the camera, this film was sure to be a hit, and I believe it is.   

 

  The film is pretty tame by today's standards.  There is very little blood except for when a couple of the vampires get staked, then they spit up some blood, but overall it is very tame.   I didn't know it was a made for TV film before I started watching it, but as I watched it I noticed some fade to black breaks in the film that seemed like a perfect spot for a commercial break.   Once I read the press release, I saw that is was in fact made for CBS Television.  That explains why the film is not gorier than it is, and contains no nudity or bad language.  The film could probably get a PG rating if released to theaters today, yet it still manages to have a very creepy/scary feel to it.

 

  I would highly suggest you check out this version of DRACULA if you are a fan of that character.   Dan Curtis' DRACULA is available now on Blu-ray from MPI Home Video and contains the following special features:

 

*  Interviews with Actor Jack Palance

*  Interview with Producer/Director  Dan Curtis

*  Outtakes

*  TV cuts

*  Trailer

*  Spanish & French Audio Tracks

*  English SDH Subtitles

 

 

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer

CLICK HERE to purchase the Blu-ray

 

 

 

 

DVD Review: BONNIE AND CLYDE VS. DRACULA (2008)

BONNIE AND CLYDE VS DRACULA

Directed by: Timothy Friend

Distributed by: Indican Pictures

I just watched the film BONNIE AND CLYDE VS DRACULA. I loved this movie from the moment I heard that title. It sounds so ridiculous that it just had to be great...right? And that DVD cover looks super cool too. I was super excited to finally watch this. So did it live up to my expectations? Before I answer that, here is the basic plot from the film's official website for those that aren't familiar with the film:

Bonnie and Clyde vs. Dracula combines the rough and tumble world of 1930's era gangster movies with the violent gothic atmosphere of a classic horror film. When a robbery goes bad and one of their companions is shot, Bonnie and Clyde are forced to seek help at a nearby mansion, home to the twisted Dr. Loveless and his imprisioned sister, Annabel. But Loveless has a secret. Deep in his cellar, the recently revived Dracula awaits...

So...did the film live up to my expectations? Well....unfortunately no. But maybe I had hyped it up too much in my head...who knows. While the film didn't live up to what I expected, that is not to say it wasn't a good film. It did have some very good things going for it...most notably the great acting. Tiffany Shepis as Bonnie and Trent Haaga as Clyde were a great on screen due and seemed to have some great chemistry. These two made the film in my opinion.

The film also contained some disturbing images...most notably the person or "thing" in the opening scene. The film contained some genuine scares at some points as well.

While the movie did have it's good points, it had its flaws as well. My major problem with this film are all the subplots and characters that are introduced. The whole plot with Dr. Loveless and his sister, Annabel, just seemed out of place to me. They could have been in a separate film all together. I mean, aren't we really here to see three main people...Bonnie, Clyde, and Dracula!

Another issue I had was that the film was very slow at times....the only thing that made up for this was the very ending when Bonnie and Clyde go on a Vampire shooting spree. That was a lot of fun to watch!

For a crime film, this was actually very good, with some good dialog and some really great shoot out scenes, but for us Horror and gore fans, the film just lacked a little bit in that department.

BONNIE AND CLYDE VS DRACULA is scheduled for release on DVD May 3rd. Check it out for yourself and see what you think!

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer

CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD (Pre-order)

CLICK HERE to visit the film's official website

DVD Review: SEDUCTION OF EVIL (2007)

Ahh...now this is refreshing!! After being bombarded in the media lately with stories of teenage vampires that sparkle in the sunlight and their high school love triangles, it is so nice to get back to a real vampire story. SEDUCTION OF EVIL is a GreatStar production and is being distributed by A.normale Productions (the great folks that brought us the KILLER CUP films). SEDUCTION OF EVIL is a dark, Gothic, horror film...just like a good vampire story should be!

Here is the basic plot synopsis from the A.normale Productions website:

A man in his fifties comes face to face with his long lost girlfriend, whom he believed was killed some 25 years ago, only to find out that she was seduced by the powers of evil... the prince of darkness himself, Count Dracula!

This film is a tribute to the classic Hammer Horror films. Dracula was played remarkably well by genre veteran Christopher Lee in those films, and actor Daniel Brown does a good job here doing his best Lee inspired Dracula. Like the Hammer films, this film contains some beautiful women and a very Gothic vibe. The acting is good all around, and the music is wonderful. The instrumental music is very eerie and sets the tone for the film. There is also a song by Alice Cooper in the film, so that was a nice bonus! SEDUCTION OF EVIL was written and Directed by Andre Dubois and is definitely recommended if you are looking to return to the classic vampire film.

CLICK HERE to purchase a DVD of SEDUCTION OF EVIL

CLICK HERE to visit the official website of A.normale Productions