Written By: Ken HulseySource: Total Film
Classic movie monsters are all the rage these days with studios climbing all over themselves trying to make a new "Frankenstein" movie, Universal trying to get "The Wolfman" right, Legendary pictures making a new 3D "Godzilla" movie, a "Creature From the Black Lagoon" remake about to get under way, and enough Bigfoot movies to beat the band.
In prior articles I have talked about film maker James Baack's homage to Hammer horror films "Dracula's Orgy of the Damned" which of course features yet another classic movie monster Dracula. Now it seems that Baack is not alone in his quest to revisit the feel of 60s and 70s UK horror. Director Dario Argento is also well into production on "Dracula 3D" which from the looks of it has Hammer written all over it.
The film stars Rutger Hauer as Van Helsing and Argento's daughter Asia as Lucy.
It's normally a bad sign when a film maker casts his own family members in his films so watch out.
Here is the plot:
TRANSYLVANIA, 1893.
One night in the woods adjacent to Passo Borgo, at the foot of the Carpazi mountains, a couple of young lovers, Tania and Milos, secretly meet. On her way home, Tania is chased and overcome by a "dark shadow" that kills her. In those days Jonathan Harker, a young librarian, arrives at the village hired by Count Dracula, a nobleman from the area. Tania's body mysteriously disappears from the cemetery. In the meantime Harker, before going to Count Dracula's castle, takes the opportunity to visit Lucy Kisslinger, his wife Mina's best friend as well as the daughter of the local mayor.
Upon arriving at the castle, Harker is greeted by Tania, brought back to life from the dead and made vampire, who tries from the very beginning to seduce him; however they are interrupted by Dracula's entrance welcoming Harker. The following night Tania tries again to bite Harker, she is close to his neck when she is stopped by the count who gets the upper hand and it is he himself who bites Harker's neck, however allowing him to live. The following day, weakened but still conscious Harker attempts to escape, but as soon as he is outside the castle a large wolf with a white lock assaults and savagely kills him. Meanwhile, Mina, Harker's wife, arrives in the village and is guest for a few days at the home of her dearest friend Lucy Kisslinger, who will also be bitten and vampirized. The day after, Mina, worried about her husband, goes to Count Dracula's castle. Their encounter makes her forget the reason for her presence there. She is completely under the count's influence; the count had orchestrated the events leading up to their encounter; in fact Mina looks exactly like his beloved Dolinger, who died some centuries ago. Upon her return to the Kisslinger house, Mina learns of the death of her dear friend Lucy. The sequence of such strange and dramatic events summons the aid of Van Helsing, vampire expert of the techniques used to eliminate them. Van Helsing, aware of the circumstances decides to act swiftly and prepares the tools needed to combat vampires. He directs himself to the center of evil, Count Dracula's castle. Meanwhile Dracula, in the village, kills the inhabitants who rescinded their pact, while Van Helsing, inside the castle, is able to definitively eliminate Tania. Dracula, intent on his desire to reunite with his beloved wife, leads Mina, completely hypnotized, to the castle where Van Helsing is waiting. He has decided to engage in a deadly fight with his evil foe. During the struggle Van Helsing loses his gun with the silver bullet and Mina, still under Dracula's spell, gathers it and tries to aid Dracula, but she misses the target and involuntarily kills him. The special silver bullet transforms Dracula into ashes; but his spirit lifts the ashes into the air and uniting, they shape into a large bat with a mocking grin...
And here are the first photos from "Dracula 3D":
See Also: Hammer Horror Countess Dracula, Van Helsing And Count Dracula Masterpiece Collection Busts / Dracula (Bela Lugosi) Film Cell / New Images And Casting News For DRACULA'S ORGY OF THE DAMNED /Universal Monsters Select - Dracula Action Figure / A New Retro Style Poster For DRACULA'S ORGY OF THE DAMNED / The 100 Greatest Monsters From Movies And Television #10 - #1 / New Behind The Scenes Photos From DRACULA'S ORGY OF THE DAMNED / Vampirella Goes Toe-To-Toe With Dracula/ New Teaser Art And Casting News For DRACULA'S ORGY OF THE DAMNED / BELA LUGOSI'S TALES FROM THE GRAVE Gets Rave Reviews / Universal Monsters - Life Like Stretchable Figures - Complete Set Of Six /Dracula - Dracula's Ring - Collectors Edition - Prop Replica / Dracula - 12 inch Figure - Bela Lugosi As Dracula - Sideshow Collectibles /
