Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970).

We’re back to Hammer Horror, back to Christopher Lee, and back to Dracula. In this episode of General Witchfinders, we sink our teeth into Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970), the fifth official film in Hammer’s Dracula series and our sixth Hammer Dracula review to date. You can find links to all previous vampire escapades at https://tinyurl.com/Witchdrac.

This British gothic horror classic, directed by Peter Sasdy and written by Hammer regular Anthony Hinds (under the alias John Elder), was nearly a Dracula-free affair. Christopher Lee had originally declined to return, and the script focused instead on Ralph Bates’s doomed Lord Courtley. But Warner Bros. insisted: no Dracula, no deal. So #BigChrisLee once again rises from the grave — bloodthirsty, silent, and furiously regretting his contract.

Taste the Blood of Dracula opens with a satanic ritual involving Dracula’s powdered remains, a trio of Victorian hypocrites, and the ill-fated resurrection of evil. It’s a moody, blood-soaked revenge tale packed with brooding graveyards and Hammer’s trademark blend of sex, sin and satin capes.

Cast Highlights:

• Christopher Lee as Count Dracula — in his fourth Dracula outing for Hammer.
• Ralph Bates as Lord Courtley — Hammer’s would-be replacement for Lee.
• Geoffrey Keen as William Hargood — a patriarch with a hidden penchant for brothels.
• Linda Hayden as Alice Hargood — the daughter turned devotee, previously seen in Baby Love and The Blood on Satan’s Claw.
• Peter Sallis as Samuel Paxton — yes, that Peter Sallis: Cleggy, Wallace, and voice of animated British melancholy.
• Roy Kinnear as Weller — bringing tragic optimism, as only Kinnear can.

There’s Hammer horror royalty in every frame, from Linda Hayden’s eerie innocence to Ralph Bates’s foppish devilry. And Geoffrey Keen? You may recognise him as Sir Frederick Gray, the Defence Minister across six Bond films — The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, A View to a Kill and The Living Daylights.

Ralph Bates, meanwhile, would go on to star in Dr Jekyll and Sister Hyde, The Horror of Frankenstein, Lust for a Vampire, becoming one of Hammer’s key players. He also turned up in the final season of Secret Army (inspiring ’Allo ’Allo), and was once considered for major roles in Lifeforce — as discussed back in episode 39.

Peter Sallis, who we last touched on in our Nicolas Lyndhurst deep-dive (episode 54), had an extraordinary career in British television, from Doctor Who to The Wind in the Willows to Wallace & Gromit. His role in this film might be brief, but his CV is longer than Dracula’s cape.

And finally, Roy Kinnear: from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory to Help!, Watership Down, Blake’s 7, and beyond — always brilliant, always beleaguered.

Trivia for the diehards:

• This film was part of a double bill with Crescendo on release.
• The infamous brothel scene was trimmed from the theatrical cut but restored for later DVD editions.
• Released just 22 weeks before Scars of Dracula (covered back in episode 28).

Whether you’re a lifelong Hammer horror collector, a Christopher Lee completist, or simply a fan of vintage British horror with gothic flair, Taste the Blood of Dracula is essential viewing.

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