Directed by:
Bob KelljanScreenplay:
Bob KelljanCinematography:
Arch ArchambaultComposer:
Bill MarxCast:
Robert Quarry, Roger Perry, Michael Murphy, George Macready, Michael Macready, Donna Anders, Edward Walsh, Judy Lang, Deborah Darnell, Marsha JordanVOD (1)
Plots(1)
Updating the vampire mythos to early 1970s Los Angeles, these much-loved cult classics star Robert Quarry as the svelte Count Yorga, living in a mansion in the southern California hills with his equally mysterious brides . Introducing himself as a mystic from Bulgaria who s an expert on séances, his true nature is given away by the title of his first film, Count Yorga, Vampire, long before the hapless Donna (Donna Anders) and her friends discover the truth. (Arrow Films)
(more)Reviews (1)
The rather low budget is obvious in the camerawork and the setting. But the screenplay and directorial focus are good. The protagonists are confronted with a vampire in the reality of 1970s America and they think and react absolutely naturally, as any of us would. They don’t want to believe that vampires exist, but at the same time they are terrified that it may be true. And they fear for their loved ones, in whose company they have come into contact with the vampire. Their visit to him to make sure and the suspenseful dialogue with him are among the best things I have seen in vampire movies, with the psychologically accurate and grippingly revealing existential self-reflection of a long-lived vampire in relation to mortals. Robert Quarry gives Yorga both hypnotic charisma and cold-blooded brutality. And he inspires perhaps greater respect than the “marvelous” Christopher Lee. If the climax had been handled better, I would have given this four stars.
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