Review of The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires (1974) by Stuart K — 22 Aug 2009
Hammer goes East!! This film, the last in their long running Dracula series was a co-production with Hong Kong's Shaw Brothers Studio. But, they couldn't get Christopher Lee to return, so they took the focus off Dracula, and onto his arch-nemesis Van Helsing, oh and alot of Kung Fu action.
It is trying to cash in on the kung fu films of the time, it makes for an odd combination, but it's alot better than it sounds. It begins in 1804 with Count Dracula (John Forbes-Robertson) took on the appearance of a Chinese taoist monk.
100 years later, Professor Abraham Van Helsing (Peter Cushing) is in Chongqing, giving a lecture on Chinese vampire legends. No-one believes him, but Hsi Ching (David Chiang) does, and he asks Van Helsing to come to his family village to rid it of it's legendary 7 golden vampires.
They go with Van Helsing's son Leyland (Robin Stewart), the student and his six kung-fu trained brothers, and one sister, the journey is funded by wealthy widow Vanessa Buren (Julie Ege), oh, and the vampires are being controlled by Dracula as the monk.
:P It's a silly film, and the combination of kung fu and vampire horror is as silly as it sounds. But it's actually a good Hammer film!! It's well made and brilliantly shot. The kung fu action is very good, but the horror feels forced.
It's fun while it lasts though.
This review of The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires (1974) was written by Stuart K on 22 Aug 2009.
The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires has generally received mixed reviews.
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