As they start to leave, they are confronted by Erica and the redheaded bride, who remain vampires despite Yorga's death. Directed by Bob Kelljan. Yorga distracts Hayes and strengthens his hypnotic control over Donna. AIP insisted that they needed an unrestricted GP rating for the film in order to get the film released into the largest possible number of theaters, most importantly drive-in theaters. That evening, Reverend Thomas phones Jennifer, but it is revealed she lies dead on her bed with a large knife sticking out of her chest. When the women don't respond to their question and continue tho silently advance on them. American International Pictures had planned at one stage to revive Count Yorga as an adversary for Dr. Anton Phibes in Dr. Phibes Rises Again. However, nothing was spared as far as creativity and skill. This was really the first vampire film that treated them as swift and animalistic. The film was given a second VHS release by MGM Home Entertainment in September 2000. Count Yorga, Vampire has been the subject of several home video releases in nearly all formats since the 1980s. Later, Baldwin finally finds the half-mind-controlled Cynthia and attempts to escape; however, he is nearly beaten by Brudda. User Ratings Of course, I said yes, if its going to be a straight horror film.. COUNT YORGA, VAMPIRE (Bob Kelljan, 1970) ***, My Friend Will Have a Hamburger and a Quart of Blood, Please, Another Terrific Vampire Flick from the Sexy 70's, Different take on the legendary Dracula story. Marx composed quite a few exploitation scores throughout the 70s, returning for the following years sequel, Its revealed that Yorga insisted that Donnas mother not be cremated so that he could add her to the undead harem that he keeps in the old-world dungeon of his thoroughly modern home. "[6] Kenneth Turan of The Washington Post called it "as good a horror film as we have had for some time" and "90 minutes of supremely diverting entertainment. Some friends gather at the mansion of Robert Quarry (Count Yorga) so that they can hold a sance and Donna Anders (Donna) can contact her recently deceased mother Marsha Jordan. Robert Quarry ('Dr Phibes Rises Again') is excellent as Yorga. Yorga sends the undead women to Cynthia's house, using mind-control to get Cynthia's family (along with Tommy, who was sleeping over) into the living room before his brides break in and attack them. Transposing the vampire legend into modern-day Los Angeles was not without its hurdles for the writers. They try to check in on her via phone, but she drops the phone to the floor without answering. That made this film surprisingly effective. The Count Yorga Collection (Limited Edition) | Arrow Video US Product Video Product Overview Product Details The Count Yorga Collection (Limited Edition) Earn 450 reward points when purchasing this product* MSRP: $50.00 $45.00 Save: $5.00 Quantity Buy Now Save to Wishlist Log in/sign up to use Wishlists! His "Count" positioning gives him that old world nobility aesthetic, complete with a cloaked outfit. It is no mystery, due to the title of the film, that he is a vampire. By the end of the 1960s the boom in Old World gothic horror had begun to wane in the face of present day terrors like the Vietnam war. He also grimly adds they might have to kill Paul and Erica too if they have become vampires, since the vampire curse will make them evil and loyal to Yorga. The actor clearly relishes the chance to perform this type of role and brings a gravity to it, despite some of the lighter and campier aspects of the movie. Yet COUNT YORGA, VAMPIRE has found itself a B-movie oddity, relegated to late, late showings on UHF stations throughout the 80s and 90s and all but forgotten if ever seen by a generation that reveled in the modern horror era of slashers and special makeup effects. and even when the bodies start piling up, the police don't seem to be interested. Meanwhile, memories of the attack on her family slowly start to resurface in Cynthia's mind as she stays within Yorga's manor. Yorga takes Cynthia and flees to the upper balcony of the estate as Baldwin (who grabs an iron battle-axe from a wall) chases the two. Video Review. After Thomas learns of Jennifer's death, David is sure he is correct about the Count's true nature and manages to convince Reverend Thomas and investigating police detectives Lt. Madden and Sgt. with some remnants of the original plot left in. Despite knowing how dangerous their chances are, they stock up on stakes and makeshift crosses before heading to Yorga's mansion as night falls. But the decade also unleashed cinematic oddities galore, most of which were . By what name was The Return of Count Yorga (1971) officially released in Canada in English? Bob Kelljan's "Count Yorga,Vampire" is an effective horror film which has plenty of suspense and atmosphere.Robert Quarry("Madhouse")is simply outstanding as a deadly vampire Count Yorga and there are some sexy vampiresses.The film may be a little too tame for some people's tastes,but there is enough thrills to satisfy horror fans.Highly recommended. Despite the confusion, David Baldwin, Cynthia's fianc, is suspicious about the Nelsons' disappearance. Quarry would appear in another independent production, THE DEATHMASTER in 1973 which featured the actor as a vampire hippie guru modeled after Charles Manson. For the rest of the decade he mainly concentrated on TV before sadly having his career cut short by cancer. Yorga is simply looking to put together an undead harem that he can voyeuristically watch make love from the throne in his dungeon and he does, in a sexy sequence probably leftover from the scripts original iteration. Ohhow could I forget to mention the count's brides; possibly the scariest-looking, fastest-moving bunch you've ever seen! Not only is Count Yorga very obviously . Quarry plays the Count with a charm that is both amiable and yet caustic. She strikes Yorga in the chest with Baldwin's battle-axe. They are preparing the orphanage for a fundraising costume party. Low-rung vampire pic "Counts" on Quarry to elevate it. Stephen Farber's 1972 book, The Movie Rating Game, details the problems that the film's distributor American International Pictures had in securing a GP rating (formerly known as M, later renamed to PG) from the Motion Picture Association of America, which initially was divided as to whether to give the film an R or X rating. A must see for the classic horror fan. And I have seen quite a few. The film opens with a narration by character actor George Macready, whose son, Michael Macready, produced the film and also played "Michael". One would think a movie called the best horror film of the year by Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune would end up on countless greatest horror films lists. Madden tries to find a way to him, but he gets lured in by a voice from the shadows (thinking it is Baldwin) and then killed by Tommy who stabs him in the same way he murdered Jennifer. The concerned men drive to her home where they find the place in disarray, and a hysterical Erica eating her kitten. Yorga takes her away, preparing to turn her into his new bride while leaving his army of brides to finish off Baldwin. Excellent too are Roger Perry and the entire cast, except for Perry's bed partner who gets more lines than she can handle. Most of the clichs of the vampire sub-genre are here, and it's only really the setting that has been changed. ; Gratuitous Rape: Does this to Donna in the first movie, much to Yorga's displeasure. Director Bob Kelljan Writers Bob Kelljan Yvonne Wilder Stars Robert Quarry Mariette Hartley Roger Perry See production, box office & company info Search on Amazon 1969 : 4 . "[5] Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times wrote that "writer-director Bob Kelljan has freshened up the formula pretty well he and his attractive cast of unknowns do succeed in persuading us to go along with the hokum for the duration of the film's fast-moving 90 minutes. Kelljan had acted in a couple of Richard Rush movies in the 60s including 'Psych-Out', before making a few exploitation movies of his own in the early- to mid-70s. After the party is over, Erica and Paul offer to drive the Count home. Yorga awakens Donna telepathically and has her sabotage Michael's alarm clock before having her come to the mansion. Both films were presented in the widescreen format, and included original theatrical trailers. They also wear no shoes . That's because around this same time period, vampire films were getting a bit stale and silly--with too many Hammer Dracula films (the franchise was getting weaker due to so many sequels) as well as dumb films like OLD Dracula and the Blacula films (which weren't terrible, but they sure were silly). When not hard at work slinging margaritas, he tries to squeeze in as much adventure, excitement and romance as he can. While enlisted, he started a theatrical troupe and upon making his way into filmmaking, he took a contract with RKO and subsequently MGM. These include the comely Donna Anders, Judy Lang, Mariette Hartley and Yvonne Wilder. "[3] Roger Greenspun of The New York Times called Robert Quarry "the best chief vampire I have seen in years. They duck into a darkened hallway, but when Baldwin turns on the lights, he finds himself confronted by all the brides (including Ellen and Mitzi) with Yorga behind them who calls Cynthia over to his side. Yet COUNT YORGA, VAMPIRE has found itself a B-movie oddity, relegated to late, late showings on UHF stations throughout the '80s and '90s and all but forgotten if ever seen by a generation that reveled in the modern horror era of slashers and special makeup effects. When Michael awakens, he finds Donna gone and that it is nearly evening when he calls to awaken Hayes. But aside from the present-day (well, 1970) atmosphere and setting, this is a movie useful only as a cult hit. Tommy is untouched, revealing he is under Yorga's power. Perry gives a skilled, knowing performance as well, obviously aware that a blend of seriousness mixed with levity was called for in the production. Screen:'Count Yorga, Vampire' and 'The Crimson Cult' Bow at Local Theaters", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Count_Yorga,_Vampire&oldid=1146722089, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 26 March 2023, at 15:41. Its revealed that Yorga insisted that Donnas mother not be cremated so that he could add her to the undead harem that he keeps in the old-world dungeon of his thoroughly modern home. The Count appears to have no reason to be at the boarding school's halloween bash, but he is there, uninvited, clashing with the other guests. And, even though he kind of looks like and acts like Count Dracula, he's not Dracula! A drive-in favourite from the moment it was released, a sequel soon followed. Bruddah tosses Jason's body into the throne/coffin room for the brides, including Ellen and newly vampiric Mitzi, to feed upon. The sequence resembles a Bob Newhart/Benny Hill Halloween special. Michael fends them off, chasing away the redhead while Erica pauses, giving Michael a chance to stake her, but despite seeing she is no longer the Erica he knows, he cannot bring himself to do so, and proceeds upstairs while she hisses at him. 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