If you are looking for something different in the world of vampires, odds are, no matter how outrageous your vampiric fantasy, it has already been done. Above and beyond the widely known Universal and Hammer features, we’ve seen whiny teen vampires – that’s Twilight, bloodsuckers in Alaska – 30 Days of Night, an African American creature of the night – Blacula, the dangers of a ravenous armpit that loves to feed on humans – Rabid, vampires in space – Lifeforce, mechanical bug bites that transform you into the undead – Cronos, cape wearers doing kung fu – Kung Fu from Beyond the Grave, and then we have today’s feature, 1974’s Vampira (a.k.a. Old Dracula). . . its secondary title an attempted American cash-in after the release of Young Frankenstein.
Directed by Clive Donner, and set in the year it was released, Dracula (David Niven), is, for lack of a better word, old (I hate to say it, but even his iconic hair has been replaced with a toupee). Living without his beloved wife, Vampira, for the past half century (after an anemic blood incident has put her into a coma), he has opened his infamous castle. . . not only to make some extra money (as you can imagine, the upkeep on the giant stone structure is exorbitant), but also to drug his visitors – so that he can test their blood and find the cure for his beloved wife’s affliction.
Entertaining a group of perky Playboy playmates with the help of his goofily loyal manservant, Maltravers (Peter Bayliss – a scene-stealer who loves to flip between imitating his boss and a Renfield type), the girls are looking for the perfect photo shoot. Nabbing their blood one night, Dracula quickly realizes that one of these ladies has the ichor that will give his wife life eternal. . . the only problem – Maltravers has confused which blood is which. Deciding to mix them all together, Vampira revives, promptly regaining her colour. . . wait a minute, vampires aren’t supposed to have colour. Having mixed all of the bloods together, one of which comes from an African American woman, it has had the added side effect of turning her black.
Despite his wife’s protests, the triumvirate follow the playmates to London to try to reverse things. Dracula, always the cunning craftsman, targets the girls’ associate, Marc (Nick Henson), a playboy in his own right, who loves to seduce the lot of them. . . despite the fact he already has a loyal girlfriend, Angela (Jennie Linden). But the Count better hurry up, for his wife’s fashion sense, habits, and demeanor are starting to change as well.
A movie that is actually quite forward thinking (despite the fact it would never get made today), regardless of all of the race comedy, at its core, the message is – black is beautiful. No matter how much Dracula’s wife changes, he still loves her, showing a caring interracial relationship that wasn’t something that would necessarily be expected to be seen on screen in this era.
Even though the longer it goes the more it trudges along, Vampira still has a lot going for it. Centred on the masterful David Niven, and featuring Peter Bayliss as the always entertaining Maltravers, it is matched by gothic inspired cinematography (with a tinge of post-60s swinging London) by Anthony B. Richmond (Don’t Look Now). Though it doesn’t create anything new (other than its eccentric mix of the main character’s age and its playful use of race), it can be a fun little horror comedy. So, check out this fangtastic film and learn if the old adage is true – once you go black, you never go back.