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The Dracula Saga
[Deimos]
1972; color
Directed by Leon Klimovsky
Starring: Tina Sainz, Tony Isbert, Maria Kosti & Helga Line
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As you may guess from the title, Leon Klimovsky's The Dracula Saga is a movie about the saga of the Dracula family. Literally. As in, the whole plot of the movie can essentially be summed up in the title's three words. Nonetheless, I'll try to elaborate a bit because, you know, that's what we're here for. Much like many other films of this ilk it all starts with a trip to a castle. Well, actually it all starts with a red paint-like substance (most likely red paint) masquerading as blood dripping on a black table; then a voice-over about the sad state of dying Dracula family (not unlike the narration heard over the loudspeaker at Salem, Massachusetts' famed Witch Museum); followed by a freaky deaky dream sequence where a woman in a hideous lavender outfit is terrorized by a bat. Then we are transported to the most obvious form of transportation to employ when one needs to be taken to a castle in the woods, ye olde bouncy carriage, where we meet our well appointed hero and heroine, accompanied by their still in utero child to be. (In case this isn't obvious already, the pregnant chick is the one who had the dream about the bat. And you'll never guess what her maiden name was!) After a brief derailing of their trip's progress - thanks to the work stoppage of their hired carriage's horses and a seemingly dead body they stumble across in the woods when they decide to walk the rest of the way to their destination (to compound the problem, moments after they stumble across her, the not so dead dead woman gets up; then collapses into the man's arms forcing them to take her back to the inn they just left) - they arrive at the castle. Not just any castle mind you, the heroine's grandfather's castle. And, of course, once they get there they find all sorts of oddness afoot, in the form of coffins with the names of the relatives they're there to visit inscribed on their lids and a care taker who won't answer any questions and that sort of thing. Nothing that would seem odd to anyone who has watched more than one vampire movie (well, except for the cyclops dude - he surprised even me) but things that would seem odd to a couple who doesn't get out of the cottage much. Things get even odder from that point but you'll have to investigate for yourself, since I wouldn't want to spoil anything for you. The Dracula Saga is a bit more somber than the other Klimovsky films we've reviewed on the Buffet thus far (The Devil's Possessed, The Vampires Night Orgy, Vengeance Of The Zombies, The Werewolf vs. Vampire Woman) and perhaps one of the more somber Dracula films I've seen in general. Which is not to say this film doesn't feature the standard amount of sex (read: nudity) and violence we've come to expect from Eurotrash films of this era. It does have it's share. The sex and violence are just a little less um... flashy? I don't know, I can't think of the right word. But rest assured you will get to see both boobs and blood during the course of the film, just not as much as your used to. (Interestingly, the alternate clothed scenes that were necessary for this to have a theatrical release in it's native land are offered up as part of the special features. Which I mainly find interesting because I would have to guess the portion of the viewing / buying audience who would want to watch the clothed version is rather small. And by rather small I mean non-existent.).
—Bunny
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