8mm Forum: Taste The Blood Of Dracula

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Topic: Taste The Blood Of Dracula - 400ft.

Kevin Wardle
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 136
From: Durham - England
Registered: Jul 2009

posted August 08, 2009 02:08 PM

Taste The Blood Of Dracula. 2 reel Derann Import, Colour/Sound.

The film starts with some clever titles that are done in the same style as the originals. They are red set against a velvet blue background, nice touch as they could have just used plain B/W tiles.

Three Victorian business men looking for thrills happen to meet Ralph Bates for dinner, and guess what? He has Dracula's ashes and is planing to bring him back from the dead. They get scared during the ceremony and beat the poor guy to death. Dracula comes back to life and vows to take revenge on the three men by making their children Vampires.

Peter Sallis gets the point! [Big Grin]

The film moves at a very good clip and nearly all of the key scenes are included. Sadly, the scene in which Roy Kinnear witness's the counts death from the previous film is not included, but what we have left is superb and essential viewing for any Hammer horror fan. And what about the fantastic cast? Just about the best cast in any Hammer film..

The print is good, nice colour, and with clear sound. When this film first came out, it was said to be made from a projection print. If that's the case, who ever did it did a very good job.

Recommended if you can find a copy!

Picture A/B Sound A/B

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Mark Williams
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 846
From: West Sussex
Registered: Mar 2007

posted August 09, 2009 11:02 AM

Great review Kevin!!

So who actually released this one then??

Was it a US import as stated by Derann or was it an unofficial release by Derann??

Cheers MW

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Kevin Wardle
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 136
From: Durham - England
Registered: Jul 2009

posted August 09, 2009 11:23 AM

Hi Mark,

Many thanx for the kind words! This film was a Derann "import" print. Mine is the second print run that Derann managed to get in 1984, only a limited number were imported. The original was released in 1982 I think. It is in a white box with a Derann label attached. I have no way of checking it's origin on the print..It was supplied on a clear 400ft spool. Maybe someone else can throw some light on who released this print. One thing is for sure, after 1984 it was never available again! [Frown]

Best wishes, Kevin.

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Marshall Crist
Master Film Handler

Posts: 300
From: San Pedro, CA USA
Registered: Oct 2008

posted August 09, 2009 12:03 PM

Is that the cover from the Derann box? It has the exact same "Super 8" blurb in the upper right corner as Ken used to use.

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Brian Hendel
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 902
From: New York, New York
Registered: Jun 2003

posted August 09, 2009 03:27 PM

The Derann digest came in just a white box with the generic Derann artwork attached... the origins of this edit are a little murky. I assumed it was something Derann acquired from Germany or somewhere and shot their own title card for and dubbed... but that's just a guess. I have a print and it is nicely edited...

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Robert Tucker
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 688
From: Essex, UK
Registered: May 2005

posted August 09, 2009 03:36 PM

I also have this 400ft release print, thou it does suffer from being a bit to dark in some of the night scenes. Thou i must admit it is a very hard title to come by these days anyway. Thou we are quiet blessed with so many Hammer full length features on Super 8. As finding the same titles on 16mm or 35mm is impossible to find. Maybe because they are so collectable.

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Kevin Wardle
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 136
From: Durham - England
Registered: Jul 2009

posted August 09, 2009 05:01 PM

I just used that Ken box art for illustration purposes! Yes, the original print has the generic Derann label.. [Wink]

Kevin.

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Adrian Winchester
Film God

Posts: 2941
From: Croydon, London, UK
Registered: Aug 2004

posted August 10, 2009 10:31 PM

Looks like the 1984 prints are the ones to go for because my earlier one has faded - must have been printed just before Kodak introduced LPP. However, although mine came in a plain box, I later obtained a box label with some basic artwork that Derann produced.

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Adrian Winchester

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Brad Kimball
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1171
From: Highland Mills, NY USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted October 24, 2009 06:56 PM

I have the same print and mine is gorgeous. Actually, it's a little blue-accented. Slight bluish hue throughout, but simply beautiful. Sound is loud and crisp, too. Editing was terrific for a not-so-great movie overall (I thought the ending was a big letdown after what we were given in "Risen From The Grave" it took me a while to figure out just what caused the count's demise). I got it for a song on EBAY years ago and it never came with the original box, but I have been told it is a real rarity and apparently the printing license on it was very very brief.

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Adrian Winchester
Film God

Posts: 2941
From: Croydon, London, UK
Registered: Aug 2004

posted October 24, 2009 10:23 PM

"it took me a while to figure out just what caused the count's demise"

Brad - I think different people have different interpretations of this, so I'd be interested to hear yours.

Incidentally, in case anyone is interested, I can say that this cut down is derived from the US version of the film, as at least one of the deaths featured is longer and more graphic if you see the British version. The DVD features the British version but I think video releases were the US version. The British version is a few minutes longer, mainly because much of the bordello scene (not featured in the cut down) is much shorter in the US version.

--------------------
Adrian Winchester

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Brad Kimball
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1171
From: Highland Mills, NY USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted October 25, 2009 04:16 PM

The overwhelming power of purity and righteousness within the symbols in the church are what I think we're supposed to assume caused Drac's death, but who really knows what Peter Sasdy was thinking when he was directing. It's a great flick right up until the end and then I take a "whatever" kind of attitude.

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Brad Kimball
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1171
From: Highland Mills, NY USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted August 20, 2017 11:18 PM

Just watched this again. Beautiful print, but very dark in the church scenes. The disintegration of Drac at the end is barely visible. What is a production print? Is this the same thing as a dupe?

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