The Terrifying Appetite of Spanish Vampires

Опубликовано: 12 Ноябрь 2024
на канале: Dreams of the Projected Night

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In Spain, in the 70s, there were a hell of a lot of vampires. At least if the cinema of the time is to be believed and I see no reason to ever disbelieve what films tell me is real. There were so many vampires that some were relieved to see a werewolf just to have some kind of bloodthirsty ally against those sepulchral creatures of the night.

Here we have examples from three great Spanish vampire films. We kick off with a moment from Javier Aguirre's 1973 classic 'Count Dracula's Great Love' (El gran amor del conde Drácula). Aguirre was plagued with difficulties making this film but managed to create some wonderful effects that make the film shine. I especially love the two vampire girls leaping on to a rooftop.

Then we have, also from 1973, Julio Salvador's 'Crypt of the Living Dead' (La tumba de la isla maldita), more popularly known in the English speaking world as 'Hannah, Queen of the Vampires'. At some point extra footage was shot by Ray Danton. Here we see Teresa Gimpera stalking Mark Damon which quite restores her vitality.

Lastly, we have León Klimovsky's 1971 work of beauty, 'La Noche de Walpurgis' which I first saw under the title of 'Shadow of the Werewolf' but which seems best known as 'The Werewolf Versus the Vampire Woman' which always struck me as a sad kind of title for a film with so many moments of dreamlike beauty. Accurate enough. There is a fight between a werewolf and a vampire woman. The great Patty Shepard plays Countess Wandesa Dárvula de Nadasdy, clearly a stand in for Erzsébet Báthory aka Countess Dracula, The Bloody Countess of legend adored by surrealists and film-makers alike for her, possibly fictional, atrocities.

I have no idea why Spain suddenly became such a fertile ground for horror films and horror film-makers (which include Jorge Grau and José Larraz) at this time. I think a lot of it may be due to the powerhouse that was Paul Naschy. Maybe it is just that the horror genre is a moveable feast.

Contents

0:00 - Count Dracula's Great Love Vampire Attack
0:21 - Crypt of the Living Dead Hannah's Visions in the Tomb
1:21 - Count Dracula's Great Love Dracula's Brides on the Prowl
1:38 - La Noche De Walpurgis Visions of Countess Wandesa Dárvula de Nadasdy
2:11 - Crypt of the Living Dead Hannah hunts Peter
2:31 - La Noche De Walpurgis The Countess Wandesa Dárvula de Nadasdy Feeding
3:37 - La Noche De Walpurgis A Brand New Vampire
3:44 - Crypt of the Living Dead Hannah Sated
4:03 - La Noche De Walpurgis Smoky Corridor
4:13 - Count Dracula's Great Love Vampires Can Jump
4:22 - La Noche De Walpurgis The Countess Wandesa Dárvula de Nadasdy Sad
4:42 - Count Dracula's Great Love Vampires Without Invitations
4:54 - La Noche De Walpurgis Patty Shepard
5:09 - Count Dracula's Great Love The Problem with Sunlight

Music: AETHER by Density and Time

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