Son of Dracula (1974)

Director:

Freddie Francis

Writer:

Jennifer Jayne (writer)

Release Date:

April 1974 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Horror | Musical

Tagline:

The First Rock-and-Roll Dracula Movie!

Plot:

Due to be crowned King of the Netherworld by his mentor Merlin the Magician at a monster's convention Count Downe...

Plot Keywords:

Dracula | Vampire | Independent Film | Character Name In Title

Cast

Harry Nilsson	...	Count Downe
Ringo Starr	...	Merlin, the Magician
Dennis Price	...	Van Helsing
Suzanna Leigh	...	Amber
Freddie Jones	...	Dr. Frankenstein
Peter Frampton	...	Musician
Keith Moon	...	Musician
John Bonham	...	Musician
Rosanna Lee	...	Girl
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
David Bailie	...	Brian
Morris Bush	...	Monster
Shakira Caine	...	Housekeeper (as Shakira Baksh)
Ricki Farr	...	Musician
Bobby Keyes	...	Musician
Nita Lorraine	...	Gorgon Woman
Skip Martin	...	Igor
Dan Meaden	...	Count Dracula
Rachelle Miller	...	Club Hostess
Beth Morris	...	Wendy
Jim Price	...	Musician
Jenny Runacre	...	Woman in Black
Leon Russell	...	Musician
Klaus Voormann	...	Musician
Hedger Wallace	...	Vampire
Lorna Wilde	...	Countess Dracula
Derek Woodward	...	Werewolf

Directed by
Freddie Francis

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Jennifer Jayne		writer (as Jay Fairbank)

Produced by
Jerry Gross	....	producer
Ringo Starr	....	producer
Tim Van Rellim	....	producer

Original Music by
Paul Buckmaster

Cinematography by
Norman Warwick

Film Editing by
Ringo Starr
Derek York

Casting by
Miriam Brickman

Production Design by
Tim Van Rellim

Art Direction by
Andrew Sanders

Set Decoration by
Tessa Davies

Makeup Department
Jill Carpenter	....	makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Chris Kenny	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Tony Jackson	....	sound mixer
Richard Shorr	....	sound editor
Hugh Strain	....	sound re-recordist
Brian Paxton	....	assistant sound recordist (uncredited)

Music Department
Paul Buckmaster	....	music arranger
Gary Wright	....	musician: piano
Del Newman	....	music arranger (uncredited)
Jim Price	....	music arranger (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Apple Corps

Distributors

• Cinemation Industries (1974) (USA) (theatrical)
• Marquis Video (Canada)
• Prima Film (Canada)

Also Known As:

Count Downe (UK) (alternative title)
Young Dracula

Runtime:

USA:90 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:PG

Company:

Apple Corps

Trivia:

Last film of Dennis Price.

SON OF Dracula (Freddie Francis, 1974) *1/2

To begin with, several people involved in this ill-advised and little-seen venture – a fusion of Gothic horror and rock music – have connections with other films featuring some of the monsters who appear in it: Freddie Francis helmed the likes of THE EVIL OF FRANKENSTEIN (1964), Dracula HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE (1968) and LEGEND OF THE WEREWOLF (1975); Suzanna Leigh had been the heroine of LUST FOR A VAMPIRE (1970); Freddie Jones had appeared impressively as the creature in FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED! (1969); Dennis Price did an extended cameo in THE HORROR OF FRANKENSTEIN (1970) and, for Jess Franco, played Van Helsing in VAMPYROS LESBOS (1970) and the Baron in Dracula – PRISONER OF FRANKENSTEIN (1971) and THE EROTIC RITES OF FRANKENSTEIN (1972)! In retrospect, other contemporary films attempted this formula – namely PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE (1974) and THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (1975) – with considerably more successful outcomes.

Personally produced for Apple Films by ex-Beatle Ringo Starr (who here appears as Merlin, the famed magician of Arthurian times!), the title role – which comes equipped with a lame pun on the character’s name, Count Downe! – is filled by singer/songwriter Harry Nilsson decked-out with a hirsute look and, understandably, his performance is a pretty bland and completely forgettable one (a good thing, therefore, that the film-makers’ original plan to have David Bowie in the lead didn’t pan out!). Nonetheless, Nilsson does get to perform a number of good tunes during the course of the film (though stymied by the poor sound quality of the edition I watched!) including “Without You”, which has become perhaps his most representative song; among the session musicians one can also recognize other popular figures of the era such as guitarist Peter Frampton and drummer Keith Moon! By the way, Mrs. Michael Caine (Shakira Baksh) also appears as Merlin’s feline housekeeper.

Culled from a worn-out VHS – in which dark scenes come off as extremely blurry – and slightly damaged to boot, as I said, the version of SON OF Dracula that came my way proved far from ideal viewing. Still, the film itself is a bit of a mess anyway: Dracula Snr., depicted as a Max Schreck lookalike, is killed by Jones’ Baron Frankenstein – the villain of the piece, with evil dwarf Skip Martin for an assistant; Price, on his last legs, turns up as Van Helsing (the film, in fact, was clearly shot in 1972 but released after his death) and Leigh is his luscious secretary – who attracts Nilsson’s amorous attentions…so much so that he decides to renounce his vampiric ways (except that with it goes his claim to immortality!); however, this occurs at a most inopportune time – as several monsters have been convened in order to crown him their overlord (a title which Frankenstein actually covets himself)!

Unfortunately, the plodding film resolves itself in a number of tedious conversation scenes – between Dracula Jnr. and Merlin, between Merlin and Frankenstein, between Frankenstein and Van Helsing, etc.; the resolution, then, sees a happy ending for the Count and his companion – while Frankenstein’s well-deserved come-uppance is amusingly delivered over a game of pool by Merlin’s own hand. In the long run, the mournful ballads work better within the context of the narrative than the rollicking numbers – “Without You”, for instance, serves as background to the demystification/humanization of Young Dracula (a title, incidentally, by which the film’s equally well-known and which got changed presumably as a nod to Mel Brooks’ spoof of Universal’s Frankenstein saga from the same year). By the way, this SON OF Dracula shouldn’t be confused with the stylish 1943 outing of the same name Robert Siodmak made for Universal during the heyday of classic monster movies…