Blood of Dracula's Castle, Vampires vs. Babes

Today we look at 1969's "Blood of Dracula's Castle." Made by Al Adamson, an icon of cheesy exploitation films.  Fans of this blog will appreciate Mr. Adamson's choice of a swimsuit model as one of the protagonists, and several scantily clad nubile women as damsels in much distress. One must give Mr. Adamson credit here, as modern films cast stunning twenty-somethings as leading scientists in their field...how realistic is that?  Besides, who do we, as an enlightened society, value more...the scientist or the swimsuit model?

Dracula and his bride (Alexander D'Arcy and Paula Raymond) are living in California under the titles Count and Countess Townsend.  As our film begins, their ghoulish servant, Mango (Ray Young), abducts the beautiful Ann (Vicki Volante). Ann is only the latest nubile babe imprisoned in the Count's dungeon.  He and the Countess feed off the blood of these girls and keep them alive and chained in that dungeon.  Uh oh, the Townsends' only rent the castle and photographer Glen (Gene Otis Shayne) inherits it.  Glen's fiance, swimsuit model Liz (Jennifer Bishop) wants to live in the castle with Glen.  The lovebirds head to the castle to evict the Townsends.

The Count and Countess eagerly await Johnny's (Robert Dix) arrival.  He is the psycho henchman who just escaped from prison and enjoys murdering women in bikinis.  He and the lovebirds arrive at the same time, and the Townsends set him on Glen and Liz.  As our protagonists find the chained women, Johnny gets the jump on them and chains them up also.  Oh no! Remember Ann?  She is a virgin.  This will doom her to a fate worse than death as the next full moon arrives. As Johnny sexually harasses Ann with a dagger, Glen plots escape, and the Count and Countess ready themselves for their next feeding.

Will the virgin Ann survive the vampires and Johnny?  Will swimsuit model Liz be unbitten in her next photo-shoot?  The vampire story meets drive-in sexploitation.  Scantily clad women are more prominent in this film than fangs.  As the beauties are gradually drained of blood by the Count and Countess, you'll be rooting for them to escape and turn the tables on their tormentors.  For some gratuitous and exploitative fun, catch "Blood of Dracula's Castle."