Scars of Dracula (1970)

Dracula (Christopher Lee) is alive again thanks to a drooling bat, and living in a castle that the villagers unwisely tried to burn down. This apparently scars him emotionally. A traveler passes by in need of shelter. It doesn’t end well for him. His brother and lady-friend investigate to find out what happened.

Hammer followed the old rule that the monster must die in the end, but that sentiment is sabotaged by how trivial it is for Dracula to return. Literally, a drooling bat. While Taste The Blood was set in Victorian London, Scars has a much more rural and medieval setting. They just wanted to make another, disconnected Dracula film but were obliged to make it a sequel.

Recall from the last review how Lee didn’t want to continue reprising his Dracula character. Well, plus one this time. He outright hated this film. And because the Hammer horrors were less and less successful in America, Hollywood studios didn’t invest. This was his third Hammer Dracula film released in 1970. He would do two more.

I prefer the setting of Scars of Dracula, but I also prefer horror films to be at least a little bit spooky. It's not a bad film, but it's just another uninspired rehash of the same material. Hammer was in serious decline at this point and the end would come quick. AMRU 3.