View source for Blood of Dracula's Castle


{{Distinguish|Blood of Dracula|Taste the Blood of Dracula}}
{{Lead too short|date=October 2021}}

{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Blood of Dracula's Castle
| image          = Bloodofdraculacastle.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Al Adamson]]<br />Jean Hewitt
| producer       = Martin B. Cohen<br />Samuel M. Sherman<br />Rex Carlton<br />[[Al Adamson]]<br />Paragon Pictures<ref>Weldon, Michael (1996).  ''The Psychotronic Video Guide''. St. Martin's Griffin. {{ISBN|0312131496}}. p. 72</ref>
| writer         = Rex Carlton
| starring       = [[John Carradine]]<br />Alexander D'Arcy<br />[[Paula Raymond]]<br />[[Robert Dix]]<br />Vicki Volante<br />[[John Cardos]]
| music          =
| cinematography = [[László Kovács (cinematographer)|László Kovács]]
| editing        = Peter Perry Jr.
| distributor    = [[Crown International Pictures]] <small>(theatrical, US)</small>
| released       = {{Film date|1969|10|05}}<ref>Weldon, Michael (1983). ''The Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film''. Ballantine Books. {{ISBN|034534345X}}. p. 72</ref><ref>O'Neill, James (1994). ''Terror on Tape''. Billboard Books. {{ISBN|0823076121}}. p. 39</ref><ref>McCarty, John (1995). ''The Sleaze Merchants''. St. Martin's Griffin Press. {{ISBN|0312118937}}. p. 103</ref>
| runtime        = 84 min
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         =
}}

'''''Blood of Dracula's Castle''''' is a 1969<ref>Weldon, Michael (1983). ''The Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film''. Ballantine Books. {{ISBN|034534345X}}. p. 72</ref><ref>O'Neill, James (1994). ''Terror on Tape''. Billboard Books. {{ISBN|0823076121}}. p. 39</ref><ref>McCarty, John (1995). ''The Sleaze Merchants''. St. Martin's Griffin Press. {{ISBN|0312118937}}. p. 103</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/blood-of-draculas-castle-v85458|title = Blood of Dracula's Castle (1969) - al Adamson, Jean Hewitt &#124; Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related &#124; AllMovie}}</ref> American [[horror film|horror]] [[cult film|cult]] [[B-movie]] directed by [[Al Adamson]] and starring [[John Carradine]], Alexander D'Arcy, [[Paula Raymond]], [[Robert Dix]], Vicki Volante, and [[John Cardos]]. It was released by [[exploitation film]] specialists [[Crown International Pictures]]. Although his name was played up in the lurid ad campaign, John Carradine only played George the butler in this film, and not [[Count Dracula]]. DVD prints all suffer from extensive emulsion scratches.

==Plot==
[[Count Dracula]] and his [[vampire]] wife are occupying Falcon Rock Castle in modern-day Arizona, hiding behind the identities of Count and Countess Townsend. When the castle's owner dies, the property passes on to a photographer named Glen Cannon, and Glen has decided to live there himself with his fiancée Liz. He drives out to the castle to inform the Townsends that they will have to move out. But his car breaks down when he gets there, and he and Liz have to spend the night with the Townsends.

The Townsends are actually vampires who sleep in coffins and lure pretty young girls to the castle to be drained of blood by their butler George, who then mixes real [[Bloody Mary (cocktail)|Bloody Mary]]s for the couple, which they drink from martini glasses. George and Mango, the hunchback, keep mini-skirted women chained up in the basement, occasionally sacrificing one of them to "the Great God Luna" by burning them at the stake. Then there is a guy named Johnny, who becomes a [[serial killer]] when the moonlight strikes him (or a [[werewolf]], depending on whether you watch the theatrical version or the late-night-TV version, the latter of which added a few werewolf scenes).

Glen and Liz accidentally witness one of the women being sacrificed in the cellar. Dracula and the Countess try to force Glen to sell the castle to them. In the final confrontation, George the butler is killed, the remaining women prisoners are freed, Mango the hunchback gets shot, hit with an ax, and set afire before dying. The vampires wind up exposed to sunlight and dissolve away into dust. Glen and Liz decide not to live in the castle after all, and drive off together. However, two bats emerge unseen from the ashes and fly away.

==Cast==
* [[John Carradine]] as George, the butler
* [[Alexander D'Arcy]] as [[Count Dracula]], alias Count Charles Townsend
* [[Paula Raymond]] as Countess Dracula, alias Countess Townsend
* [[Robert Dix]] as Johnny the serial killer (or werewolf)
* Gene Otis Shayne as Glen Cannon (as Gene O'Shane)
* [[Jennifer Bishop]] as Liz Arden (as Barbara Bishop)
* Vicki Volante as Ann, motorist-victim
* Ray Young as Mango the hunchback
* [[John 'Bud' Cardos]] (credited as John Cardos) as prison guard
* Ken Osborne as telegram delivery man 
* Joyce King as body in the water

==Production==
Ostensibly located in Arizona, the film was actually shot at [[Shea's Castle]], near [[Lancaster, California]]. Other portions of the film were shot in the [[Coachella Valley]], California.<ref name=Filming>{{cite web |title=Coachella Valley Feature Film Production 1920–2011 |url=http://www.visitpalmsprings.com/page/filming-in-palm-springs/126939 |work=Filming in Palm Springs |access-date=October 1, 2012 |author=Palm Springs Visitors Center |location=Palm Springs, CA |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121001025937/http://visitpalmsprings.com/page/filming-in-palm-springs/126939 |archive-date=October 1, 2012 }}</ref>

[[Jayne Mansfield]] was originally set to star in the film as Countess Townsend, but she died in a car accident before shooting began.

A proposed sequel, which was going to be titled '''''Dracula's Coffin''''', was announced, but never made.<ref>Stephen Jones. ''The Essential Monster Movie Guide''. Billboard Books. 2000. p. 56{{ISBN?}}</ref>

==Music==
The introduction to the film features the song "The Next Train Out" performed by [[Gil Bernal]], with lyrics by [[Bob Russell (songwriter)|Bob Russell]] and music by [[Lincoln Mayorga]].<ref>IMDb [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061412/soundtrack?ref_=tt_trv_snd Blood of Dracula's Castle]</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of American films of 1969]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==

* {{IMDb title|id=0061412|title=Blood of Dracula's Castle}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes|blood-of-draculas-castle-castle-of-dracula}}
* {{TCMDb title|69131}}

{{Al Adamson}}
{{Dracula}}

[[Category:1969 films]]
[[Category:1969 horror films]]
[[Category:American vampire films]]
[[Category:American werewolf films]]
[[Category:Crown International Pictures films]]
[[Category:Dracula films]]
[[Category:1969 English-language films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Al Adamson]]
[[Category:Films set in Arizona]]
[[Category:Films set in castles]]
[[Category:Films shot in California]]
[[Category:1960s monster movies]]
[[Category:1969 American films]]
[[Category:English-language science fiction horror films]]

{{Wikipedia attribution|original_title=Blood of Dracula's Castle|access_date=2026-02-27}}