Very Cool!!!

It is a performances centric movie

A Disappointing Continuation

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

Count Yorga, Vampire (1970) *** (out of 4)A seance is being held as Donna (Donna Anders) is trying to communicate with her mother who recently passed away. The ceremony is being hosted by Count Yorga (Robert Quarry) and soon he is taking a part in Donna and her boyfriend Michael's (Michael Macready) lives. It turns out that Count Yorga is actually a vampire and he has set his eyes on Donna.COUNT YORGA, VAMPIRE was originally going to be a softcore picture but apparently a decision was made to cut out most of the sex and go for a straight horror film instead. Obviously that was the right thing to do as the film proved to be a giant success at the box office and it even had a sequel made to it. There's no question that there were too many vampire films made throughout the 1970s but this here is one of the better ones.A lot of the credit has to go to Quarry who is simply wonderful in the role. Yes, Bela Lugosi and Christopher Lee will always be known as playing the Dracula character the best but there's no doubt that Quarry belongs on the Mount Rushmore of vampires. I really loved his performance here and especially since he's such a gentleman and he has such a laid back approach to everything. Not to mention he looks terrific when he is the vampire and goes for the attack.The support cast are also good in their roles and for the most part the supporting characters are all interesting and likeable. There are some very effective shots scattered throughout the picture including one where a woman goes to lay her head down and by doing so she reveals that the vampire is right there. If I had to say anything bad about the picture it's the fact that the story itself isn't the most original thing out there.COUNT YORGA, VAMPIRE is certainly an entertaining horror film and one that didn't have to rely on a bunch of blood or nudity.

In modern era now the Vampire strike in modern city,this time from Bulgaria,a low budge production,but uninteresting altogether,it's very analogous British sexy horror movies from the sixties,despite a bad makeup and costumes,the picture survives till the end,actually the end is a negative point for so negligible final,nevertheless The Robert Quarry made a convincing role as Count Yorga the Vampire!!Resume: First watch: 2017 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 6

Lesson to be learned: If your girlfriend or fiancée happens to develop sudden listlessness after attending a seance conducted by a smooth-talking count from Bulgaria, or perhaps develops a yen for consuming dead house cats, you may want to heed the advice of your doctor friend when he tells you that the count in question may be nothing less than...a vampire! Anyway, that's the setup in Bob Kelljan's surprisingly shocking, intelligent and believable horror film from 1970, "Count Yorga, Vampire." Several ingredients really help to lift this modern-day tale above the raft of similar competitors. It is extremely well acted by every cast member; Robert Quarry makes for an exceptionally sinister neck nosher indeed, and he is well matched by Roger Perry as Dr. Hayes. The film contains some truly startling moments (such as the count's toothy grimace as seen through a van's window), restrained but effective use of gore, a deliciously downbeat ending, and even a nice little shocker as a final capper. Perhaps best of all is the wholly credible reaction of the guys (Michael Murphy and Michael Macready, the latter also serving as producer, and whose father, hissable character actor George Macready, provides the wonderfully dreary intro narration to the film) to the horror that has entered their lives. First they are dismissive, then skeptical, and finally stunned and frightened when faced with the realization of what they must do to rescue their women. As I said, an entirely realistic series of responses that really aids the viewer in buying in to the story. Oh...how could I forget to mention the count's brides; possibly the scariest-looking, fastest-moving bunch you've ever seen! Yes, this little horror flick, despite an underlit fight scene with the count's lupine manservant Brudah, is a pretty perfect outing. And from what I hear, the 1971 sequel, "The Return of Count Yorga," is even better....

Made on a decidedly low budget, this contemporary vampire story is noted for placing a Dracula-like figure in a modern setting for perhaps the first time and for the captivating performance of Quarry in the title role. Anderson plays a young lady who holds a séance with her boyfriend and two other couples along with Quarry who leads the event. She is trying to connect with her recently deceased mother, who was also the lover of Quarry from three weeks prior to her death. Following a jarring and somewhat harrowing experience in the séance, the party breaks up and young Murphy and Lang give Quarry a ride home. Lang becomes intrigued by Quarry, a recent transplant from Bulgaria who lives in a musty castle on a gated estate. Before long, Quarry has nibbled on Lang and enticed her to his side while Murray and pal Macready prepare to do battle with him. They enlist the aid of blood specialist Perry, who acts as a sort of modern day Van Helsing, trying to come up with ways to combat the vampire. Quarry is a striking presence as Count Yorga (actually meant to be Iorga, and pronounced that way in the film, but changed by the distributing company in order to be more easily pronounced by the movie-going public!) The actor clearly relishes the chance to perform this type of role and brings a gravity to it, despite some of the lighter and campier aspects of the movie. Perry gives a skilled, knowing performance as well, obviously aware that a blend of seriousness mixed with levity was called for in the production. Lang is attractive and reasonably good (soap fans will be interested to know that her daughter Katherine Kelly Lang has played Brooke on "The Bold and the Beautiful" for many years!) Murphy, who would grow into a prolific character actor, isn't bad either, but most of the rest of the cast is weak. Macready, who produced and directed the film (and enlisted his more famous father to provide a ripe, flavorful voice-over), while nice enough looking, is almost laughably expressionless and wooden during most of his screen time. Initially conceived as a sort of T & A horror flick, it eventually morphed into a standard horror outing, though some sexually prominent elements remain. Quarry watches as two of his undead brides ALMOST make out and Lang has a self-caressing sequence as she's falling under his spell. Perry has a bedmate who was clearly chosen more for her body than her ability to recite dialogue, though he scene is amusing whether intentional or not! The low budget is revealed occasionally such as when two men carry on a conversation done entirely in voiceovers as they are shown walking, in long shots, through L.A. (these scenes afford priceless glimpses at the city at that time, however) and in the Volkswagon minibus scenes in which the actors are clearly emoting during daylight hours for a scene that takes place late at night! However, the visible snags are all part of the charm, for the most part. The non-polished production aspects lend the film a somehow more realistic and accessible feel. Memorable moments include Quarry enduring a late night tete-a-tete with Perry and Macready and Lang experiencing a gruesome encounter with her cat. The popularity, primarily at drive-ins and other theaters of that ilk, led to a sequel ("The Return of Count Yorga") one year later.