\”The great grandson of the original "Van Helsing" (Peter Cushing) is drafted in by Scotland Yard to investigate a series of deaths that smack of vampirism. The investigation centres around a manor house where the great and the good of London society meet, ostensibly for ordinary gatherings, but we know it is much more sinister (well, in theory, anyway). What's more - this house is built upon an old cemetery, and guess who was buried in it just a few years earlier? This is a sort of 1970s "Freemasons meet Dracula" affair, with a lacklustre dialogue and some pretty lame performances all round. It builds predictably to a conflagration that seems a long time coming, and neither Cushing nor the fleeting appearances from Christopher Lee really ignite the film. The score has that early synthesised sound to it, and the photography - though probably quite effective in 1973, now looks dated and juddery. These Hammer films were well past their sell-by dates by now, the gift had long since stopped giving and perhaps because it is in colour, it is not remotely scary. Passable, but only because I like the genre.”

CinemaSerf