Son of Dracula
Son of Dracula
| 12 April 1974 (USA)
Son of Dracula Trailers

Due to be crowned King of the Netherworld by his mentor Merlin the Magician, Count Downe–the son of Count Dracula–falls in love with the beautiful but human Amber and finds himself in conflict with Baron Frankenstein, who is vying for the same honorary title.

Reviews
Rainey Dawn

I know I have seen this film years ago - memories are vague but I remember seeing it after watching it again on YouTube. It's been years. I'm guessing it was a late night movie on some station in the 1980s when I watched this film the first time.. it's cool to watch it again on YouTube. This movie has never been released to DVD which surprises me. I don't know what kind of a cult following there is for this film - if any at all but it's a film you would think has gathered a following no matter how small the the following.The music is good in this film. I really enjoy hearing Harry Nilsson sing and play. Harry is Count Downe a musician that falls in love with a mortal woman and he is the Son of Dracula (Dracula is played by Dan Meaden).Keep in mind this film is a musical comedy if you chose to watch it - a musical comedy horror/fantasy to be more exact - the film does not take itself seriously, it's made for fun/comedy - to entertain.Also keep in mind this movie is NOT a remake of Son of Dracula (1943) starring Lon Chaney Jr. - it has zero to do with the 1943 film. The only thing that is the same is the title - that's it.Look for this film on YouTube.5/10

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Fred

I'm giving this a "six" because anybody who seeks out this movie will know, more or less, what he or she is getting into. The Nilsson songs do work with the melancholy of this plot: Dracula's son, who was conceived with a non-vampire woman, wants to cease being a vampire so he can experience love. Nilsson's performance isn't demonstrative and I found his remoteness appropriate. Ringo was a wizard in MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR and he's Merlin here. He's not emoting incredibly, but he is playing a comic role straight, and this, too, works for me. (By the way, check out THAT'LL BE THE DAY, in which Ringo plays a down-and-out Holiday Camp musician. It is truly a serious performance. Also, consider the part in A HARD DAY'S NIGHT with Ringo walking by the river, throwing sticks and kicking stones. He can act when he wants to.) The other actors deliver the archaic dialogue in almost classical style. Again, there is a melancholy to all of this. It is nowhere near as self-conscious as most deliberately extreme movies. The reason for this is that the director, Freddie Francis, born in 1917, had been directing for many years and had a lot of experience. There are some really interesting camera angles. The plot is nuts, but the filming is almost hallucinatory. At one point one of the mad doctors is in his office and the camera backs up to show a portrait in oils, in a gilded frame, of what appears to be the Frankenstein monster in a three-piece suit. There's a close-up of it a minute later and it resembles the Kaiser. I had a grainy copy of this movie and am wondering if the painting was one of these optical-illusion things people used to put on their walls (such as the one where, at first glance, you see people sitting at a table with candles and another look reveals a giant skull) or if the grainy quality of the DVD made me see it wrong. Even if I was wrong about it being the Frankenstein monster, I am amused at the fact that a picture of the Kaiser is on the scientist's wall in a movie taking place in 1974. (And Frankie DOES appear later on.) Yes, it's sub-par. But there's a certain genius in it nonetheless. And the music is sweet.

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dbborroughs

I don't think this film was ever really released widely. It has something to do with Dracula taking over as the head of all the monsters or something, but I'm not sure because its not very good, and I lost interest in anything that was going on.A good deal of this film is taken over by musical numbers. At the drop of a hat Harry Nilsson will burst in to song, which isn't a bad thing since the music is quite good. The problem is that the rest of the movie is a complete mess. This is more akin to Paul McCartney's vanity projects like Give My Regards to Broad Street, where there's a minimal plot and lots of songs, than anything you could call a real movie. It's a lot of ideas that don't really add up to much.I can't really suggest anyone actually watch this movie because its a bit of a bore. I give it 4 out of 10 because of the music and the curiosity value, but there always is the album and then again there are some movies best left unseen.

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goldiemt

Fun at its finest. Good rock and roll cast with a plot following (losely) an all-time favorite. The Count has never looked so good and sexy (at least to 1974). If you are a Harry Nilsson fan, this is a must see. His music and charm, along with a little bit of Ringo Starr and a peppering of other famous British band personalities and one pretty girl, makes for an adventuresome and cult-following, cutesey film. Expect the usual "Count"-type vampire story with a twist of mythology. It's not perfect but that Nilsson music (whether you're a fan or not) makes these differences most pleasant. Can't wait until it's out on video!

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