In Dracula II: Ascension, the short-awaited sequel that horror fans didn't demand, producer Wes Craven and director Patrick Lussier have created another slick, contemporary vampire tale that once again plays fast and loose with the Dracula legend; thankfully, neither goofy Gerard Butler nor thoroughly irritating Jonny Lee Miller return for Part II, and matters are dealt with in a far less pensive manner than before, making the film a more enjoyable effort overall than the rather disappointing Dracula 2000.
Having been burnt to a crisp by the sun at the end of the first film, the legendary vamp's charred corpse is delivered to a morgue where a group of medical students soon realise that the latest body on their slab belongs to no mere mortal. Believing that they can use the vampire's remains to advance medical science, and offered a huge sum of money by a total stranger to do just that, they smuggle Drac out of the building and take him to a deserted mansion to begin their experiments. Meanwhile, dedicated Vatican-approved vampire slayer Father Uffizi (Jason Scott Lee) searches for the missing vamp with the intention of destroying him forever...
Some decent gore, including several neat be-headings and a bloke having his faced chewed off; a few interesting pieces of vampire lore rarely seen in the movies; solid acting, with a cool turn by Stephen Billington as Dracula, who seems to be channelling Tom Cruise's Lestat for his performance; and cheap but effective scares that'll make you feel rather stupid for having jumped: Dracula II is pure popcorn fun with zero pretensions, and is all the better for it.
6.5 out of 10, rounded up to 7 for IMDb.
Having been burnt to a crisp by the sun at the end of the first film, the legendary vamp's charred corpse is delivered to a morgue where a group of medical students soon realise that the latest body on their slab belongs to no mere mortal. Believing that they can use the vampire's remains to advance medical science, and offered a huge sum of money by a total stranger to do just that, they smuggle Drac out of the building and take him to a deserted mansion to begin their experiments. Meanwhile, dedicated Vatican-approved vampire slayer Father Uffizi (Jason Scott Lee) searches for the missing vamp with the intention of destroying him forever...
Some decent gore, including several neat be-headings and a bloke having his faced chewed off; a few interesting pieces of vampire lore rarely seen in the movies; solid acting, with a cool turn by Stephen Billington as Dracula, who seems to be channelling Tom Cruise's Lestat for his performance; and cheap but effective scares that'll make you feel rather stupid for having jumped: Dracula II is pure popcorn fun with zero pretensions, and is all the better for it.
6.5 out of 10, rounded up to 7 for IMDb.