This film begins in 17th-Century Hungary with a recently widowed woman by the name of "Countess Elisabeth Nadasdy" (Ingrid Pitt) discovering by accident that the blood of one of her young chambermaids has helped her to regain the youth and beauty she had lost after so many years. And with that youthful beauty she immediately sets her sights on a young officer named "Lieutenant Imre Toth" (Sandor Eles) who has recently arrived for the funeral and to pay his respects. To her horror, however, she soon discovers that the rejuvenating effects are only temporary and that if she wishes to pursue the young lieutenant she needs to bathe in the fresh blood of a young woman every couple of days. So, being quite rich and powerful, she has her male overseer named "Captain Dobi" (Nigel Green) procure a woman for her every few days and then dispose of their dead bodies afterward. Likewise, since she temporarily looks like a completely different person, she then has Captain Dobi kidnap her daughter "Ilona Nadasdy" (Lesley Anne-Down) and assumes her identity as well. What she doesn't count on, however, is the fact that Captain Dobi has become quite jealous of the attention she has lavished on Lieutenant Toth and wants to put an end to their love affair--one way or the other. Meanwhile, as the death count rises, the local villagers become even more frightened and suspicious. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that, judging by the title, I was initially expecting a vampire film of sorts. Needless to say, I was somewhat surprised and, truth be told, a little disappointed when I discovered otherwise. It does, however, have a good "Hammer" quality to it and that certainly counts for something. Additionally, having an attractive actress like Ingrid Pitt certainly didn't hurt in any way either. Be that as it may, while this movie might not rise to the same level as some of those featuring Christopher Lee, it still managed to pass the time fairly well and I have rated it accordingly. Average.
Review of Countess Dracula
