From her window, Tommy can be seen walking away from the house. Amazon.com: The Count Yorga Collection (Count Yorga, Vampire, & The Return of Count Yorga) [2-Disc Limited Edition | Blu-ray] : Robert Quarry, Donna Anderson, Roger Perry, Yvonne Wilder, Bob Kelljan: Movies & TV Movies & TV Blu-ray Movies $4236 FREE Returns FREE delivery Thursday, March 30 Or fastest delivery Wednesday, March 29. A pickup truck snags a boxed-up coffin and head into the city. 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. "[3] Variety called it "a solid follow-up" to the original and "a handsome-looking film which rings the bell on both the shocker and satirical level. The picture opened on 10 Jun 1970 in Los Angeles, and took in $160,000 in box-office receipts in the first week of release, according to the 12 Apr 1971 DV. She was played by Judy Lang. The Return of Count Yorga 1971 Directed by Bob Kelljan Synopsis The DEATHMASTER is Back from the Grave Count Yorga continues to prey on the local community while living by a nearby orphanage. The Brute: Pretty much Yorga's strongman. It was even more surprising since it was originally supposed to be a pornographic vampire film called THE LOVES OF COUNT IORGA. She is trying to connect with her recently deceased mother, who was also the lover of Quarry from three weeks prior to her death. Count Yorga, Vampire (1970): Near the end of the film, two of Yorga's female vampire try to ambush Micheal. | User Ratings They also wear no shoes . Hayes, Michael, and Donna go to the mansion themselves to inquire about Paul's whereabouts and keep Yorga active until sunrise. Everyone at the seance agrees that the Count is refined, well-mannered, and eloquent. Most of the clichs of the vampire sub-genre are here, and it's only really the setting that has been changed. The films climax features our heroes storming Yorgas home at dusk, having overslept despite their plan to attack during daylight hours. When we think of great vampire portrayals, normally the names of Lugosi and Christopher Lee immediately pop into our heads. You have to know what you're in for when you sit down to watch a movie like "Count Yorga." That film did not fare as well with critics, despite being a favorite of this writer. After sex they settle in to sleep. A couple has "The Count" (Robert Quarry) over to conduct a seance to try to contact Donna's mother. As well as two Count Yorga movies he also directed 'Scream Blacula Scream' and the notorious 'Rape Squad'. Yorga returns to the manor, awakens his brides and unleashes them through the household as he psychically calls Cynthia to him. after giving the count a ride home, Paul and Erica get stuck and camp in their VW bus, and get attacked. Though Count Yorga is referred to as "the Deathmaster" in publicity for this film, a later film called The Deathmaster, also starring Robert Quarry as a vampire, has no relation to the Count Yorga series. | While enlisted, he started a theatrical troupe and upon making his way into filmmaking, he took a contract with RKO and subsequently MGM. They dated a few weeks shortly before her death. He becomes infatuated with Cynthia. Quarry was never a fan of Vincent Prices over-egging the pudding (note: both men penned cookbooks) and opted to play Count Yorga straight albeit with a certain sarcastic wit. Video Review. Count Yorga was something of a departure for vampire films in the seventies due to the fact that it's star isn't a bloodthirsty maniac, but rather a dapper and respectable rich bachelor, who happens to be a vampire. Thomas is tricked into walking into the quicksand pit and promptly sinks to his death. The film ends with a shot of Michael's bloodied and lifeless corpse. New blood needed to be injected into the genre. There's even a henchman who's (apparently) a werewolf! Yorga awakens in his manor and heads to his basement which has been converted into a throne room where his two vampiric brides lie on slabs. In my book, this little indie effort more than holds its own against the better known Hammer neck-biters of the same era, and is not to be missed. Pianist Bill Marx was brought on to compose the films score, arguably one of the more traditional elements in this modern vampire tale with screeching strings and creepy organs to punctuate the supernatural happening. The film was originally slated to be a s. But it's worth remembering that Count Yorga was released back in 1970 at the tail end of a decade-long dominance of the genre by Hammer, whose vampire output had consisted exclusively of period-set tales, and it was to be another two years before they brought their house vampire into modern times with Dracula AD 1972. As such, The Return of Count Yorga is a film with a good beginning and ending - alas the bits in between are often a drag. For a low budget flick that's coming up on its 45th anniversary, 'Count Yorga, Vampire' looks practically flawless with this 1.85:1 1080p transfer. 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. The Return of Count Yorga (1971) Rated PG 97 minutes Cast Roger Perry as Dr. David Baldwin Robert Quarry as Count Yorga Rudy DeLuca as Lt. Madden Mariette Hartley as Cynthia Nelson Tom Toner as Rev. 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. Its gory, sexy modern sensibility would go on to inspire American International Pictures releases throughout the 70s, as well as 80s vampire classics and beyond. However, as she does, Bruhda silently arrives drags away the corpses of Cynthia's mother and father to a quicksand pit on Yorga's property, disposing of the physical evidence. That night, he returns to his manor and a makeshift throne room overlooking several coffins, greeted by Brudda, Yorga's hulking, disfigured valet, and the female vampires from the cemetery. However, as he turns to leave, Donna hisses and lunges at him, fangs bared, fully transformed into a vampire; he was too late to prevent Yorga from turning her (although there are no bite marks on her throat). "[3] Roger Greenspun of The New York Times called Robert Quarry "the best chief vampire I have seen in years. Michael and Donna rest while Hayes studies vampire lore until he, too, falls asleep. His "Count" positioning gives him that old world nobility aesthetic, complete with a cloaked outfit. Bob Kelljan's 'Count Yorga, Vampire' is often unfairly overlooked in an era dominated by English and European vampire movies. His performance and demeanor as a Bulgarian Count in this film is truly outstanding. | Yorga is simply looking to put together an undead harem that he can voyeuristically watch make love from the throne in his dungeon and he does, in a sexy sequence probably leftover from the scripts original iteration. This was really the first vampire film that treated them as swift and animalistic. Arkoff retitled the film COUNT YORGA, VAMPIRE, explaining that nobody would know how to pronounce Iorga and that horror fans would be turned off by the loves of, particularly with the absence of any sex sequences. She begs Paul to forgive her and to kill her. They try to check in on her via phone, but she drops the phone to the floor without answering. Robert Quarry is second only to Bela Lugosi in my book as far as vampire lords go, even beating out bonafide legend Christopher Lee whose Dracula performances are legendary. First of all, the sets and atmosphere are great. Subscribe to DG on Patreon and get articles like this one before the rest of the world does! So stop trying to call your lawyers, Bram Stoker's estate. Erica visits Dr. Hayes to have the mysterious bite wounds on her neck inspected. He lives in a large house somewhere in California and terrorizes young women and their boyfriends. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Return_of_Count_Yorga&oldid=1146721931, This page was last edited on 26 March 2023, at 15:40. And, even though he kind of looks like and acts like Count Dracula, he's not Dracula! These films opened with a horse-drawn carriage making its way through the countryside, and ended with the honorable Van Helsing doing away with eviluntil next time that is. After taking the Count home, Paul and Erica are waylayed, and next the day, a listless Erica is diagnosed by their doctor as having lost a lot of blood. This film's color palette is one aspect of this transfer I found exceptionally pleasing. In addition to Siskels glowing review for the Chicago Tribune, Roger Greenspun of the New York Times called Quarry the best chief vampire I have seen in years. Kenneth Thompson of The Monthly Film Bulletin praised the acting and direction, comparing YORGA to NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. He hypnotically seduces budding starlets, and other attractive gals, to be his eternal lover - adding to harem of the undead. Copping the ending of Dance of the Vampires, Count Yorga climaxes with a flurry of vampire-fighting action and an apparent escape only for the heroine to reveal her newly-sprouted fangs and pounce in a much-imitated shock punchline. 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!) Variety wrote that Robert Quarry had an "aristocratically handsome look and plays the part with a certain sinister intelligence (and) even a sly humor that befits a guy who has been around for several hundred years," adding that "The dialogue has a believable sound to it, and the playing of the principals is low-key and convincingly realistic. The story starts properly once he has bitten one of the young women, who is later found with massive blood lossand feasting on the family cat Count Yorga, Vampire, I remember seeing this movie as a kid and it scared the heck out of me. At the time this film was made, vampires were almost always slow and hypnotic. It is the sequel to the 1970 film Count Yorga, Vampire. Robert Quarry is the man as Count Yorga, and what's up with the coffin movers? Quarry plays the title character, a Bulgarian migr hired by some young adults to conduct a seance. This isnt the tragic, romantic vamp featured in so many gothic tales; Quarrys take on the Count displayed both a dry sense of humor, a proto-Studio 54 sleaziness, and a mouth full of fangs. Directed by Kelljan, COUNT YORGA was shot independently for a budget of less than $100,000 and distributed by Samuel Z. Arkoffs American International Pictures. Awards COUNT YORGA brought the vampire to modern-day America in full bloody color as culture and fashion were shifting: the free love era of the late 60s was giving way to the cocaine and disco fueled 70s, and the popularity of pornographic films was inspiring a new era for libertines. Yorga's Brides are a collection of unnamed vampire bries seen in The Return of Count Yorga, the sequel to Count Yorga, Vampire. The family is quickly overrun. Yorga sends the undead women to Cynthia's house, using mind-control to get Cynthia's family (along with Tommy, who was sleeping over) into the living room before his brides break in and attack them. "Count Yorga" doesn't distinguish itself in any interesting ways from this pack. They said will you do it? Its easy to pick out where the money shots would have occurred, had YORGA been shot as a skin flick: A love scene in a van on Yorgas estate, the girl-on-girl action in his dungeon, and what was probably intended as a masturbation scene when Erica is visited by the Count by night, a more explicitly erotic sequence inspired by a similar, more transgressive sequence in 1931s DRACULA. 1970 alone includes two Dracula sequels from Hammer Films, a Jess Franco Dracula and a Dracula-esque picture called "Jonathan." I said why dont you just make a regular horror film out of it? The two split up, and Yorga confronts Hayes. He also intends to take a new wife, while feeding his bevy of female vampires. Following a jarring and somewhat harrowing experience in the sance, the party breaks up and young Murphy and Lang give Quarry a ride home. The film ended up going before the MPAA ratings board six times before being granted the GP rating, and two or three minutes of violent and sexual content were ultimately removed by AIP. Reverend Thomas is sent to distract Yorga while Baldwin, Madden and O'Connor sneak in to search the manor, armed with sticks they can cross and hold up to ward off the vampires. Michael locks them in and drops his cross, believing the danger is over. We soon find out that Count Yorga is one of the most blood-thirsty and ruthless vampires we've seen on screen in years. With it obvious now that she's beyond saving, Micheal manages to ward the two vampires back. having been bitten by the count, begins her transformation by devouring her pet cat was all but removed from the film, but is now available in all of its uncut gory glory. In the midst of their escape, they encounter Brudda and managed to shoot him to death. However, she notices something wrong and pulls away. He also intends to take a new wife, while feeding his bevy of female vampires. Yorga pushes Donna's mother into Michael's stake and flees, when Michael tries to give chase Yorga ambushes him outside the room intending to choke him to death. Erica is a young and attractive woman in her age early 20's with shoulder length brunette hair, green eyes, and fair skin color. One of the orphans, Tommy, wanders into the nearby cemetery where he faintly hears a voice ordering, "Rise, rise, it is time." "[6] David Pirie of The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote that Count Yorga had been resurrected "with considerably more enterprise and panache than before." Michael and Hayes switch places to keep Yorga off his guard, but Yorga becomes increasingly insistent that it is late and his guests must leave. After leaving the manor, Hayes convinces Michael that killing Yorga will not be easy: vampires have greater strength and the wisdom that comes from living much longer than a "mere mortal". As with many genre pics of the period, the acting and direction are pretty nondescript, and the whole thing looks like it was filmed through a screen door. 2016 Daily Grindhouse - All Rights Reserved | Design by, COUNT YORGA AT FIFTY: HOW A SKIN FLICK BECAME THE INFLUENTIAL VAMPIRE MOVIE OF THE 70s. Anyway, that's the setup in Bob Kelljan's surprisingly shocking, intelligent and believable horror film from 1970, "Count Yorga, Vampire." He then attacks Yorga with a cross and stake, while yelling out for Michael (who hears Hayes and begins to run in the direction of his call). America was not to be left out, and Bob Kelljan's 'Count Yorga, Vampire' is a great little movie that is often unfairly overlooked. 1970 : 5 (0) Gas-s-s-s Sound/Sound Designer . Marx composed quite a few exploitation scores throughout the 70s, returning for the following years sequel, Its revealed that Yorga insisted that Donnas mother not be cremated so that he could add her to the undead harem that he keeps in the old-world dungeon of his thoroughly modern home. The rest of the cast is adequate, and I think Roger Perry does a wonderful job as a blood specialist who goads Count Yorga one evening into talking about the supernatural. The Count appears to have no reason to be at the boarding school's halloween bash, but he is there, uninvited, clashing with the other guests. 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