|
Rundown aristocrat Osvaldo (Renato Rascel) really has hit hard times,
not only does he have to sell his old castle to pay his taxes, but also -
as if to humiliate him - does he have to accept a job as bellhop in that
castle ... & then his uncle Rodrigo (Christopher Lee) comes for a
visit. The funny thing about uncle, he travels around in a coffin, &
makes inquiries about the family crypt.
Nor it doesn't need Einstein to figure out that Rodrigo is a vampire,
& so Osvaldo soon enough does figure that out ... that however doesn't
save him by being bitten by Rodrigo, who then retreats to an open grave in
the local cemetary.
Osvaldo meanwhile shows vampiric traits soon enough, & bites all
female guests of the hotel ... The next day though he can't remember a
thing about his newly developed vampirism, but all the ladies remember 6
he has turned into a chicks' magnet - much to the dismay of the male
guests ...
The next night, he uses his vampiric traits to scare the heebie-jeebies
out of the hotel manager, but soon enough the male guests have formed an
angry mob, have put 2 & 23 together & found out that theereis a
vampire & the vampire is Osvaldo, & hunt him down with hammer
& stake ... then though he seeks refuge by Lili (Kai Fischer), who is
secretly in love with him (& he with her), the 2 embrace & kiss,
& all of a sudden his vampirism is lifted from him. However, the mob
doesn't know that yet & continues chasing him until they have cornered
him in one of the hotel's many rooms, & they prepare to stake him ...
when he is saved by none other than Rodrigo, who was awakened by the curse
lifted from Osvaldo, & who now persuades the mob to leave his nephew
in peace.
Osvaldo is of course forever grateful to his uncle, but when uncle
wants to bite Lili, his gratitude shows its limits, & Osvaldo the
local rooster to crow prematurely to trick uncle into believing he has to
return to his coffin ... & it works too.
& grateful as he is, Osvaldo doesn't stake his uncle s he should,
but nails him shut in his coffin & sends him to the North Pole (a
night lasting half a year should give a vampire enough to do). But Rodrigo
has long slipped out of his coffin, has picked up 2 attractive tourists
& persuaded them to take him home with them ...
Back in the late 1950's actor Christopher Lee refused to do any sequels
for Hammer's
Dracula in order to not be
typecast - which is why Hammer
produced its first Dracula-sequel
Brides of Dracula in 1960 without the Dracula-character.
That said, Christopher Lee showed little hesitation however to play a
vampire character drawing strongly from the Dracula-myth
in 1959.
Apart from the fact that it is Christopher Lee's secone - & one of
his least famous - vampire performance, the film however is of little
importance, a weak comedy showing little love for its gothic theme while
featuring bad slapstick, rather unfunny funny dialogue, & a thin
storyline, even for a light comedy. Not even Christopher Lee, who gives a
competent vampire performance but is relegated to little more than a guest
role, can save teh film.
|
amazon.com
amazon.co.uk
amazon.de
eThaiCD.com
find Hard Times for Vampires at adultvideouniverse.com
