THE 31 DAYS OF HORROR-WEEN: PRIME EVIL: EVIL OF DRACULA (1975) ** ½

Evil of Dracula is the third and final film in the Legacy of Dracula series.  It plays more like a loose remake of first movie, except with different characters and locations.  It’s also the most wildly uneven of the bunch, resulting in a lot of highs and lows.  Those highs make for some memorable moments though.

A professor (Toshio Kurosawa) gets a job at an all-girl boarding school.  He’s shocked to learn the principal (Shin Kishida) keeps his dead wife down in the basement.  You know.  Just in case she wakes up.  As is usually the case with these elite girls’ school.  Nothing unusual here.   I guess it goes without saying that the prof starts seeing vampire babes floating around the corridors at night.  What makes these vampires different (or awesome, depending on your point of view) is that they like to bite their victims right on the boob. 

Unlike its chaste predecessors, there’s a little nudity this time out, which makes some of the more sluggish passages somewhat bearable.  There’s also more atmosphere here than in the second entry, Lake of Dracula, although nearly not as much as the first one.  The girls’ school location gives this installment a unique flavor, which helps, especially when some of the scenes and shots are nearly identical to ones found in the first movie.

Like Lake, it kinda dawdles during the second act.  Stay with it though, and you will be treated to plenty of boob biting, copious bloodletting, and a nifty face ripping scene.  The fun finale makes up for some of the pacing problems found elsewhere in the flick, although it doesn’t quite redeem the entire production.  

Still, despite a general sense of unevenness that runs rampant throughout the three films, I’d say for fans of bloodsucking cinema, the Legacy of Dracula series is one franchise worth sinking your teeth into.

AKA:  Bloodsucking Rose.  AKA:  The Bloodthirsty Roses.

THE 31 DAYS OF HORROR-WEEN: PRIME EVIL: LAKE OF DRACULA (1973) ** ½

As a child, Akiko (Midori Fujita) had a dream about chasing her dog into a castle full of vampires.  Years later, she goes to her lakeside home to finish a painting that has an ominous significance for her, although she can’t exactly explain why.  It all finally dawns on her that the vampires in her dream are very real.  Not only that, they’re after her.  Akiko’s doctor boyfriend Takashi (Choei Takahashi) and sister Natsuko (Sanae Emi) think she’s crazy, but that all changes once the vampire turns Natsuko into a bloodsucker.  

Lake of Dracula isn’t a direct sequel to Legacy of Dracula:  The Vampire Doll.  Instead, it’s more of a spiritual continuation in terms of style, subject matter, and tone.  It has a few similar thematic links (like hypnotism and the death of a sibling), but it’s not nearly as cohesive and satisfying as its predecessor.  One cool touch is that it features a few supporting players from the first movie appearing in different roles.  Too bad they’re not given anything memorable to do.

This film moves much more deliberately than the original and isn’t quite as stylish either (although the dream scenes are well done).  Director Michio Yamamoto does deliver an occasional clever moment (like the near-autopsy scene), but there’s just not enough meat here to warrant the sluggish pace.  It’s also rather uneven.  However, things really take off in the final reel.  While you do have to wait for the flick to eventually kick a little ass, the last ten minutes or so will be a blast for old school Dracula fans (especially Hammer enthusiasts).  If only the rest of the movie had the same kind of pizzazz.  Oh well.  I guess it’s better late than never.  

AKA:  Bloodthirsty Eyes.  AKA:  Japula.  AKA:  Lake of Death.

THE 31 DAYS OF HORROR-WEEN: PRIME EVIL: LEGACY OF DRACULA: THE VAMPIRE DOLL (1971) ***

Kazuhiko (Atsuo Nakamura) arrives at a spooky old mansion on a dark and stormy night looking for his girlfriend Yuko (Yukiko Kobayashi).  He is devastated to learn from her mother Shidu (Yoko Minakaze) that she died in a car accident days before.  She invites him to stay the night and almost right away, he begins seeing the supposedly dead Yuko roaming the hallways and fields accompanied by a soft howling sound.  Eventually, Kazuhiko disappears, and his concerned sister Keiko (Kayo Matsuo) comes looking for him.

Distributed by Toho, this simple, but effective amalgam of vampire tale and ghost story offers atmosphere aplenty.  It’s a very different take on the vampire legend, sweeping away a lot of the traditional lore and utilizing such ingredients as hypnotism and family curses to explain the bloodsucker’s affliction.  (There’s still no substituting a good old-fashioned stake through the heart though.)  The blue-faced, shiny-eyed vampires are rather cool too and help give Legacy of Dracula:  The Vampire Doll its own distinct identity.

Since Psycho is one of my favorite movies of all time, I enjoyed seeing how much it cribbed from the plot of Alfred Hitchcock’s classic.  It gives you a bit of the old Psycho switcheroo in terms of swapping out its lead character early on in the film.  It’s also like Psycho in that the main character is investigating the disappearance of their sibling.  Other Psycho-inspired moments:  The longwinded explanation scene and at least one big scare directly lifted from Hitchcock’s playbook.   

Director Michio Yamamoto doesn’t limit himself to merely ripping off Hitchcock.  He also draws inspiration from Mario Bava and the Hammer horror films of the ‘60s.  Seeing a Japanese director handling the material in such a European way makes for a memorable experience. 

Things never really kick into overdrive or anything, but Legacy of Dracula:  The Vampire Doll remains a solidly entertaining chiller throughout.  Despite the many familiar elements on display, it all still manages to feel rather fresh and vibrant.  The brisk pacing and short running time certainly help make for a satisfying night of bloodsucking fun.

AKA:  The Vampire Doll.  AKA:  Legacy of Dracula.  AKA:  Bloodsucking Doll.  AKA:  Fear of the Ghost House:  Bloodsucking Doll.  AKA:  The Ghost Mansion’s Horror:  A Bloodsucking Doll.  AKA:  The Night of the Vampire.

SATURDAY THE 14TH STRIKES BACK! (1988) *

Saturday the 14^th Strikes Back! is more of a remake than a sequel.  The big difference is the main character is a teenager instead of a little kid.  Oh, and he learns he’s going to be the “new prince of darkness” on his sixteenth birthday, which just so happens to be on Saturday the 14th.  It still has all the shitty-looking monsters in a house full of stupid family members you’d expect from the series though.  That is to say, it’s rather insufferable.

Like the original, many scenes are all set-up and no punchline.  Consider the scene when our teenage hero finds a sexy vampire in his room.  This set-up is ripe with possibilities.  What do the filmmakers do?  Have her break out into a terrible song!  (Complete with vampire backup singers, no less.) 

There’s a running gag where the kid’s mom (Patty McCormack from The Bad Seed) is always making dessert for dinner.  Again, it’s amusing seeing McCormack playing Betty Crocker on Prozac, but she isn’t really given anything to do other than dish out pudding at every meal.  Avery Schreiber is painfully unfunny as her clueless husband and My Favorite Martian’s Ray Walston is embarrassing as the senile grandpa. 

Things get even worse when the evil spirits in the basement start transforming people.  A repairman turns into a chicken, the daughter becomes a giant, the aunt becomes a werewolf, and the uncle... gets a mini submarine stuck in his stomach?!?  You got me, folks.

The monsters are once again cheap hand puppets or awfully costumed actors.  I’m sad to report the great Michael (The Hills Have Eyes) Berryman is wasted as one of the stumbling monsters.  Even more insulting is the fact that he’s forced to wear the worst mummy costume since Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy!  We also get a variation on the original’s famous bathtub gag, but while the set-up is similar, the payoff is fucking lame.

Oh well, at least there’s a Friday the 13^th gag to make up for not having one in the first movie.

I guess the most memorable (for all the wrong reasons) part happens during the climactic battle between the forces of evil and a teenager.  That’s mostly because it’s filled with stock footage from a bunch of Roger Corman movies such as Avalanche, Deathsport, and inexplicably, Rock n’ Roll High School!  The only laugh-out-loud line comes when the waitress at the monster party lists the dinner specials, “Chicken poodle soup and liver and bunions”.

RINGS (2017) *

Julia (Matilda Lutz) is worried when her boyfriend Holt (Alex Roe) stops talking to her after he goes away to college.  She goes to the campus to investigate and discovers he’s part of an experiment by his professor (Johnny Galecki) who makes all his students watch the haunted videotape from The Ring.  Each student has a “tail”, someone they can pass the curse along to, so no one gets killed.  Of course, Julia fucks things up, leading to the death of one of the students.

So far, so not-as-bad-as-The-Ring.  It’s not great, but at least it’s interesting enough.  It takes the original premise, expands upon it, and (at first) breathes a little life into it.  Then it all goes downhill.  Big time.  

From there, it becomes a story of Julia receiving new visions from the tape.  This leads her on a quest to find Samara’s father (an actor too good for this nonsense who I can’t believe would’ve wasted his time on this bullshit) who instigated Samara’s abuse from the very beginning.  Like most useless, unnecessary sequels, it gives us a whole lot of new, pointless backstory that no one asked for or needed.  In fact, the movie dovetails into this plotline so quickly that it feels like the filmmakers took two scripts and Frankensteined them together.  (The fact the film had FIVE credited screenwriters kind of confirms my suspicions.)  

The first half-hour or so isn’t exactly great, but it’s watchable.  The next hour-plus is a boring, excruciating slog.  That’s not even mentioning the fucking atrocious, seemingly tacked-on “twist” ending that makes no fucking sense whatsoever.  

Say what you will about the original Ring, but at least the film LOOKED good.  This one looks like a double-digit Saw sequel, with lots of grimy-on-purpose cinematography and long stretches that are almost too dark to see.  I’m starting to think total darkness would be preferable to watching another Ring movie ever again.

AKA:  The Ring 3.  AKA:  The Ring:  Rebirth. 

THE 31 DAYS OF HORROR-WEEN: PRIME EVIL: MUTANT WAR (1988) *** ½

Matt Mitler returns as reluctant hero Harry Trent in Brett Piper’s superior sequel to Battle for the Lost Planet.  This time, Harry is more of a Mad Max-style hero, roaming through wasteland looking for gas.  He stumbles upon a girl named Fox (Alex Pirnie) whose sister has been kidnapped by mutants who are trying to propagate their race with any human woman they can get their hands on.  Together, they set out to rescue her. 

Battle for the Lost Planet was a marvel of low budget ingenuity.  This one ups the ante considerably; to the point where it looks just as good (and in some instances, even better) than its higher-budgeted contemporaries.  It’s crammed to the gills with great stop-motion monsters, fun special effects, excellent mutant make-up, and gorgeous matte paintings.  Just when you think it can’t get any better, Cameron Mitchell shows up as the villain!  

Even when you can spot the seams in the production, there’s no denying the DIY charm Piper brings to the table.  I’ve sat through many of these Mad Max rip-offs before, so I appreciate one that does a lot with very little.  Mitler once again makes for a fine hero and carries the film on his very capable shoulders.  Also, the large assembly of monsters and mutants more than makes it a better pairing for The 31 Days of Horror-Ween than the original.

Like Battle, it runs out of steam before it reaches the finish line, but it’s an impressive leap forward for Piper in just about every way.  In only two years’ time he was able to make a movie that looks much bigger and more professional than the original.  Even though it’s much more polished than its predecessor, it still contains the same spunky charm.  Not only that, it's just flat-out entertaining.  In a month full of forgettable horror movies, Mutant War is a breath of fresh air.

AKA:  Mutant Men Want Pretty Women.

THE 31 DAYS OF HORROR-WEEN: PRIME EVIL: BATTLE FOR THE LOST PLANET (1986) ** ½

Harry Trent (Matt Mitler from The Mutilator) infiltrates a top-secret government facility and steals a precious tape containing sensitive data.  When the security guards give chase, Harry escapes in a rocket ship and winds up in outer space.  There, he witnesses a race of pig-faced aliens destroying Earth in a matter of minutes.  After five years in orbit, Harry makes it back down to Earth and teams up with a band of survivors to save (what’s left of) the world. 

I kind of love the way writer/director Brett (They Bite) Piper was able to stage a mass alien invasion with next to no money and still make it seem almost plausible.  The ships are all obviously models you’d find in a toy store, but it’s edited and choreographed just well enough to make it look pretty cool.  (The same goes for the low-fi spaceship interiors.)  The fact that he was able to pull off an opening escape sequence reminiscent of a James Bond opening speaks to Piper’s low budget ingenuity.  Sometimes, the cinematography is too a bit too dark, although I’m sure that was purposefully done to hide the seams of the sets, special effects, and make-up.

The early scenes are a lot of fun, but unfortunately, Battle for the Lost Planet kind of shoots its wad too early.  The long scenes of Trent trying to convince a biker kingpin (who looks like a long-lost Stallone brother) to join his cause drags the pace down.  Still, there’s plenty of stop-motion monsters, alien dogfights, and DIY charm on display to make it worth a look for fans of low budget cinema.  Although it might not always work, it’s impossible not to admire Piper’s ambition, even if it exceeds his grasp. 

Mitler makes for a likable hero.  He has a Johnathon Schaech quality to him, and looks right at home fighting mutants, monsters, and horny bikers.  He’s particularly funny in his last scene.  He returned two years later for the sequel, Mutant War.

Note:  I know this is more of a Sci-Fi movie than a horror film, and I apologize.  I had another film in its place, but Prime removed it from my Watchlist without notice.  I hate when that happens.  I wish there was a way for Prime to notify you when something is about to leave, but oh well.  Since I already had Mutant War planned for tomorrow’s movie (which has a lot more horror-themed elements), I decided to go ahead and watch its predecessor first.  While Battle for the Lost Planet isn’t exactly a horror movie per se, any flick that features stop-motion monsters attacking a naked woman and cool Evil Dead-style melting effects is good enough to get a pass from me.  (Oh, and the movie I had previously planned, Bag Boy Lover Boy, is available for free on Tubi, so I’ll try to watch that eventually before the month is out.)