Blood for Dracula
Blood for Dracula, otherwise referred to as Andy Warhol’s Dracula, is a vicious take on the fictional horror classic tale of Dracula.
This movie was produced during the 1970s and includes a star list of Roman Polanski, Paul Morrissey and Andy Warhol, which means it is sure to garner some attention just for its all-star cast.
Other notable actors in the movie include Udo Kier, Vittorio de Sica, Stefania Casini and Joe Dallesandro. However, this movie, directed in 1974 by Paul Morrissey with the assistance of Andy Warhol, who achieved worldwide fame for his pop art rather than his B-movie production roles, is a fair cry shy of brilliant.
The 103 minute film was released in English in Germany on March 1, 1974. Some would say that the movie is one of those campy horror films that are so bad you must see it to witness the hilarity.
The plot of Blood for Dracula begins when Count Dracula, played by Udo Kier, who is living in his castle in Transylvania in Romania, cannot find virgin blood to supply his hunger needs. Count Dracula goes to Italy to find a new supply, because of the religious stereotype that all Catholic girls are kept virginal until marriage. Here the Count has a chance encounter with Marchese di Fiori, played by Vittorio de Sica.
Di Fiori is the father of four girls, all of who are overly voluptuous, who are all thought to be virgins. A formerly wealthy aristocrat, di Fiori is unable to financially support his estate and comes to an agreement with Dracula to give one of his daughters in marriage to Dracula. Dracula is ready to go on a feeding frenzy. He tries the blood of the two daughters, who are the most desired, but the blood is tainted.
The tainted blood makes Dracula vomit profusely, a weakness of Dracula that fans have found enjoyable to watch since Dracula is always portrayed as the ever powerful and unstoppable villain.
However, because he fed on the girls, the two middle daughters are left psychically connected to Dracula and he is able to wield his mental control over them. At this point Dracula discovers the family’s maintenance man, Mario portrayed by Joe Dallesandro, has been sleeping with the virgin daughters. This leaves Dracula with two daughters to choose from, but one is much too old while the other is only 14 years old, too young for a suitor.
Mario is the only one who realizes what Dracula is all about, and he rapes the 14 year old daughter in an ironic effort to save her. When the film was initially released, the rape scene in the movie proved too graphic for critics who rated the film an X rating, considering it a soft core porn flick. As a result the film was edited to remove some of the nudity and violence, and was re-released under the name “Young Dracula” with an R Rating.
Now you can find the uncut original version available of Blood for Dracula, and it does not carry the X rating, noting the changes in culture from then and today. In the end of the movie, Dracula ends up with the oldest daughter, Esmerelda played by Milena Vuktoic, who is a virgin, and he turns her into a vampire. Dracula ends up being murdered by Mario, who in turn inherits the estate for his victory.
The Blood of Dracula is rife with political and religious symbolism beginning with the stereotypes of the Catholic virgins. Another blatant display of symbolism is shown with the Marxist connection of Mario who has painted a hammer and sickle on his bedroom wall.
Critics expressed the connection to Communism with Mario adds a manifest function of making him even more of a villain, as well as the latent function of portraying Communism as the evil that creeps in and destroys the supposed purity of a nation. In an irony and twist of fate, Communism is the one who inevitably saves the day by protecting the innocent and killing the villain.
It is also notable to state that the 14 year old is played by Silvia Dionisio, who is 23 years old, given the fate of the character.
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