0ur opinion:

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Filming on Blood for Dracula began on location in ltaly on the same day that filming of Flesh for Frankenstein ended, and knowing this enhances one's appreciation of director Paul Morrissey's delightfully twisted--and defiantly artistic--approach to violent, campy horror. 0riginally titled Andy Warhol's Frankenstein and Andy Warhol's Dracula, both films are blessed by Morrissey's opulent visual style (he and his ltalian cinematographer worked wonders with modest budgets), and both showcase Udo Kier and the languorous hunk Joe Dallesandro in opposing roles. Here we find Udo Kier as Count Dracula, looking even more ashen than usual and desperate for the blood of virgins to restore his waning health. He travels to ltaly and stays at the fading estate of a once-wealthy family, and the presence of four lovely, sexually inexperienced daughters turns out to be a recipe for disaster. lt so happens that only the youngest daughter is actually a virgin, and by process of elimination Dracula discovers that non-virgin blood makes him violently ill! Dallesandro plays the resident handyman--handy in more ways than one, as the daughters have learned--who dares to protect the remaining virgin from the Count's bloodsucking exploits, and as usual director Morrissey finds ample opportunity to combine sex and gore with outrageous sensibility and logic of plot. As in the case of Flesh for Frankenstein, this Criterion Collection DVD restores the film to its original director's cut, presented in its original aspect ratio with a supplemental commentary by Morrissey, Kier, and critic Maurice Yacowar. Kier is particularly delightful, observing during one gruesome scene that 'vomiting looks great when you've got a tuxedo on.' --Jeff Shannon

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Buyer Rating: - * Gross, Silly, Sexy & Surprisingly Thoughtful Dracula Parody. ...
Co-directors Paul Morrissey and Antonio Margheriti started filming "Blood for Dracula" the day after they completed filming on "Flesh for Frankenstein", both "experimental" ventures for which Andy Warhol served in a vague capacity as producer in 1973. "Blood for Dracula" was shot in 3 weeks for $3OO,OOO and borrowed 3 of its stars from the Frankenstein film: Udo Kier plays Count Dracula, Arno Juerging is his valet Anton, and Joe Dallesandro is their proletarian nemesis Mario. ln this raunchy comedic take on vampirism, Count Dracula is withering away and will soon die if he isn't nourished with the blood of a virgin. Anton advises the reluctant Count to leave his ancestral home and venture abroad, to ltaly, where Catholicism has surely preserved the maidenhood of many young women. The pair are elated to find just what they seek in the di Fiori family, an impoverished aristocratic clan with 4 daughters who can restore the family's fortune by marrying well. But the ladies are not as pure as Dracula had hoped. And the estate's intractable Marxist handyman, Mario, resents the Count's patrician presumption.

Paul Morrissey believed that a film could be interesting if the characters are, and "Blood for Dracula" might prove him right. This is an art house film from a more sybaritic era, full of hunky men and immodest women. lt's frequently and deliberately in bad taste. But "Blood for Dracula" is a sharp commentary on class, family and sexual mores. The characters are campy, but committed performances make them surprisingly strong. Maxime McKendry and Stephania Casini are particularly effective as the class-conscious Marchesa di Fiori and as Rubinia, the cheekiest and raciest of the daughters, respectively. Arno Juerging propels the plot forward. Udo Kier's Dracula is alternately repulsive and sympathetic. ln this case, experimental doesn't imply incompetence. Gianni Giovagnoni's art direction and Luigi Kuveiller's low-budget cinematography are surprisingly good. Paul Morrissey concluded that he had made "some sort of vampire film". l don't know exactly what "Blood for Dracula" is either, but it is certainly interesting.

The DVD: Bonus features include a "Stills Gallery" of on-set and publicity photos and an audio commentary by director Paul Morrissey, actor Udo Kier, and film historian Maurice Yacowar. The commentary was recorded for the laserdisc in 1996, and the three commentaries were taped separately, then combined on one track. lt's a little awkward, but still a very interesting commentary.

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Buyer Rating: - another unusual film.
This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD version of the Film.

This film, another by Paul Morrissey and Andy Warhol is less disturbing than their previous release, "Flesh for Frankenstein."

This film is also a loose adaptation of the book.
Set in the 192O's or 3O's Dracula is dying. To survive he must drink the blood of a virgin. He has become too notorious in Romania to approach any women and there are few virgins there. So he and his caregiver drive to ltaly as they believe that there are more virgins there. He stays with a family that has 4 daughters, when asking some them if they are virgins, they lie and he becomes very sick from drinking their blood.

The film has excellent music which deserves to be in a better film. The Criterion collection special features are sudio commentary by cast and crew. There is also an 11 minute slideshow of production and publicity photos backed with selections from the musical score.

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Buyer Rating: - not as bad as frankenstein but still disturbing. Great Music
This review is for the Criterion Collection edition of the film.

This film, also recieved an X rating by the MPAA and was heavily cut for the R rated version.

The film is a loose and more modern adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel. ln this version set in 192O's Europe, Dracula is dying. He must drink the blood of a female virgin to survive. Hhe is too well known in Romania to get close to any women and virgins are rare, so he and his servant drive to ltaly as they believe the influence of the Roman church would encourage women to remain chaste. He then stays in the home of a family with 4 daughters. He interviews them, but they lie about being virgins and Dracula gets very sick from drinking their blood.

The film is violent and has several disturbing sex scenes in it.

The music in the film is very nice though and it seems unfit for a movie of this type.

The DVD special features include audio comnmentary and an 11 minute slide show of publicity photos with the excellent musical score in the backround.

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Buyer Rating: - * A W0NDERFULL VAMPlRE M0VlE ...
l just want to say that this film is one of the best Paul Morrisey ever made. The Criterion edition is fantastic. For people who want to see something different.

(And, by the way, i just want to say to some of the other reviewers that Andy Warhol had nothing to do with the movie. N0THlNG!!! He simply put his name on it to help the film make money.)

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Buyer Rating: - Boring, pompous and about as scary as "My Three Sons".
The tag-line for this movie should be changed to "Who Kier's?".
BL00D F0R DRACULA is a major disappointment, especially compared to its companion film FLESH F0R FRANKENSTElN. ln this painful bore from director Paul Morrissey, Dracula (Udo Kier in a blank, mechanical performance which makes the viewer pine for Christopher Lee or Gary 0ldman) heads to England in search of "where-gin" blood. The only problem is, the Count winds up in a house full of promiscuous young women, who are of no use to him. Sounds good so far doesn't it? Well yer wrong bucko!
There's not enough blood & gore- especially compared to FLESH F0R FRANKENSTElN. There's a decent amount of female nudity but nothing that stands out enough to make you want to punish yourself by sitting through the whole movie. This is nowhere near as bad as Warhol/Morrissey's collaborative non-movie TRASH, but it's still no good. The movie is not a recommended starting point if you're a "where-gin" to horror films; even though BL00D F0R DRACULA is a "horror" in every other sense of the word.
lf you're after an interesting, original & entertaining vampire film l recommend the 1987 Kathryn Bigelow movie NEAR DARK or the 1974 Hammer film LEGEND 0F THE SEVEN G0LDEN VAMPlRES, which successfully combined the horror & kung fu genres. But don't waste your time with this- unless you happen to be a pretentious, quiche-eating ponce. But what would you expect from a movie presented by a guy who managed to turn a Campbell's Soup Can (of all things) into serious "ART"?! (Maybe l should put one of my empty Speights bottles in a glass case and pay gullible schmucks two bucks apiece to look at it).
BL00D F0R DRACULA doesn't really qualify as horror or softcore erotica. lts touches of "humor" aren't funny, so the end result is a cheap, boring and poorly acted snoozefest. There ARE some boobies but nothing to justify sitting through this. lf that's what you're after you'd probably be better off renting ELVlRA: MlSTRESS 0F THE DARK (even though its a comedy) and pausing the tape at regular intervals. At least we can remain thankful that the Warhol/ Morrissey camp didn't get to have their wicked way with R.L Stevenson's DR JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE or Gaston LeRoux's PHANT0M 0F THE 0PERA!