The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires

Hammer & Drac go chopsocky

While lecturing in China in 1904, Van Helsing (Peter Cushing) learns of a village where vampirism has broken out and investigates it with his son (Robin Stewart) & team (David Chiang, Julie Ege and Szu Shih). It turns out that Dracula is hanging out there disguised as a Taoist high priest.

The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires (1974) was Hammers final Dracula film wherein producers decided to experiment by hooking up with Shaw Brothers Studio in Hong Kong for a mixed-genre flick that meshes Hammers Gothic horror with the kung fu craze of the early 70s. Hammer was already experimenting at the time by setting the previous two installments in the modern day.

Whilst this is the least of the series, i...

"Prof. Van Helsing" (Peter Cushing) is lecturing a load of sceptical Chinese students about vampirism. They are so unconvinced that they walk out of his seminar. One, however, "Hsi Ching" (David Chiang) is convinced that the legendary Count has reincarnated near his local village where "Kah", the high priest of the legendary seven golden vampires has offered him his soul in return for the vampires restoring the dominant position of his priesthood. Short of funds, they manage to recruit the wealthy "Vanessa" (Julie Ege) and alongside his just as eager son "Leyland" (Robin Stewart) and seven young kung-fu experts all set off to this remote community where they will hopefully be in time to thwart the evil that is looming. When they arrive they...

/

'The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires' is fairly fun.

A relatively quick watch at just under 90 minutes, this movie smashes together martial arts and vampires. It's cool that it was filmed entirely on location in Hong Kong! Peter Cushing leads the cast strongly, with the likes of David Chiang, Julie Ege and Robin Stewart doing well behind him.

I found the whole run time to be decently entertaining, nothing that blew my socks off or anything but I did suitably enjoy it - the ending scenes are particularly positive. The martial art parts seemed well done to me, though I am admittedly no expert when it comes to that. All in all, it's worth a watch in my opinion.

Side-note, this is the second time in consecutive days that I'm ending my ...