Old Dracula is a 1974 British comedy-horror film directed by Clive Donner and starring David Niven as an ageing Count Dracula trying to revive his long-dead wife, Vampira. Instead of playing the story as straight gothic horror, the film turns Dracula into the centre of a deliberately camp and often absurd comedy, mixing vampire lore with 1970s fashion, pop culture and satire. Teresa Graves appears as Vampira, while the supporting cast includes Jennie Linden, Nicky Henson and Freddie Jones. In the United States, the film was released under the title Old Dracula, while the original title in the UK was Vampira.
The film was shot in England, with Elstree Studios in Borehamwood serving as the main production base for interiors, while location work was carried out in and around London. The AFI Catalog notes outdoor filming around London, including Chelsea, and other production references identify locations such as the Embankment, Soho and the Heathrow Hotel near Heathrow Airport. That combination gives the film a noticeably split personality: part of it still has the enclosed, artificial feel of a studio-bound horror comedy, while the London footage places Dracula in a much more contemporary world of city streets, nightlife and modern hotels. Rather than hiding in a remote gothic landscape, this version of Dracula is dropped into a recognisably urban early-1970s Britain, which is a large part of the film’s odd charm.
Leave a Reply