Lady Dracula

Federal Republic of Germany | 1978 | 79 mins
by Franz Josef Gottlieb (Director), Redis Reda (Screenplay)
with Evelyne Kraft, Brad Harris, Theo Lingen, Eddi Arent, Stephen Boyd, Christine Buchegger, Walter Giller, Klaus Höhne, Roberto Blanco, Marion Kracht

Rating R 16


In 1876, a young pupil at a Royal boarding school dies from a bite by Count Dracula. In 1976, the countess’s coffin is uncovered at a building site in Vienna. It ends up in the hands of an antiques dealer, who becomes the first victim of the newly risen vampire. Working as a mortuary cosmetologist, she keeps herself fed with bags of blood. When they run out, she attacks an acquaintance of her boss and triggers a fire that kills several people. As more people fall victim to the vampire, it arouses the suspicions of a police detective who begins to court the attractive blonde, while wondering about her allergy to garlic and crucifixes …
In the tradition of Grand Guignol, this 1970s rip-off is a lively mix of horror, thriller and bawdy jokes. But the self-confident title figure, who is a relatively chaste character in comparison to the erotic vampires in the films of Jean Rollin or Harry Kümel, is immune to any shenanigans. The opening scenes in the style of Britain’s Hammer Films are loved by genre enthusiasts. But the producers hoped that it would be the well-known actors in the supporting roles that would draw a broader audience to this exploitation film. - www.berlinale.de