Dracula A.D. 1972 (DVD)

Dracula A.D. 1972

NOTE: Sequel to "Scars of Dracula" (1970).

Hyde Park, London, 1872: It is the 'final' confrontation of Professor Lawrence Van Helsing [Peter Cushing] and his arch enemy, the demon vampire Dracula [Christopher Lee]. Atop a runaway carriage they battle. When the carriage crashes into a tree, Dracula is impaled on the spoke of a wagon wheel, and Van Helsing sees to his demise before dying himself from a concussion. A mysterious gentleman following the runaway coach collects the dust of Dracula's bones in a vial, along with his signet ring. At Van Helsing's funeral, the mystery man plants some of the ashes into a hole nearby and seals it with the wheel spoke which impaled Dracula, taking the rest of the vial with him.

London, A.D. 1972: A group of mods crash a conservative hostess' party for her son and some staid guests, dancing to the rock band the son has hired for the event. They escape before the police can arrest them. Later, at the Cavern coffee bar, they are coaxed by Johnny Alucard [Christopher Neame], the descendant of the mysterious interloper of 100 years before, to get some excitement by summoning the devil with a black mass. Among the group is Jessica Van Helsing [Stephanie Beacham], granddaughter of Professor Lorrimer Van Helsing [Peter Cushing], an anthropologist and expert on the occult, and grandson of the Van Helsing who defeated Dracula a century ago.

The kids meet at midnight at a local churchyard, St. Bartolph's (scheduled to be torn down), passing Jessica's great-grandfather's grave. Johnny leads the ceremony but, when he slashes his wrist, mixes his blood with the ashes of Dracula and then pours it over Laura Bellows [Caroline Munro], Jessica and the others run away while Laura is frozen to the spot. Johnny pulls the stake from the gravesite where the ashes are buried, and Dracula is revived. He takes Laura as his first victim. The next morning Laura's body is found drained of blood. Professor Van Helsing is consulted, and when he learns that his granddaughter is involved with Laura and her friends, Jessica tells the police everything.

Johnny brings another girl from the group to Dracula, but Dracula wants Jessica. He drains Johnny's offering, then turns Johnny--at his request--into a vampire. He in turn brings Jessica's boyfriend Bob [Philip Miller] into vampirism, and together they lure Jessica to the Cavern Club. Van Helsing traces Johnny to his flat and they fight. Van Helsing is cut severely in the arm by Johnny wielding a blade, but Johnny is destroyed by falling into a running shower under a skylight

Van Helsing goes to the churchyard where he finds Bob dead and Jessica lying on an altar in a trance. He places a crucifix on her neck and in the graveyard he fashions a pit with stakes. After sunset, Dracula comes to awaken Jessica. Van Helsing stabs Dracula with a silver blade but Jessica pulls it out under the vampire's influence. Dracula follows Van Helsing outside where his nemesis throws holy water on Dracula, who falls into the pit of stakes and is impaled. Using a shovel to deliver the coup de grace, Van Helsing watches as the lord of the undead turns to dust. [Original Synopsis by bj_kuehl.]