Somehow, the sound of Dennis Waterman with a plummy accent doesn't quite work in this standard Hammer production. He is "Simon" who is keen on "Sarah" (Jenny Hanley) who is, in turn, rather keen on his Lothario of a brother "Paul" (Christopher Mathews). When the latter man's antics cause him to flee the anger of the burgomaster, he alights on a fire-damaged castle where he is soon, well... "Simon" and "Sarah" along with the local priest (Michael Gwynn) are soon on the trail but can they rescue him - or, indeed, save themselves from the evil that is "Dracula" (Christopher Lee)? Patrick Troughton is quite effective as the put-upon factotum "Klove" and Lee does just enough but the rest of the cast are really pretty lacklustre as the story follows a predictable pattern - complete with bat-on-a-string and plenty of ketchup and Ribena. It's watchable, but there's way too much dialogue and not enough action until the very last few moments - and even that is too heavily dependent on a thunderstorm to create any sense of impending menace.
