Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

Countess Dracula Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 14, 2021

Note: This version of this film is available on Blu-ray as part of Hammer Horror: Four Gothic Horror Films.

Chances are if you mention the phrase "classic Hammer horror" to the casual film fan, and perhaps especially to the genre aficionado, the immediate response might be focused on some of Hammer's now legendary output beginning in 1957 with The Curse of Frankenstein, and continuing at least through both some of the subsequent Frankenstein offerings, as well as 1958's Horror of Dracula, and its follow-ups, not to mention other properties Hammer either "updated" (The Mummy) or invented (Maniac ). Those follow-ups by themselves of course continued apace for several years, and that fact, when combined with the general perception among some that Hammer's overall quality not necessarily confined to so-called "franchises" declined as the sixties wore on, is where things may start to differ among respondents in terms of when Hammer's "classic" period ended, if in fact it ended at all. In that regard, it can be interesting to watch this collection of productions from the seventies when, as one of the supplements included in this set overtly mentions, "Hammer wasn't Hammer anymore", at least in terms of some of the erstwhile resident talent who had moved on to other places. It's also interesting to note that at the same time the back cover of the slip box housing the discs in this set itself overtly mentions a perceived "classic early '70s period", which may be a bit of PR hyperbole, but which may also invite approval from those who don't feel Hammer's output in the seventies is automatically dismissable, even if the studio had become manifestly different from what it had been in prior decades. Within that overall context, then, the four films offered in this collection are often quite interesting in their own regard, and Imprint has supplied each of them with a really bounteous collection of bonus features.

Countess Dracula has had a previous release on Blu-ray for the Region A market by Synapse Films. Those wanting a plot recap are encouraged to read Brian Orndorf's Countess Dracula Blu-ray review of that release. Brian's review is also a good resource for screenshot comparisons and lining up supplements between the two releases.

Countess Dracula Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Countess Dracula is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Imprint and Via Vision Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.66:1. Based solely on screenshots (which can be a risky strategy), this looks similar but not always identical to the presentation that Synapse Films offered on Region A Blu-ray several years ago. While color timing can appear more or less the same at times, there also seem to be isolated differences, as can be spotted by comparing screenshot 7 in this review with screenshot 2 in Brian's review. There are some moments of noticeable damage, notably in the will reading scene where there's some fading at the edges of the frame and what almost looks like print through floating through the center part of the image. Occasional random briefly distressed moments can be spotted, as in screenshot 9. Other damage tends to be a bit less noticeable, but shows up fairly regularly in the form of scratches, nicks and other blemishes.

Countess Dracula Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Countess Dracula features a nice sounding LPCM 2.0 Mono track that I suspect is very like the audio Brian assessed on the Synapse release. While there are some thick accents to decipher here (something that also shows up in some of the commentary tracks), dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout, and the film's bombastic score by Harry Robertson is also rendered without any issues. There's some slight background noise in some quieter moments, though that said, this film doesn't exactly wallow in quiet moments. Optional English subtitles are available.

Countess Dracula Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary by Ingrid Pitt & critics Kim Newman & Stephen Jones


• Audio Commentary by Ingrid Pitt, director Peter Sasdy, writer Jeremy Paul & author Jonathan Sothcott


• Audio Commentary by Hammer historians Jonathan Rigby & Kevin Lyons (2021)


• Vampire Lover: The Life and Career of Ingrid Pitt (HD; 23:34) is a nicely done tribute to Pitt by Kat Ellinger, produced in 2021.


• Blood Countess: Bathory on Film (HD; 27:00) is another compelling 2021 piece by Ellinger wherein she looks at the historical figure of Countess Bathory and her many (quasi?) depictions on film.


• Immortal Countess: The Cinematic Life of Ingrid Pitt (HD; 10:47) is another fun overview of Pitt's career in a featurette produced by Ballyhoo Productions in 2013.


• Archival Video Interview with Ingrid Pitt (HD; 6:50)


• Archival Audio Interview with Ingrid Pitt (HD; 8:30) plays to a video of a reel to reel tape recorder spinning.


• Interview with Leon Lissek (HD; 2:50) is from 2021.


• Interview with writer Gabriel Ronay (HD; 12:27) is also from 2021.


• Stills Gallery (HD; 7:10)


• Theatrical Trailer (SD; 3:06)


• Double Feature Trailer (with Vampire Circus) (HD; 2:20)


• Isolated Music and Effects Track is presented in LPCM 2.0 and can be accessed under the Setup Menu.

Countess Dracula Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

As Kat Ellinger gets into in her interesting visual essay about the real life Countess Bartholdy and the many films that have purported to tell her story, we may still be waiting for the definitive cinematic account of her life, and there's little doubt that Countess Dracula doesn't exactly offer "the facts, and just the facts, ma'am". Still, it offers a chance for an energetic Ingrid Pitt to strut her stuff, and the film has a generally appealing production design that doesn't betray too much about any substandard budgeting issues. Technical merits are generally solid, and Imprint has provided a very nice array of supplementary features. Recommended.