6.3 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
As the title suggests, the deadly Count Yorga stages a dramatic comeback for this movie, with Robert Quarry again playing the dentally challenged fiend. Moving in next to a school doesn't improve the Count's education, but it does provide him with plenty of prey in the form of students and teachers, whom he can't wait to, uh, suck up to...
Starring: Robert Quarry, Mariette Hartley, Roger Perry, Yvonne Wilder, George MacreadyHorror | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.84:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Mention the word “vampire” to just about anyone, and chances are the character who springs instantly and inescapably to mind is, of course, none other than Dracula, though a few “purists” might insist that Nosferatu is the “original”, at least cinematically speaking (in terms of actual premiere date, if not the genesis of the character, which many rightfully point out was obviously based on Bram Stoker’s iconic blood sucker). Through the years there have been innumerable film vampires in entries as disparate as The Twilight Saga Extended Editions Triple Feature and From Dusk Till Dawn, and of course Dracula himself has been (appropriately) immortal in any number of films, including (in no particular order) Dracula 2000, Dracula Has Risen from the Grave, Dracula: Prince of Darkness and the relatively recent (evidently unsuccessful) attempt at a franchise reboot Dracula Untold. With the cinematic landscape littered with so many undead, it may be hard to recall that for a brief moment in the early 1970s, there was another Count operating his own “blood bank”, making him the seeming heir to Dracula. Count Yorga first showed up in 1970’s Count Yorga, Vampire, a film which rather unexpectedly became a major smash for American International Pictures. That in turn led to the 1971 sequel The Return of Count Yorga, which also performed at least relatively well at the box office. A new franchise had apparently been born (or at least awakened), but for whatever reason, a planned third Yorga entry never materialized, and the first two Yorga films became cult items, consigned to occasional showings first on the broadcast networks and then later on various cable channels, and ultimately on to a variety of home video formats. Both Yorga films are perhaps unavoidably derivative, never really venturing very far from a number of traditional vampire tropes, but they’re both handsomely mounted and have scattered chills to offer.
The Return of Count Yorga is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Scream Factory, an imprint of Shout! Factory, with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.84:1. This is one of the nicer, healthier looking transfers from the MGM catalog that Shout! has released recently. While there are some typical age related issues on display, generally speaking elements are in excellent condition, and the palette remains mostly fresh and vivid looking. There's even a kind of "Hammer-esque" patina to the blood scenes, with some nicely saturated reds. Detail is very good to excellent in close-ups, to the point that it's quite easy to spot the powder makeup on Quarry in selected moments. Some midrange shots as well some scenes which I assume may have been handled by a second unit look a bit soft (notably the opening scenes of Tommy in the cemetery and, later, a segue to San Francisco). Grain looks natural and resolves very well throughout the presentation. A lot of the film is shrouded in darkness or shadow, and some of the best news is that there are none of the compression issues that sometimes attend Shout! releases.
The Return of Count Yorga features a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono track that is a bit narrow sounding, but which still offers good support for some isolated startle effects and Bill Marx's score. Dialogue is rendered very cleanly and is always well prioritized on this problem free track.
The Return of Count Yorga probably isn't the greatest vampire film ever made, but it's a diverting attempt when taken on its own perhaps unambitious merits. Quarry is a lot of fun as the Count, and Mariette Hartley is rather winsome and sweet as the put upon heroine. A couple of the attack scenes are rather viscerally exciting, and the film also benefits from some nicely done humor. Technical merits are generally strong, and The Return of Count Yorga comes Recommended.
1970
2019
Collector's Edition
1970
1972
1973
1971
Dracula / Warner Archive Collection
1958
1971
Collector's Edition
1960
1972
Collector's Edition
1963
50th Anniversary Edition
1968
1967
1970
1971
Slipcover in Original Pressing
1965
1972
1966
Dracula's Dog / Kino Cult #16
1977
Daughters of Dracula
1974