In 1904, Professor Van Helsing ventures to China on a lecture tour, where his lessons about the legends of 7 golden vampires are dismissed by his students. However, a local family believe him, knowing full well of their existence and where to find them. They join forces, which leads Helsing to get caught up in a battle between good and evil as the gang of sword-wielding vampires rise from their graves. The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires marked the 9th and final entry in Hammer's extensive Dracula series. Each picture progressively got more unique (and somewhat peculiar) with each addition, though none went nearly as far or was as ambitious as this one. Following The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973), we yet again disconnect from any form of continuity, delivering a stand-alone story. This movie was a collaborative piece between Hammer Film Productions and Shaw Brothers Studio, which would bring forth an unimaginable product, a martial arts horror flick. A mix of genres one wouldn't expect to work out, however, it does more than that, it excels and is simply put, awesome. Who would relish in the idea of epic flashy fights against vampires and an army of undead? Naturally, the slight genre shift of this movie can make it feel out of place in the series (despite the last two doing similarly for different reasons), but I was able to look past it once I was hooked on the adventure at hand. We open in 1804 at Castle Dracula who sadly isn't reprised by Christopher Lee finally having enough of the series and refusing to return. The Count would instead be played by John Forbes-Robertson whose portrayal is sufficient but unfortunately doesn't come close to rivalling the great Lee. Plus, the overwhelming amount of make-up does his appearance no favours. Dracula is approached by Kah (or as my family calls him 'Reg' after mishearing Dracula's remark 'wretch' to him), who requests his help in resurrecting the seven vampires and the power of the temple. Dracula agrees, but on his terms, possessing Kah's body and setting off to China. Cutting to 1904, we are reunited with leading protagonist Lawrence Van Helsing (and his portrayer Peter Cushing) for one final explosive escapade. I thoroughly enjoyed Cushing's Van Helsing in all of his iterations in the series and this outing was no exception. I also love that this version wears the exact outfit of his character, the Doctor from Dr. Who and the Daleks (1965). Helsing's knowledgeable background in these adversaries makes him a powerful asset in the mission at hand. He is met by student, Hsi Ching, who believes Helsing's teaching recruiting him to free the village from its horrors. He offers him protection, bringing his six brothers the twins Sung and San, Ta, Kwei, Jin How and Bao Kwei, alongside his one sister, Mai Kwei, each capable in multiple martial art forms. The company is also joined by Helsing's son Leyland and rich widow, Vanessa Buren, who finances the trip. I loved this idea of following an entire expedition on a perilous task and quickly became attached to each member with their unique personalities. Our group encounter many oppositions along their journey filled with extensive action and visually stunning displays of excellently choreographed battles. My favourite had to be the fight in the cave where our unexpecting group was resting and quickly had to leap into action. Needless to say, the highlight of the production was the final act where our crew began preparations to hold the village from the amassing army. The entire segment was marvellous with an immense display of accelerating scrimmage, full of chaos with fire blazing and foes at every turn that our heroes are pushed to their limits, which takes its toll. You will be glued to the screen with bated breath from the first to the final blow. Overall, I cannot help but adore this cult classic mix-match genre epic. I was left in a constant state of awe at the flowing action and was captivated by the characters and actors, especially Cushing. It may not be the best of the series, sadly being its last, but it is a fun and exciting film sure to bring joy to any who watch. This concludes my review of Hammer's Dracula series, and I hope you have enjoyed it as much as me.
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