Scars of Dracula (1970)
Scars of Dracula has many faults. I've dissected them myself on here plenty of times. But among the high levels of sadism, gore and rubber bats it also features a terrific scene i'd never really noticed previously.
It's when Paul Carlson first ventures into Dracula's castle. He meets the lovely Tania (Anouska Hempel ) and is all cheerful and chirpy with her. Then Dracula enters. The room falls silent, the camera focuses on Christopher Lee's stern, pale face, then back to Paul, crazily holding a sword in his hand from the wall, a young happy go lucky young man who'd just been cavorting with the burgomasters daughter a few minutes ago. Gone is the fun, to be replaced by a chilling air of tension, as Dracula, Paul, Tania and then Patrick Troughton's Klove, eye one another up in a beautifully directed (By Roy Ward Baker) sequence of tension and dread. It's a scene reminiscent of Jonathon Harker's entrance to Castle Dracula in Hammer's first Dracula film but this is a very different Count Dracula. A Dracula no longer welcoming but terrifying instead. A Dracula to be feared!
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