COUNT YORGA Collection on Limited Edition Blu-Ray

Count Yorga, Vampire

Director: Bob Kelljan
Starring: Robert Quarry, Roger Perry, Michael Murphy, Michael Macready, Donna Anders
Country: United States
Running Time: 93 Min
Year: 1970
BBFC Certificate: 15

The Count Yorga movies have been lurking at the seedier end of the video shelf since the seventies, and many have wondered what horrors they hold. You may expect a long heritage of Yorga films to choose from, however, there are just two in the series. These films were not big studio productions, however, the first film, Count Yorga, Vampire, was a box-office triumph. This created the impetus for the bigger budget sequel, The Return of Count Yorga. A third film was planned but for some reason, it didn’t manage to clamber from the crypt.

From the director of Scream Blacula Scream and the star of Dr. Phibes Rises Again, welcome to Count Yorga, Vampire. This 1970s tongue-in-cheek vampire romp blends horror and humour. It’s a blood-curdling caper, dripping with jocular dialogue from the wayward aristocrat, Count Yorga (Robert Quarry). As you may have guessed, Count Yorga, Vampire opens with a coffin being off-loaded at a dock. The casket is precariously transported from the waterfront to an eerie mansion in the California hills, and we are ready for action.

Sometime later, Donna (Donna Anders)along with her sceptical selection of guests, holds a seance in the hope of contacting her dead mother. Invited to the gathering are Donna’s boyfriend, Michael (Michael Macready), and another couple, Paul (Michael Murphy)and Erica (Judith Lang). The get-together is completed by Doctor Jim Hayes (Roger Perry) and the Bulgarian mystic from Europe, Count Yorga.

During the harrowing seance, Donna becomes upset, but the day is saved by the Count as he jumps in to calm the situation. Once all is serene again, Erica and Paul kindly offer the undead nobleman a lift back to his spooky mansion. In the meantime, Donna admits to the others that she knows Yorga. He was her mother’s boyfriend for just a few weeks before her death. Strangely Donna cannot remember seeing the Count at the funeral and is further intrigued by his request for her mother to be buried and not cremated.

When Erica and Paul deliver the living-dead aristocrat to his abode their van becomes stuck in the muddy road outside his front door. Strangely the road appeared to be dry only moments before. They could either spend the night in the creepy old mansion or stay in their van, they chose the van. Sadly for the doomed pair, the van offers no protection from the marauding Nosferatu. Yorga’s true identity is revealed, he is not the refined aristo that he appears to be. The haemoglobin muncher knocks Paul unconscious and bites Erica, not the most gracious of a welcome to his home, but that’s vampires for you.

The traumatised pair return to civilisation, but all is not right. Paul has no recollection of his attacker’s identity, while Erica has no memory of the encounter at all. Erica makes an appointment to visit Doctor Hayes, to show him the strange bite on her neck. She is distant and missing an unnatural amount of blood, so the Doc recommends plenty of rest and good food. Her friends also notice how she has changed and they try to keep an eye on her.

When Erica doesn’t answer the phone, her chums drive out, to find out what has happened to her. To their dismay, they find her house is in a state of chaos. More horrifying still, the ghastly Erica is chowing down on her pet kitty. She lurches from violence into a complete meltdown, the hunt for a vampire is just about to start. Meanwhile, the Count is gearing up to have great fun and add some new members to his collection of brides.

Not wishing to be a spoiler, let’s move on to disc two, for a quick peek at the next adventure with the Svelte bloodsucker. If you are wondering how the fiend returns for the sequel, the answer is easy, The Return of Count Yorga is a bigger-budget remake of the original rather than an actual sequel.

The Return of Count Yorga

Director: Bob Kelljan
Starring: Robert Quarry, Mariette Hartley, Roger Perry, Yvonne Wilder, George Macready, Rudy De Luca, Edward Walsh, Craig T. Nelson
Country: United States
Running Time: 97 Min
Year: 1971
BBFC Certificate: 15

In The Return of Count Yorga, the Count has moved to San Francisco. This time he has spotted an orphanage, which will do very well for a steady supply of victims. The film opens at the orphanage fund-raiser, where we meet Cynthia (Mariette Hartley)and the Reverend Thomas (Tom Toner) as they chat on the grounds. They comment on the Santa Ana winds being a portent of doom and they are right, as unbeknownst to them a cluster of vambies is rising from the grave. Tommy (Philip Frame) a boy from the orphanage chases his ball through the countryside and ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time. Not only is he surrounded by undead creatures climbing out of the ground but he also falls victim to Count Yorga.

The undead brute is on a roll, when he arrives at the fundraiser he quickly takes a chunk out of Mitzi (Jesse Wells). It’s not long before the sophisticated sadist has noticed Cynthia, and no doubt has mischievous thoughts on his mind. Amusingly the other guests believe the Count has come in fancy dress, as a vampire. He loses the prize for the best vampire, to a comedy costume. The conversation turns to real vampires and Yorga is delighted to give his opinion on the subject. The exchange makes David the psychiatrist start to wonder about the Count’s true identity. It’s at this point that Mitzi is found, much to the consternation of the other guests. The bloodsucker shows no concern that she has been discovered and potters off into the night completely unperturbed.

Later in the night, the Santa Ana winds wake Cynthia’s family, while the Count’s army of vampies begins to prowl. The winds build, window shutters crash and the tension explodes into a cacophony of screams and ensuing chaos. Deformed vampires smash into the house and Ellen (Karen Ericson)is turned into one of the undead. Cynthia on the other hand is taken back to the Count’s lair, Gateway Mansion, when she comes around, she is gloriously unaware of the dire situation she is in.

The next day Jennifer (Yvonne Wilder)finds the mayhem caused by the previous night’s events and gets on the blower with the cops. However when they turn up all the evidence has gone, even smashed widows have been repaired. When Tommy is questioned, he is unhelpful, professing that nothing unusual has occurred. As expected the dim-witted plods laugh the report off and do nothing. However, David will not let go and eventually convinces the cops to take action. They stumble upon the supernatural coffin dodger’s lair and a mad-cap chase ensues leading to the chaotic climax.

This double serving of vampire hanky-panky is great fun to watch. Both films are nicely produced, and as many have said, were instrumental in moving vampires into the modern age. The Return of Count Yorga is the bigger budget of the two, but both are enjoyable for different reasons. Some prefer the first for its edgier feel while the second was better produced, with a touch more humour. The chuckles include several failed attempts to ward off the vampire hordes, including an attempt with a puny twig cross. Not all agree but I feel the second film is the better of the two, with a faster pace, wittier lines, and more action. However, it can be agreed that both sets of castings are spot-on, with fine acting from Quarry as the enjoyably loathsome Count.

The Count Yorga Collection is out on 24 October 2022 on double disc Blu-ray in the UK, released by Arrow Films. These are fine transfers onto Blu-ray with a bright crisp picture and minimal blemishes which do not detract from your viewing pleasure. Included in this limited edition celebration of the undead is an interesting selection of extras . This rich vein of  knowledge contains some poignant reflections on Charles Manson’s  crimes. I have reviewed the films and extras, however, I have not been lucky enough to view the complete packaged product. If the finished item is to the usual Arrow standard you are in for a blood-curdling treat.

DISC TWO – THE RETURN OF COUNT YORGA
• Brand new audio commentary by film critic Stephen R. Bissette
• Archival audio commentary by David Del Valle & C. Courtney Joyner
• The Count and the Counterculture, a brand new interview with film critic Maitland McDonagh
• Chamber-music of Horrors, a brand new interview with David Huckvale about the scores for both films
• Archival interview with film critic Kim Newman
• Theatrical trailer
• Radio spots
• Image gallery