Rating: 
Summary: TASTE THE BLOOD OF DRACULA
Review: I rented this film some time ago, and I had sort of mixed fellings for it. Some parts were a bit of a letdown, but other sequences worked quite well. When a devil worshipper named Courtley (Ralph Bates) and a trio of high society Victorian England thrill seekers attempt to ressurrect Dracula by drinking his blood, Courtley chokes on it, forcing the others to drop their cups and beat him to death. Dracula is reborn, using his disciple's corpse. Dracula then proceeds to take vengance on Courtley's killers by killing them. With the help of one thrill seeker named Secker, a courageous young man out to free his girlfiend from Dracula's hypnosis, ends the vampire's terror. The plot was somewhat slow and unoriginal. Lee gives his usual sinister performance, and his scenes are the best in the film. By the way, Lee originally refused to do this film. Ralph Bates was enlisted as Dracula, but at the last minute, Lee was convinced to play Dracula. And of course, the role of Courtley was given to young Ralph Bates. This film can be pretty enjoyable. Fans of the series should definitely get this film! If you are interested in starting on viewing the Hammer Dracula series, watch them in order. They all have a sense of continuity and order matters!
Rating: 
Summary: One of the Best of the Series
Review: I watched this last night and forgot how good it was. It has great sets and stylish direction. It potrays the Victorians as hypocrites. It's noble men here resort to going to brothels and then hypocritically backing out of resurrecting Dracula after they paid a lot of money to do it. It makes them look like yellow belly cowards. Lord Courtney was disowned from his family for practicing black magic. It's women succumb to the tempation of Dracula, in effect cheating on their men. Dracula is Romanian for The Devil. His repulsion from the cross is symbolic of his inversion of Christian values.The story sees three noble men eventually meetung with Lord Courtney to resurrect Dracula. When the ritual is undertaken, they need to drink the blood of Dracula, thus the title. They all chicken out and Lord Courtnet finally does it himself. He grows ill and begs for help only to be ganged up on and beaten dead. They leave. Dracula is resurrected, and vows revenge on those who destroyed his servant. That's basicly it. Their families get involved and Dracula meets a most fantastic end.
Rating:
Summary: Acceptable Hammer offering displaying some good work
Review: In Taste the Blood of Dracula, Sasdy gives us the best Hammer Dracula since Fisher's "Dracula, Prince of Darkness" (1966), and certainly the last one of any worth whatsoever. The ending of Freddie Francis's "Dracula Has Risen From the Grave" (1968) provides the leaping-off point for the story, in which a peddler, in the form of British acting stalwart Roy Kinnear, stumbles across Dracula's remains, and later sells his finds to a dashing young nobleman (played by Ralph Bates) to use as relics in an elaborate satanic ritual. The upshot is that Dracula finds himself resurrected, and sets about Victorian England on a murderous rampage. The film's mainstay, thematically, is middle-class hypocrisy, and the events that unfold put Dracula in the curious position of being as much the agent of justice and retribution (destroying the oppressors of Victorian society) as the villain. Other than that, Lee is rather wasted, and the character of Dracula himself is dispensible, as other reviewers have noted. The ending, contrary to the opinion of many, is one of Hammer's finest, with composer James Bernard at his best, and great flair from director Sasdy. The plot itself is unusually contrived, and the script borders on crass at times, but what do we expect from such horror hokum? It is certainly worth viewing, due largely to the hints of Hammer's glory days, flashes of which can be seen here and there in Sasdy's direction.
Rating:
Summary: He's Back
Review: In this version of Dracula, played by Christopher Lee, the location is in Victorian England. Lord Courtley, played by Ralph Bates, resurrects Dracula with the aid of three Victorian gentlemen, but when Courtley drinks Dracula's blood he dies and the three leave him for dead. Dracula revenges the death of his servant by seducing their children and having them kill their own fathers. This movie was made a year after Dracula Has Risen From The Grave and the next in the series was The Scars of Dracula. Another interesting note is that Ralph Bates became Hammer's next leading man.
Rating:
Summary: Solid Atmospheric Hammer horror
Review: Only trouble with this Warner Home Video version for the U.S. is it was trimmed of 4 mins. before release in 1970 to make a PG rating and they have never restored it. Not 4 mins. of excess, but 4 mins. of intensity, so as a result this version does not pack the punch of the uncut version. A shame, as otherwise an excellent film.
Rating: 
Summary: I've already had a taste, needs salt.
Review: Reticent vampire. Cleavage. Dirty old men. It's no wonder Christopher Lee had [some parts] removed (I didn't say surgically) for this roll. It's funny that he didn't show up on Oscar night sporting fangs and a cape to accept his five awards,.... Great flick. Pretentiously so.
Rating:
Summary: Hammer's Best Dracula
Review: Romantic,gothic and scary are the best words to describe Christopher Lee's fourth outing as the demonic Count.Victorian England is where it takes place just as Bram Stoker originally intended and the cast is pretty good too.Despite Peter Cushing's absense,the film has several high points with beautiful photography and a wonderful score.The plot involves Drcaula seeking revenge on three wealthy socialites and their families after they kill his disciple(Ralph Bates).The young women,Alice(Linda Hayden) and the vampirized Lucy(Isla Blair) are one of Hammer's best and prove their worth in the film.Lee's presence though minimal is nevertheless mysterious and scary.In my opinion this is probably the most stylish and accomplished of all the Christopher Lee's Dracula films.
Rating:
Summary: Would have been a better Hammer film without Dracula
Review: Supposedly the fourth Dracula film in the Hammer series, "Taste the Blood of Dracula" is a film in which the title character is superfluous. Dracula wants to avenge the death of a wizard, who was killed by a bunch of rich Victorian thrill seekers. Would be a much better film if they were not forcing Dracula into the storyline, but then Lee's Dracula films were pretty much all the studio had going for it at this point in time.
Rating:
Summary: Dracula - one more time...RISES to the occasion!
Review: The Dracula cycles for Hammer Studios had it highs and lows. This is of the better ones. Lee sharpens his fangs and dons the cape yet again. Three gentlemen looking for lust and uncheap thrills accidentally conjure Drac. The men and their families meet horrible deaths at Drac's hands before Lee meets his ends in imaginatively climatic scene. Directed by Peter Sasdy with the screenwriter Jon Elder (coming through after his other misses), this is a one the fans of Lee will appreciate. Ralph Bates is good as the son of one of the men who brings Dracula to life. The Lack of Cushing, one again, hurts the film. If you are keeping track, this was the fourth in the series...Horrors of Dracula (Lee - Cushing), Brides of Dracula (no Lee) and Dracula Prince of Darkness (no Cushing) - came in that order before Taste of (no Cushing)... A must for Lee fans and fans of the Hammer Dracula cycle.
Rating:
Summary: Better than the title
Review: The fourth Christpher Lee Dracula film is a definite improvement over the previous two. Three respected men have a secret society where they partake of sin weekly. The men run into a young hell-raiser (Ralph Bates) who tells them he can give them an ultimate adventure and then proceeds to drink the blood of Dracula, the three men kill him out of fear. Dracula then appears out of the ashes of the dead man and vows revenge on the three who killed his follower. Christopher Lee is not given enough to do and does not come into the film until about half an hour into it, but the film still finds a way to work. The plot is average, but the quick pace and timely shocks help this film a great deal. The supporting cast does well, ecspecially Bates(in his Hammer debut) and John Carson. The ending is not one of the best, but the road to it is exciting and well done.
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