The Return of Count Yorga (originally titled Yorga Returns) is a 1971 American vampire horror film directed by Bob Kelljan and starring Robert Quarry, Roger Perry, Yvonne Wilder, George Macready, Rudy De Luca, Edward Walsh, and Craig T. Nelson in his feature film debut. Tired of the same old vampires? It's at least the equal of a Christopher Lee. "Count Yorga" doesn't distinguish itself in any interesting ways from this pack. The Return of Count Yorga ups the ante and sees the sardonic Count on the streets of San Francisco, his sights set on an orphanage as a potential source of sustenance. After Thomas learns of Jennifer's death, David is sure he is correct about the Count's true nature and manages to convince Reverend Thomas and investigating police detectives Lt. Madden and Sgt. Yorga distracts Hayes and strengthens his hypnotic control over Donna. Tommy is untouched, revealing he is under Yorga's power. So grab some garlic and a crucifix 'cause Count Yorga might be in your neighborhood. The film begins by showing us a coffin being removed from a ship, then trucked out to an estate in modern day (circa 1970) Los Angeles. Youll receive instant access to exclusive insider movie content, member only deals, first dibs at limited editions, and more. As played by Robert Quarry, he is quite creditable and effectively gave Christopher Lee (Hammer Film's Dracula incarnate) a run for his money. On the one hand, they are early examples of the modernised gothic, taking the genre out of the costume drama and into the real world (at one point in Return, Yorga watches Hammer's The Vampire Lovers on TV - an amusing comment on the difference between the cozily distant gothic and the modern day . The early 70s were a great period for vampire movies. Here, the Bulgarian-born Count Yorga is a recent transplant to California, and we first meet him conducting a sance on behalf of Donna, whose late mother was involved with the alleged psychic. We first meet Count Yorga at a seance he holds for a group of friends, one of which has just lost her mother. Quarry plays the title character, a Bulgarian migr hired by some young adults to conduct a seance. And whoever did the make-up job on the count's slow-motion assistant deserves an Oscar for walking decomposition. When a weakened Mitzi stumbles into the room, Yorga leaves as the others attend to her. However, despite my fear that this would be another stale film, this one turned out to be better than average and well worth a look. Soon some of them are disappearing, the females falling under the spell of this stranger. Yorga returns to the manor, awakens his brides and unleashes them through the household as he psychically calls Cynthia to him. A must see for the classic horror fan. Yet COUNT YORGA, VAMPIRE has found itself a B-movie oddity, relegated to late, late showings on UHF stations throughout the 80s and 90s and all but forgotten if ever seen by a generation that reveled in the modern horror era of slashers and special makeup effects. Some good surprises, too. Upon finding Erica missing, Paul rashly goes to Yorga's mansion to rescue her. In my book, this little indie effort more than holds its own against the better known Hammer neck-biters of the same era, and is not to be missed. At the party are several of her friends, including Donna's boyfriend, Michael Thompson, Paul, Paul's girlfriend Erica Landers, and close friend and doctor, Jim Hayes. Stephen Farber's 1972 book, The Movie Rating Game, details the problems that the film's distributor American International Pictures had in securing a GP rating (formerly known as M, later renamed to PG) from the Motion Picture Association of America, which initially was divided as to whether to give the film an R or X rating. What follows is a vampire film with the women predictably the victims/aggressors and the men predictably running around trying to solve things. Tommy claims that nothing has happened. Some friends gather at the mansion of Robert Quarry (Count Yorga) so that they can hold a sance and Donna Anders (Donna) can contact her recently deceased mother Marsha Jordan. Up until then all vampire films had been set in Europe in the 1800s or early 1900s. And, even though he kind of looks like and acts like Count Dracula, he's not Dracula! They try to check in on her via phone, but she drops the phone to the floor without answering. The low budget is revealed occasionally such as when two men carry on a conversation done entirely in voiceovers as they are shown walking, in long shots, through L.A. (these scenes afford priceless glimpses at the city at that time, however) and in the Volkswagon minibus scenes in which the actors are clearly emoting during daylight hours for a scene that takes place late at night! There was a sequel called Return of Count Yorga, but after seeing this movie, you'll wish for a remake of this one instead of a pretty mediocre sequel. Quarry was never a fan of Vincent Prices over-egging the pudding (note: both men penned cookbooks) and opted to play Count Yorga straight albeit with a certain sarcastic wit. But the decade also unleashed cinematic oddities galore, most of which were . Variety wrote that Robert Quarry had an "aristocratically handsome look and plays the part with a certain sinister intelligence (and) even a sly humor that befits a guy who has been around for several hundred years," adding that "The dialogue has a believable sound to it, and the playing of the principals is low-key and convincingly realistic. Quarry is a striking presence as Count Yorga (actually meant to be Iorga, and pronounced that way in the film, but changed by the distributing company in order to be more easily pronounced by the movie-going public!) You have to know what you're in for when you sit down to watch a movie like "Count Yorga." ; Piet Plagiarism: After Yorga finishes feeding on Erica and making her into his bride, Brudah carries her body like this in her newly vamped form down into Yorga's throne room . A pickup truck snags a boxed-up coffin and head into the city. Perhaps the big-haired living dead women crawl their way out of the dirt with too much ease, but style is more important than being realistic. A low-budget production, it updates its bare-bones reworking of Stoker's story to the then-present of about 1970 and resets the action in Southern California. The last shot of the movie is Tommy playing with his ball in front of the orphanage accompanied by a haunting rendition of the song the children sang at the beginning of the film. A drive-in favourite from the moment it was released, a sequel soon followed. They chase Michael and Donna downstairs until repelled by Michael's cross. The truck then climbs to a gated mansion in the Southern California hills.[1]. On top of this, we hear narration telling us a bit about vampire legends. Yorga takes her away, preparing to turn her into his new bride while leaving his army of brides to finish off Baldwin. Donna mentions in conversation with her friends that Yorga was her mother's boyfriend. He tries to charm the young woman into willingly becoming his bride, though he is warned by his live-in witch that Cynthia will bring his end if he does not kill her or turn her into a vampire soon. And I have seen quite a few. There's even a henchman who's (apparently) a werewolf! Promising her immortality, he seduces Erica, drains her of her remaining blood, and takes her body back to his manor. Not only is Count Yorga very obviously . Meanwhile, in-house director Roy Ward Baker directed Ingrid Pitt in THE VAMPIRE LOVERS, which featured explicit lesbian eroticism. Howard Thompson of The New York Times panned the film as "a dull, amateurish vampire brew. After sex they settle in to sleep. He and Donna watch Yorga turn to dust. Will their boyfriends be able to stop him? They transported Christopher Lees Count and Peter Cushings Van Helsing to swinging London, sinking his fangs into a modish group of attractive young people (including Caroline Munro) in, The 80s saw a slew of modern-day vampire tales with Tony Scotts, [FANTASIA FEST 2020] LUCKY: TROUBLE EVERY DAY, [FANTASIA FEST 2020] HAIL TO THE DEADITES GIVES US SOME SUGAR, BABY, highly influential take on the vampire mythos. We basically know what fate will befall our innocent(just) protagonists, but we become riveted to their actions and those of the Count. When Michael awakens, he finds Donna gone and that it is nearly evening when he calls to awaken Hayes. Their van gets stuck in the mud outside of Yorga's mansion, although Paul insists the road was dry a minute ago. Ohhow could I forget to mention the count's brides; possibly the scariest-looking, fastest-moving bunch you've ever seen! The story features Quarry returning as the infamous vampire Count Yorga, along with his servant Brudah, both of whom have been revived by the supernatural Santa Ana winds. Despite being held back by the cross, Yorga taunts Hayes while positioning him in front of his brides, then silently commanding them to awake and attack the unaware Hayes from behind. and apparently eats the family cat, but that scene seems to have been removed from the version I saw on Comet channel. The two split up, and Yorga confronts Hayes. Yorga tells Cynthia that there was a car accident and she was left in his care by her family. Low-rung vampire pic "Counts" on Quarry to elevate it. Michael alerts Hayes that Paul has gone to the mansion, and Hayes confides that Paul's lack of preparation will probably lead to his death. When the women don't respond to their question and continue tho silently advance on them. | Paul decides to go to Yorga's house and disappears and Donna's mate Michael 'Mike' Thompson (Michael Macready), Jim and Donna decide to pay a visit to Count Yorga late night. The film was given a second VHS release by MGM Home Entertainment in September 2000. He also intends to take a new wife, while feeding his bevy of female vampires. Arrow Video has announced a limited edition Blu-Ray release for THE COUNT YORGA COLLECTION, available in the UK from 24th October 2022. after giving the count a ride home, Paul and Erica get stuck and camp in their VW bus, and get attacked. very average vampire plot, but it's not campy enough for Vincent Price, so you won't see him in here. Donna's mom died of some kind of anemia, which of course fits in with the movie's theme. Some good suspense, especially in the stranded van awaiting something to happen, but what? Brudah attacks him, but Michael mortally stabs him and manages to reach the throne room. Lang is attractive and reasonably good (soap fans will be interested to know that her daughter Katherine Kelly Lang has played Brooke on "The Bold and the Beautiful" for many years!) More often than not, since NOSFERATU hit the silver screen, vampires in film were confined to the villages and castles of 18th century Europe. If that's your bag, you should like this. FAQ Just as he does, Erica, now a vampire and completely under Yorga's control, and a fellow redheaded vampire charge into the room to kill him. He lives in a large house somewhere in California and terrorizes young women and their boyfriends. Soon after, we meet Count Yorga (Robert Quarry), as he conducts a sance to try to contact Donna's (Donna Anders) deceased mother. "Film Reviews: The Return Of Count Yorga". Count Yorga (Robert Quarry) finds himself with a bit of a quandary on his hands. She reacts erratically to their presence, first threatening them with violence and then attempting to seduce Paul before coming to her senses and breaking down. Perry has a bedmate who was clearly chosen more for her body than her ability to recite dialogue, though he scene is amusing whether intentional or not! Count Yorga is a mysterious Bulgarian mystic who resides in a gated mansion in the Southern California hills. Count Yorga continues to prey on the local community while living by a nearby orphanage. So stop trying to call your lawyers, Bram Stoker's estate. Total 70's action her folks. 1970 saw Christopher Lee return as Count Dracula in not one but two Hammer entries, Before becoming a genre icon Quarry would go on to appear in, Quarry would don the cape again one year later for the studios, Pianist Bill Marx was brought on to compose the films score, arguably one of the more traditional elements in this modern vampire tale with screeching strings and creepy organs to punctuate the supernatural happening. But Quarry didnt find success until taking on the role of the dashing, dark, and deadly Count Yorga for AIP. The film ended up going before the MPAA ratings board six times before being granted the GP rating, and two or three minutes of violent and sexual content were ultimately removed by AIP. Before becoming a genre icon Quarry would go on to appear in the blaxploitation zombie revenge film SUGAR HILL, as well as several Fred Olen Ray pictures in the 80s Quarry performed in radio plays before joining the Army in 1943. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. They resign themselves to spending the night in their van. Count Yorga Vampire was made on a very small budget. [9] This plan was dropped, however, and Quarry appeared as the artificially young Dr. Biederbeck. Subscribe to DG on Patreon and get articles like this one before the rest of the world does! A couple has "The Count" (Robert Quarry) over to conduct a seance to try to contact Donna's mother. It is no mystery, due to the title of the film, that he is a vampire. Will they succeed in their intent? Directed by Kelljan, COUNT YORGA was shot independently for a budget of less than $100,000 and distributed by Samuel Z. Arkoffs American International Pictures. It later was released on DVD by MGM in 2005 as part of its Midnite Movies series. In April 1991, the film was packaged as a Laserdisc double feature (Catalog Number ID7661HB), paired with the Vincent Price horror film, Cry of the Banshee; both films were not letterboxed, but employed a full screen, pan-and-scan process. He also intends to take a new wife, while feeding his bevy of female vampires.Count Yorga continues to prey on the local community while living by a nearby orphanage. | Initially conceived as a sort of T & A horror flick, it eventually morphed into a standard horror outing, though some sexually prominent elements remain. In Los Angeles, a group of friends of Donna (Donna Anders) reunites for a sance conducted by Count Yorga (Robert Quarry) to make contact with Donna's mother, who has recently died and was having a love affair with the Yorga. Count Yorga (Robert Quarry), a vampire, comes from Bulgaria to 1970 Los Angeles and starts making a coven of beautiful female vampires. Yorga's Brides are a collection of unnamed vampire bries seen in The Return of Count Yorga, the sequel to Count Yorga, Vampire. Erica is a young and attractive woman in her age early 20's with shoulder length brunette hair, green eyes, and fair skin color. Lang becomes intrigued by Quarry, a recent transplant from Bulgaria who lives in a musty castle on a gated estate. AIP insisted that they needed an unrestricted GP rating for the film in order to get the film released into the largest possible number of theaters, most importantly drive-in theaters. This film's color palette is one aspect of this transfer I found exceptionally pleasing. Excellent too are Roger Perry and the entire cast, except for Perry's bed partner who gets more lines than she can handle. Count Yorga, Vampire (1970) Plot Showing all 4 items Jump to: Summaries (4) Summaries A couple invites a Count from Hungary, who recently immigrated to America, to conduct a seance for the woman's recently deceased mother, oblivious to the fact that he is actually a vampire. Things get spooky when a group of. Transposing the vampire legend into modern-day Los Angeles was not without its hurdles for the writers. | Marx composed quite a few exploitation scores throughout the 70s, returning for the following years sequel RETURN OF COUNT YORGA, its pseudo-sequel THE DEATHMASTER, as well as Kelljans SCREAM BLACULA, SCREAM, ACT OF VENGEANCE (aka RAPE SQUAD), and the sci-fi cheapie, THE ASTRAL FACTOR. 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