The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires
- Peter Cushing: Prof. Van Helsing
- Shen Chan Kah
- John Forbes - Robertson: Count Dracula
- David Chiang: Hsi Ching
- Julie Ege: Vanessa Buren
- Robin Stewart: Leyland Van Helsing
- Shih Szu May Kwei
- Robert Hanna: British Consul
- Chen Shen: Kah
- James Ma Hsi Ta
The 7 Golden Vampires is a horror film by the British film production hammer from the year 1974. The director Roy Ward Baker and took over the main role was played by Peter Cushing. Hammer tried here, the Dracula series again to give a new direction, the action was transferred to the Far East and martial arts fighting techniques were fitted.
The tagline was, " The first kung fu horror thriller ".
Action
Transylvania in 1804. Kah, the High Priest of the Order of the Seven Golden Vampires, travels through the Carpathian Mountains to the tomb of Count Dracula. The prince of vampires is caught here and ekes out his unworthy existence. Kah offers him a deal started to free him if he helps him to help the Order to its former greatness and power. Dracula, however, has other plans and takes hold Kahs body. With this new body, and thus no longer bound by his mausoleum, he travels to China and begins with the seven golden vampires a new reign of terror.
In the Far East in 1904., The expert on the occult Professor Van Helsing is with his son Leyland at a seminar in Chongqing. He stops at the local university, a reading of the vampire myth in China and among other things told by the legend of the seven golden vampires. But it does not take him seriously, so he reaps only scorn and derision. Only the student Hsi Ching believes him. The young man is the great-grandson of the only man to whom ever managed to destroy one of the golden vampires. Since then, one hundred years have passed, but still his home village for this crime will be punished. Again and again fall all the golden vampires, half-rotted creatures with golden masks and amulets, over the village and kidnap the most beautiful virgins in order to feed on them.
Van Helsing and his son agree to help and can use smashed by Ching's siblings, all of whom have mastered the art of Kung- Fu, the cult of the Seven Golden Vampires, the professor eventually his old nemesis, Count Dracula, face faces to face. After a final showdown succeeds Van Helsing, the prince of vampires to drive a silver spear through the heart and thus to destroy him once and for all.
Reviews
- Lexicon of international film: "horror à la hammer strikes Kung Fu à la Shaw Brothers - European and Asian popular cinema in an eccentric mix. "
- Cinema: " The legendary Hammer studios were already on the decline when they came up with the great idea to cross vampire horror with martial arts. Unfortunately, the result is so half-baked that no cult might come up. "
- Allen Eyles / Robert Adkinson / Nicholas Fry: The House of Horror " are impaled Apart from a well-done sequence in which David Chiang and a lusty female vampire from the same peg, the battle scenes between Chinese villagers and the scrubby western vampires, neither Kung are Fu nor convincing. Not even Peter Cushing in his usual role as Van Helsing, the gap between the hammer and Hong Kong could be bridged. Somewhere east of Malaysia [ ... ] goes by Dracula at sunrise. For Hammer, however, the sun went down. "
Others
- Hammer tried to link in this film elements of classic gothic horror with more and more coming into fashion martial arts movies from Hong Kong.
- Christopher Lee was offered the role of Count Dracula again. However, he refused, after he read the script. Instead committed Hammer John Forbes - Robertson for the Part Peter Cushing played here for the last time the character of Van Helsing.
- The era of Hammer Productions declined in 1974 to an end. The film "The 7 Golden Vampires " should only be two more Hammer movies followed before the gates of the production company closed permanently.