Cast:
Robert Quarry (Count Yorga), Roger Perry (Dr. James "Jim" Hayes), Michael Murphy (Paul), Michael Macready (Michael "Mike" Thompson), Donna Anderson (Donna), Judy Lang (Erica Landers), Edward Walsh (Brudah), Julie Conners (Cleo), Paul Hansen (Peter), and Sybil Scotford (Judy) Written and Directed by Bob Kelljan.
Admittedly, you really could make a vampire movie out of any half-baked idea if you have enough luck involved. Michael Macready was a producer that wanted to make a movie with Bob Kelljan on the cheap in softcore horror, tentatively calling their movie "The Loves of Count Iorga"; Kelljan had made his debut as a director with the skin flick Flesh of My Flesh (1969), which he starred and co-produced with Macready. They asked Robert Quarry about possibly doing their softcore movie. He had done a handful of features in either small or uncredited nature while in a small theater group that happened to include Macready. Quarry wanted to do a "straight horror movie", although they compromised and shot a few scenes that could be used as softcore if the film wasn't going well. His recollections of the film stated that there were just four crewmembers and a budget of just under $100,000 (he shot the film in the night while shooting a small part in WUSA [1970] in the day). The result, as distributed by American International Pictures (who made the suggestion to go with "Yorga" for easier pronunciation) was a hit. A sequel came up immediately with The Return of Count Yorga, which was directed and written by Kelljan. Quarry wanted to do a third film (apparently wanting to do one where he is broken and recovering in the sewers); The Deathmaster (1973) sometimes gets confused as related to Count Yorga due to its killer vampire (now a hippie), complete with AIP promoting the movie with similar beats to Yorga. As for Kelljan, he directed three further films (Scream Blacula Scream, Act of Vengeance, Black Oak Conspiracy) before going on to direct in television prior to his death in 1982; the rights for any Yorga film lapsed to Macready, who Quarry did not want to work with.
While Quarry did not become a grand star of stature with AIP (who due to Yorga had him for a contract with ideas of succeeding Vincent Price as their guy) due to their fading status in horror, he was quite happy with his experiences making the Yorga films and recollected his experiences often prior to his death in 2009. You don't have that many vampire movies set in its current day for that era, unless you want to dig in for films such as The Return of the Vampire, The Return of Dracula or The Vampire. It does prove to be a slick little movie, one that benefits from its modern setting with the sinister elegance leading the way from Quarry. It isn't often you get to see a séance lead off a movie (after narration from George Macready, son of Michael), that much is for sure. Quarry plays off the title role as a mystic that glides from scene to scene for a movie that is sometimes offbeat and sometimes funny for 93 minutes. This works out for better or worse because of the fact that the rest of the actors are only mildly interesting to begin with, unless you count Walsh playing a murky-looking heavy. The folks get into the vampire belief schtick a bit early, which is somewhat amusing. Some of the time you can tell where the budget ends and where the soft stuff could play out (particularly with one bit involving two ladies), but at least it isn't too skimpy on the weird nature of vampire-people relations. The ending is at least interesting for where exactly it ends up even with the usual "sure, the threat is dead..." bit, mainly because it ends on a freeze-frame that actually seems earned for once. In general, it might be an average horror film by the usual merits one would approach the genre, but it is generally involving enough to win out with a suitable enough lead presence and some interesting moments of blood to make one at least be curious to inquire further with Quarry and company.
Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.
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