Count Yorga Vampire & Return of Count Yorga
by Bob Kelljan
Our Price: $36.99
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $12.49 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD details
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD details
Actor: Donna Anders, Michael Macready, Michael Murphy, Robert Quarry, Roger PerryDirector: Bob Kelljan
Brand: QUARRY,ROBERT
Producer: Michael Macready
Cinematographer: Arch Archambault
Cinematographer: Bill Butler
Writer: Bob Kelljan
Editor: Fabien D. Tordjmann
Editor: Laurette Odney
Writer: Yvonne Wilder
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
DVD Release Date: 2005-02-15
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
DVD Reviews of Count Yorga Vampire & Return of Count Yorga
DVD Review: Two worthwhile Robert Quarry films on one DVD
Summary: 4 Stars
Count Yorga, Vampire (1970)
Written and directed by Bob Kelljan (The Return of Count Yorga, Scream Blacula Scream), Count Yorga, Vampire (1970), aka The Loves of Count Iorga (not a misspelling) stars Robert Quarry (Madhouse, Rollercoaster), Roger Perry (Roller Boogie), and Michael Murphy (Cloak & Dagger). Also appearing is Michael Macready (Terror House), Edward Walsh (Hard Times, Let It Ride), and George Macready, as the narrator (he actually appears in the sequel in a memorable scene as an oddball professor).
After some expository sequences, we go to a séance in progress, being conducted by Count Yorga, who, if you're familiar with the title of the movie, is a vampire. He ends up secretly putting the whammy on one of the women present, and then gets a ride home from a couple in their VW minibus...I have to say, it was kind of funny seeing this young couple and the aristocratic, sophisticated Count crammed into the front bench seat of a minibus. Anyway, the couple drops the Count off after declining his offer to come into his home, and they get stuck in some mud along the Count's long driveway. This starts a five-minute discussion about mud. Where did the mud come from? How did we miss it come in? How come the rest of the ground is dry? Blah, blah, blah...it's scenes like this that really dragged this movie down. I guess, among the Count's other supernatural powers, creating wind and lighting, manipulating objects with his mind, mind control over animals and humans, super natural strength, he can also create mud. As the movie progresses, the Count takes a couple of women (Count Yorga needs women!) in the way vampires do, and the men begin to suspect something is wrong, and whatever it is, it's directly linked to Count Yorga. They start throwing around the theory of vampirism, with some willing to believe once offered proof, while others refuse to accept even the possibility as they think the idea is purely a work of fiction. After much goofy dialogue, two of the men decide to take matters into their own hands and try to sneak into the castle and convince themselves that Count Yorga is a vampire. They take along a female character, as they fear to leave her alone (great idea, take her into the lair of a suspected vampire). If they are able to confirm that Count Yorga is a vampire, they intend to kill him, and their friends who have been turned, as there is no cure for bloodsucking other than a wooden stake in the heart...the last twenty minutes or so things the pace picks up pretty well, as the two men confront Count Yorga and his brides from hell. And how could I write a review about this movie without mentioning Brudah, the Count's mostly mute, brutish servant? Oh man, he is good for a few laughs...he walks around the entire movie looking like a transported cavemen in a bad sport coat and tie. I kept injecting my own lines for poor Brudah when he had none...I imagined when he spoke, each sentence would be preceded by his own name..."Brudah want woman"..."Brudah drive car"..."Brudah need shave"....
The dialog throughout the movie is rather clunky but oddly realistic at times. The actor playing Count Yorga, Robert Quarry, was the highlight of the movie, really getting into the part creating a truly believable and scary character. I vaguely recognized him, but then remembered seeing him in Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972). The direction was decent, but got annoying at times, especially during scenes with conversation, as the director would make many needless cuts back and forth between characters, sometimes showing the back of a character who was speaking... there was some blood and one scene in particular, with a cat, that was pretty ugly. The one actor most will probably recognize in this film is Michael Murphy, who played the mayor in Batman Returns (1992) and has been in a few Woody Allen movies like Manhattan (1979) and The Front (1976). All in all, I thought this was a very decent, low budget affair, much better than I would have expected.
The Return of Count Yorga (1971)
I guess we shouldn't have counted this Count out after the pervious film...you can always `count' on the Count to make a comeback...the Count was counted, but not counted out...okay, I suppose that's enough...as most of us probably know, vampires are among one of the most difficult creatures in Hollywood to destroy, and even then there's no guarantee they won't find some way to return...especially if there's money to be made...co-written and directed by Bob Kelljan (Count Yorga, Vampire, Scream Blacula Scream), the film stars Robert Quarry (Agent for H.A.R.M., Deathmaster), reprising his role, and a young Mariette Hartley (Marnie, Marooned). Also appearing is Roger Perry, who appeared in the first movie, but as a different character, Yvonne Wilder (Seems Like Old Times), Tom Toner (Splash), Rudy De Luca (High Anxiety), George Macready (Tora! Tora! Tora!), Edward Walsh (Count Yorga, Vampire), and Craig T. Nelson (Stir Crazy, Poltergeist) in his silver screen debut.
So what's the story? Well, after two and a half minutes of credits overlaid on a montage consisting on viewing various rooms in a large house (including a coffin room) we meet Cynthia (Hartley) a young woman who works at an orphanage near her family's residence in the remote northern California countryside. After scenes of something stirring from the ground in nearby cemetery, we then go to the orphanage where a costume ball/fundraiser is occurring, and we get to meet Cynthia's family (don't get used to them), along with her fiancé David (Perry). Count Yorga (Quarry) crashes the party and finds himself enamored with Cynthia, so much so he pretty much kidnaps her later on, after having his minions deal with her family, and spirits her off to his spacious abode, where he puts some sort of mind whammy on her so that she'll forget what just happened. From here David becomes suspicious at the disappearance of Cynthia and her family, begins investigating, getting the police involved, specifically two detectives played by De Luca and Nelson, who've been investigating a recent spate of brutal murders involving throats being torn out. Initially they're all a bit skeptical, but they soon learn the vampire's greatest weapon is the generally held belief that they don't exist...
I thought The Return of Count Yorga was a very decent film...it didn't really seem like a continuation from the first film, but more like an `ongoing adventures' kind of thing. The main reason to watch this, as with the first, is for Robert Quarry. The man has a real charismatic onscreen presence, and delivers his lines in the manner of a classically trained actor, with a lot less pomposity, and is just entertaining to watch. One of my favorite scenes is near the beginning, when Yorga meets everyone at the costume ball, him showing up in his `Countly' gear and replying in an appropriately sophisticated manner to some of the more crass individuals. Yorga seems to have dropped the slightly hippish clothing from the last film adopting a more loungish attire, including a red velour tuxedo complete with matching bow tie...stylin'! (never fear, as he still dons the cape) This sequel also brings back the Count's disfigured manservant Brudah (Walsh), who's also looking quite dapper in his dirt brown double breasted suit, perfect attire for dealing with trespassers or disposing bodies in the swampy bog behind the house...and speaking of the house, Yorga's crib is large and spacious, but the pool needs a little work. Overall the story is on the slow side during the first half, but does pick up later on, building to a climatic ending. Some other great parts to keep an eye out for are the scenes involving the detectives in Yorga's house, and when Yorga attacks...
Both these films, on one dual sided DVD, are presented in very good-looking anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) and feature clean Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono audio tracks. Special features are limited to a theatrical trailer for each film. Now that Sony has bought up the MGM catalog, the fate of Midnite Movies seems uncertain. I hope they continue on releasing these lesser known films in this economical `twofer' format, as I will keep buying them.
Cookieman108
Description of Count Yorga Vampire & Return of Count Yorga
No Description Available.Genre: Horror
Rating: UN
Release Date: 15-FEB-2005
Media Type: DVD
Bestsellers in DVD
![The Story of Jeremiah [VHS] Image](/images/noimg.gif)
The Story of Jeremiah [VHS]Vision Video; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Wresting With God [VHS]by Vision Video
Vision Video; Published: 1990-10-01; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops:
Study Bible Video with Workbook [VHS]Spring Arbor Distributors; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $7.95
Price in other shops:
Tempo:Childrens TV Favourites Video [VHS]HarperCollins Audio; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $9.17
Price in other shops:
Tempo.Herbs:Parseley'Sb/ Party Video [VHS]HarperCollins Audio; VHS Tape; VHS Video
![Strike the Original Match [VHS] Image](/images/Strike-the-Original-Match-VHS-0001374079-X.jpg)
Strike the Original Match [VHS]New Liberty Films; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops:
![Medjugorje The Miracles and the Message [VHS] Image](/images/Medjugorje-The-Miracles-and-the-Message-VHS-0001373293-X.jpg)
Medjugorje The Miracles and the Message [VHS]JPN Film Production; Release date: 1995-12-15; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $29.99
Mayo Clinic Echocardiography Review Course for Boards and Recertification DVD 2008by Mayo
DVD
Price in other shops:
Pediatric Diagnostic Imaging DVD: Single Userby Oakstone
DVD
Price in other shops:
Cost Accounting [VHS]by Charles T. Horngren, George Foster, Srikant M. Datar, Howard Teall
Pearson Canada, Toronto; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Similar DVDs, VHS Video, Audio CDs
Jess Franco's Count Dracula (Special Edition)MPI; Release date: 2007-02-27; DVD
Best price: $5.43
Price in other shops:
The Revenge of FrankensteinSony Pictures Home ENT; Release date: 2002-08-13; DVD
Best price: $4.91
Price in other shops:
The Return of Dracula/ The VampireSony; Release date: 2007-09-11; DVD
Best price: $4.27
Price in other shops:
Draculas: 4 Film Favorites (Horror of Dracula / Dracula Has Risen from the Grave / Taste the Blood of Dracula / Dracula A.D. 1972)Warner Brothers; Release date: 2007-11-06; DVD
Best price: $7.04
Price in other shops:
Hammer Horror Series (Brides of Dracula / Curse of the Werewolf / Phantom of the Opera (1962) / Paranoiac / Kiss of the Vampire / Nightmare / Night Creatures / Evil of Frankenstein)UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAIN.; Release date: 2005-09-06; DVD
Best price: $18.97
Price in other shops:
The Abominable Dr. Phibes/ Dr. Phibes Rises Again!Sony; Release date: 2005-02-15; DVD
Best price: $7.25
Price in other shops:
Curse of the Demon / Night of the DemonANDREWS,DANA; Release date: 2002-08-13; DVD
Best price: $8.05
Price in other shops:
The Dunwich HorrorRelease date: 2001-08-28; DVD
Best price: $1.97
Price in other shops:
GargoylesHTV; Release date: 2011-05-17; DVD
Best price: $13.34
Price in other shops:
Countess Dracula / The Vampire LoversSony; Release date: 2003-08-26; DVD
Best price: $26.99