Dracula A.D. 1972

'Dracula AD 1972' is, as its title suggests, an attempt by Hammer to transplant the Dracula story into the then present day. Its plot follows the resurrection of Dracula (Christopher Lee) through a satanic ritual carried out by a group of party-going youths under the charismatic spell of the evil Johnny Alucard (the hint's in the name!). Hunting down the vampiric count is a descendent of Van Helsing, played as ever by Peter Cushing.

The decision to set the story in the present day, and to have the protagonists be twenty-something revellers, suggests an attempt by the studio to make a film that appealed to a modern audience. It is a decision that brought the studio much criticism, Dracula AD 1972 being one of Hammer's least respected films.

The criticisms levelled against it are numerous - the portrayal of youth culture is out of date and out of touch, the film coming across like an embarrassing dad at a party (the scenes of revellers getting high are unintentionally hilarious). Additionally Christopher Lee is given very little screen time, the film has no effective scares or atmosphere, and the plot is absurd from start to finish.

Whilst these criticisms are valid, and whilst Dracula AD 1972 is evidence of a studio floundering in a sea of changing tastes, I have to admit to enjoying every minute of it.

So what is there to enjoy? Well, there's a cracking Victorian-era prologue, and with the reassuring prescence of Lee and Cushing, this is still a Hammer movie, and that alone is worth something. And for British viewers there's the added nostalgia value in seeing images of London in the 1970s (don't ask me why the sight of 1970s telephones and office decor is such a thrill to people of my generation, but it does).

But most of all, its depiction of '70s youth culture as Hammer saw it is so laughable that, well, you find yourself laughing a lot. The opening party scene, with its self-conscious down-with-kids reference to drug-taking, is hilarious, and the comedy continues throughout. Funniest is the scene in which the kids resurrect Dracula by playing a track by '70s prog rock band White Noise in a church. "Dig the music kids" cries Johnny Alucard, as the kids sway in satanic reverie.

Overall, approached as a source of cheesy fun (certainly don't approach it with the hope of being scared!), Dracula AD 1972 is a very entertaining movie.