Count Yorga had a mythical status in my house when I was growing up. My mother had and probably still has a fear of Count Yorga and his vampire brides. Mind you, she’ll watch Alien, The Shining, and most other movies without issue, but somehow this was the character that inspired her nightmares.
This was all before the internet and IMDB, and having seen the movie mixed in with other horror movies during drive-in marathons, she was under the impression that there were six or so Count Yorga movies out there. For a while, I hunted for these additional movies and while I was saddened to find that there were only two official “Count Yorga” movies, the search allowed me to find another vampire movie with Robert Quarry, Deathmaster, along with other horror films he starred in.
Released in 1970 by American International Pictures, Count Yorga was originally planned to be an adult film titled The Loves of Count Iorga. It was only after Robert Quarry came along that the movie was changed to a regular horror film.
What separated Count Yorga from Christopher Lee’s Hammer Dracula films released around the same time were that all of the Hammer Dracula films up to 1970 had been period pieces and Count Yorga was set in modern times. This was a big deal because, just like now, everyone has their preference to movie time periods, and horror fans were happy to see a Dracula-like vampire set in the present day.
Being a vampire in 1970 isn't easy and Count Yorga starts with the count playing the role of a medium and performing séances to find his female victims. It isn’t long before the group of friends at the séance start getting picked off, one by one. Thankfully, these are characters that are familiar with vampire mythology, as well as the fact that vampire movies exist and quickly realize what is going on.
The main protagonist is Dr. Hayes, played by Roger Perry, who must use his knowledge of vampire lore to rescue his friends and stop Count Yorga. Although he has dozens of television credits, I’m sure that Star Trek fans will instantly recognize him as Captain John Christopher in the famous time traveling episode Tomorrow is Yesterday.
Unfortunately, Count Yorga isn’t the only vampire that needs to be stopped as his vampire brides are just as terrifying, if not more so, than the count himself. Of course, to find out what happens you’ll have to check out this film for yourself.
If you enjoy classic vampire films, AIP films of the 60’s and 70’s, or drive-in horror movies, this is a movie for you. It isn’t a great film, but it’s great drive-in horror and fun to watch.
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