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Cast:
Peter
Cushing
David
Chiang
Julie
Ege
Robin
Stewart
Szu
Shih
John
Forbes-Robertson
Action:
Liu
Chia Liang
Tan
Chia
Writer:
Don
Houghton
Producer:
Don
Houghton
Vee
King Shaw
Director:
Roy
Ward Baker
Chang
Cheh (uncredited)
Score:
  
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THE
LEGEND OF THE 7 GOLDEN VAMPIRES
AKA:
The Legend Of The Seven Golden
Vampires || 7 Brothers
Versus Dracula || 7 Brothers Of
Dracula || 7 Golden Vampires ||
Seven Golden Vampires: The Last Warning
Year:
1974 Reviewer: Phil
Mills
As
they entered the 1970s, the British-based Hammer
Film Productions found
themselves in a very difficult period as not only were running out of fresh
ways to work the classic horror icons into new adventures, but
their audiences were steadily on the decline. As a result of this, they began
to branch out into alternative genres and one such endeavour
found them joining forces with
the masterful Shaw Brothers to link the overly
familiar chills with the latest fad to hit the west - kung fu!
Legend
has it that somewhere in a small village in China, a temple is
home to seven of the most terrifying vampires to roam the
earth. Coincidentally enough, vampire expert Professor
Van Helsing (Cushing) finds himself in China giving lectures
about his previous exploits. Once his class is over, he
is approached by Hsi Ching (Chiang), a young man who claims to
know the location of the mysterious village and has proof that
the vampires exist. Therefore, in his efforts to vanquish
all evil, Van Helsing agrees to accompany Ching and his seven
brothers on a journey to seek out the vampires and destroy
them. Little do they know though that the vampires have
a new leader, one who Van Helsing has faced before and someone
who must be stopped or the innocent bloodshed will never end!
Horror
and Martial Arts are two genres that have been intertwined quite
successfully over the years but seeing as how 'The
Legend Of The 7 Golden Vampires' is a very early example, it's
no surprise to discover that it is also far from
perfect. On a particularly harsh day, I could easily
single out the film for having a very simplistic and
predictable plot, a lack of any distinguishable characters and
action that leaves a lot to be desired (most of which I will
cover in detail shortly). However, its also very easy to state a
positive case for this film as it's basically all about having
a hell of a lot of fun
along the way. Horror as a genre has often been accused
of being very one dimensional and this film is certainly that,
opting not to take the deep and meaningful path but instead,
serving up an adventure film that won't tax the brain but will
surely amuse. On the scare factor, its also relatively
lightweight (particularly by today's standards) but it's the
cheesy effects and almost Shakespearian dialogue delivery
which has cemented the Hammer horror films' place in the halls
of cult movies. In simple
terms, this is old school filmmaking that lacks the resources
or huge budgets of the blockbusters but it is still
exceptionally strong in a visual sense and never deviates from
the intention of making a film that is all about
entertainment.
Assembling a cast for a film such as this
could easily prove to be a major obstacle, primarily because
the film is shot in English which
automatically puts the Chinese actors at a disadvantage.
Thankfully though, this never becomes an issue as the majority
of the Asian actors have a solid grasp of English (particularly
David Chiang) and its the lack of depth within the
script that hurts the performances the most. Peter
Cushing is probably one of the few actors to retain his strong
reputation and aside from some rather painful "stiff
upper lip" British dialogue, he rarely puts a foot
wrong. David Chiang, who is clearly the leading Asian
star, tries his best with the material he is given but it is
always evident that he has very little to work with on the
emotional side and one has to wonder whether his main draw was
for the fight scenes. Julie Ege as the offbeat
leading lady is particularly weak, delivering noticeably stilted
dialogue and struggling with an awkward romantic subplot which
appears out of nowhere and is totally unbelievable. Similar
criticisms can also be levelled at Robin Stewart who comes
across as a spoiled womanising brat with no real charm, making
it hard to believe that he suddenly finds his head turned by
the simple Szu Shih.
Unsurprisingly, with the exception of Chiang and Cushing, most
of the stars saw their careers begin and end with 'The Legend
Of The 7 Golden Vampires'.
When
it comes to the action within the film, it's shocking to
learn that Liu Chia Liang was one of the main choreographers
as it is far from his usual high standards.
Perhaps this was due to restraints
enforced upon him by the Western producers or just that he
decided to simplify the proceedings for an audience
unfamiliar with kung fu, but either way it will disappoint
those of you hoping for a glimpse of his typically classy
action. The majority of the film's fights take place
under group circumstances which is what harms the action the
most as the camera flicks from duel to duel, never allowing
the audience to focus on the movement and it just appears as a
haze of simple punches and kicks mixed with weapon work.
Added to this, it's amusing to see that the Western actors sit
out a lot of the early action, watching it from afar like
Generals overseeing a battle from the hill tops which wreaks
of a typically British approach. It's not that these
sequences are absolutely dire in a Seagal-esque way but it is
still lacking that slick edge that we have come to expect from
both Liu Chia Liang and Shaw Brothers productions. However, the action is aided
by the horror special effects team that add to the proceedings
with some very 'Evil Dead' style antics. During the
second half of the film, the walking dead attack our heroes on
numerous occasions and the deaths of the vampires and zombies
are particularly fun and grotesque, although they do become a
little drawn out by the time the film reaches its
finale.
'The
Legend
Of The 7 Golden Vampires' is a very flawed production that doesn't exactly set the world alight
when it comes to either genre. That said though, it is
still a fun curio for fans of both studios that is worth
seeking out if you just don't expect much more than a pleasurable
but dated adventure film.
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