The final installment in Hammer Studios' Dracula series is also the least interesting of the lot. A fairly direct follow-up to
Dracula A.D. 1972
, this sequel finds the Count (Christopher Lee) developing a potent strain of bubonic plague which he and his devil-worshipping disciples plan to release from 1970's London to wipe out nearly all life on earth. His efforts are challenged once again by the dedicated Dr. Van Helsing (Peter Cushing), leading to a rather uninvolving climax. Despite the always-welcome presence of Lee and Cushing, this installment plays too flagrantly with the time-honored Hammer Gothic formula, giving Dracula actual dialogue and surrounding the leads with a dull, amateurish supporting cast -- with the possible exception of Joanna Lumley (later of BBC-TV's
Absolutely Fabulous
). This also marked Lee's final performance as the Count and signaled the beginning of the end for Hammer's horror heyday. Also known as
Satanic Rites of Dracula
and
Dracula is Dead and Well and Living in London
.