SHORT TAKES.....

Finally got a disc back that had been lost from my collection for some time and it was a joy to watch again. Both have been talked about here before, but not for a very long time.

COUNT YORGA VAMPIRE 1970 (MGM)...Robert Quarry stars as suave vampire Count Yorga, who preys on people in modern day California.

Yorga meets a group of young people at a seance he is conducting and then things soon start happening. One of the young women is bitten by a vampire and soon everyone starts falling victim to Yorga.

There are some very effective moments such as when Yorga stalks a young couple stranded on his property in a van, an the classic scene when one of the women named Erica is found feasting on a kitten. This is a scene that is not ever forgotten when you see it. Yorga's brides are a frightening sight to behold and nothing to be messed with.

The rest of the cast includes Roger Perry, who is also in the sequel, Michael Murphey, Marsha Jordan and Donna Anders. The narration is provided by actor George Macready whose son Michael also stars and co-produced.

Bob Kelljan effectively directs this film which once it takes off it never slows down. The ending is a twist that is welcome. If you haven't seen this film, you are missing one of the most well made horror films of the 70's. This has been slated for a Blu-ray release in October 2015.

RETURN OF COUNT YORGA 1971 (MGM)... I remember the very effective newspaper ads for this film, an it is my favorite of the two films. Quarry again stars, and he is one of the best vampires in movie history.

The opening to this is creepy as hell. A young boy is playing outside of an orphanage, and kicks his ball into a cemetery. as he rests a bevy of female vampires comes out of the ground and begin chasing the child. He runs into someone and screams. The scene then cuts to a small costume party going on inside the orphanage.

Yorag appears at the party and meets a woman named Cynthia (Mariette Hartley) whom he is very soon smitten with. She introduces him to the others including her fiancee, David Baldwin (Roger Perry).

Cynthia's entire family is killed by Yorga's brides and he makes her believe that she was in an accident thru hypnosis and that she must stay at his home.

Bob Kelljan returns as director and does another great job. The scene where Yorga kills a man played by Micheal Pataki is filmed by showing the killing thru the reflection in the water where his boat is parked. It is one of the best scenes ever to appear in a horror film.

Again, the brides are vicious and nothing to mess with, as Baldwin and two detectives soon discover when searching Yorga's mansion. Cynthia is rescued, but there is a very cool twist to this one as well.

Both films are on one disc and look very, very good. A damn good double feature worth picking up. This film has just been announced for a Blu-ray release from Shout Factory in October 2015. Recommended!!