Blood for Dracula
A sickly aristocratic vampire hunts for virgin blood in Italy, only to find a grotesque household where erotic deception and class revolt turn gothic horror into outrageous camp.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Graphic
- campy
- grotesque
- sardonic
- cult movie night
- halloween viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly recognized the film's striking production design, photography, and comic potential while finding its deliberately sickening Grand Guignol excess divisive.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Udo Kier's feverish Dracula performance and the film's grotesque finale turn vampire horror into flamboyant black comedy.
Dracula and the Di Fiore household are portrayed through sexual corruption, entitlement, and parasitic class relations.
Dracula travels to Italy seeking virgin blood, while the daughters' claims of purity become a source of deception and danger.
The production design and photography create an aesthetically elaborate, theatrical setting for the vampire's decline.
Films like Blood for Dracula, and why
Flesh for Frankenstein
campy vampire horror, erotic provocation, and deliberately excessive splatter
Daughters of Darkness
stylized vampire mythology, queer subtext, and decadent gothic atmosphere
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
blackly comic horror, grotesque bodily imagery, and transgressive sexuality
What We Do in the Shadows
camp horror parody with heightened performances and macabre humor
Movie Details
- Director
- Paul Morrissey
- Release Date
- 1974-08-13
- Runtime
- 103 min
- Rating
- 5.7 / 10 (191)
Cast
- Udo Kier
- Joe Dallesandro
- Vittorio De Sica
- Maxime McKendry
- Arno Jürging
- Milena Vukotić
- Dominique Darel
- Stefania Casini
- Silvia Dionisio
- Roman Polanski
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+, Criterion Channel, Night Flight Plus, Shudder Amazon Channel, Eternal Family, Shudder Apple TV channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Blood for Dracula about?
- A sickly aristocratic vampire hunts for virgin blood in Italy, only to find a grotesque household where erotic deception and class revolt turn gothic horror into outrageous camp.
- What is Blood for Dracula like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Blood for Dracula as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Blood for Dracula violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Blood for Dracula as graphic.
- What did critics think of Blood for Dracula?
- Critics broadly recognized the film's striking production design, photography, and comic potential while finding its deliberately sickening Grand Guignol excess divisive.
- Which films are like Blood for Dracula?
- Films with a similar feel include Flesh for Frankenstein, Daughters of Darkness, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and What We Do in the Shadows.
- How long is Blood for Dracula?
- Blood for Dracula runs 103 minutes.
- Where can I watch Blood for Dracula?
- In United States, Blood for Dracula streams on Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+, Criterion Channel, Night Flight Plus, Shudder Amazon Channel, Eternal Family, Shudder Apple TV channel.
