Countess Dracula

Set in seventeenth-century Hungary, the film follows the widowed Countess Elisabeth Nádasdy, who is connected to the Báthory family. She comes across a method that restores her youth, but keeping it up demands a terrible price from the people around her, and the consequences are bloody. Her household, including the steward Master Fabio and the captain Dobi, becomes caught up in the countess's attempts to hold on to what she has gained, while a younger woman, Ilona, and the young man Imre Toth are drawn into the same circle.

This British production was directed by Peter Sasdy for Hammer Film Productions, following his earlier Taste the Blood of Dracula. The screenplay is by Jeremy Paul, and Alexander Paal produced. Ingrid Pitt plays the countess, with Nigel Green, Sandor Elès, Maurice Denham, Lesley-Anne Down and Patience Collier among the credited cast, roughly thirty names in all. The film runs 93 minutes and belongs to the drama and horror genres.

Released in early 1971, it has since accumulated a moderate following rather than a strong reputation. On IMDb it holds 5.9 out of 10 from about 5,400 votes, while on TMDB the average is 5.7 from far fewer ratings, around 135. Audience response is therefore middling on both, with the two scores broadly in line with each other.