Unsichtbare Dämonen - Draculas erotische Abenteuer

Supremely trashy 'disco vampire' film. Worth watching for Nai Bonet's bathroom scene - UNBELIEVABLE! Since she wrote this one, it's narcissism of the highest order. You won't believe your eyes!!! Also worth watching for that great disco band.

NOCTURNA stars the ubiquitous John Carradine as Count Dracula. He's ancient, wearing false fangs now, and being cared for by his Granddaughter Nocturna (Nai Bonet). Drac's castle has been turned into a hotel.

This is obviously meant to be a comedy, but the godawful "acting" and humorless "jokes" sink this movie fast. Also, since it came out in 1979, it's filled to the gills with bubblegum disco music! This is especially annoying when it blares during the simulated "love" scenes.

Nocturna herself is a definite dancing queen. Disco fans will flip over her blazing moves! It's too bad that Ms. Bonet can't act at all, or she'd be perfect. However, her clothing does tend to fly off at regular intervals, including the "heavenly bubble bath" and "oil is my friend" sequences.

"Brother" Theodore Gottlieb is a perverted riot as the horny / creepy desk clerk. Watch for Yvonne de Carlo as Nocturna's friend Jugulia Vein. She's excellent and looks fantastic. She's the only other reason to watch this silly movie...

Recently stumbled across an old copy of this film at my local video store. The quality of the video was appalling, which was quite appropriate, given how bad the rest of the film is. The acting's atrocious, the humour weak and obvious, and the plot threadbare. I was also dismayed by the over- emphasis on Nai Bonet's naked body. Not that I mind nudity, but there was very little to distinguish parts of this film from excerpts taken from traditional, sexist, male-directed porn.

The only redeeming feature of this film is the wonderfully kitsch performances by the disco group, and the kitsch- dreamy nature of some scenes. Was also good to see John Carradine, a brilliant actor whose strained facial expressions seem to suggest he knew the limited quality of the material he was working with.

My review was written in October 1983 after viewing the film on a Media Home Entertainment video cassette.

Made in 1978 and released the following year by Compass Pictures International, "Nocturna" is an oddball vampire comedy in home video distribution. Designed as a vanity production for dancer-actress-producer Nai Bonet, picture never hits its stride, though there are amusing moments.

As with several other horror comedies of its period, especially the hit "Love at First Bite", "Nocturna" capitalizes on the swing in fashions which made decadence and "evil" part of the disco/nightlife scene. Nai Bonet toplines as Nocturna, granddaughter of Count Dracula (John Carradine), who at age 126 is last in the family line. She falls in love with rock guitarist Jimmy (Tony Hamilton) and leaves Transylvania to be with him on tour in New York Film's romantic theme is that Nocturna can become a human by sharing a mortal's love. Main emphasis is on comedy and music, however, with many numbers allowing Bonet to display her body and brand of belly-dancing adapted to disco.

Director Harry Hurwitz (using the nom-de-film Harry Tampa he's also adopted on exploitation assignments) provides some laughs, with stand-up comic Adam Keefe reprising his Boris Karloff vocal impression and Brother Theodore commiting to celluloid snippets of his funny "angry at the world" monologs.

John Carradine's old-age version of the Count is a throwaway, as is Yvonne de Carlo's turn at a different vampire styling than she used in tv's "The Munsters".

Bonet is a sexy vamp, with plenty of skin footage for her fans, but her flat dialog readings are amateurish. Best scene for her, which indicates a better film could have been built, has Nocturna strolling down the tough streets of Manhattan at night, bubbling "I love it" to what appear to be real-life extras (derelicts, etc.).

The allure and inverted glamour of the sleazier aspects of the BIg Apple is viable subject matter for filming, heretofore left to the domain of unwatchable punk-new wave features and cornball drugs-prostitution exposes.

It's a shame this movie never made it to video. Hell, you never even see it on cable! I remember seeing it at a drive-in in the summer of '79 and thinking it was great cheesy fun. If they released it on video today, it would be seen as a lost campy relic of the disco/drive-in age. It's hampered somewhat by an extremely low budget (check out those groovy cartoon transformation effects) and a few dry stretches here and there, but there's plenty of gratuitous nudity and sex (Nai Bonet may not be a great actress but she is NOT shy about showing off her terrific body!) and the script is occasionally inspired, with some great one-liners. John Carradine as an aging Dracula is a particular hoot! Worthy of cult status.