Disco Drácula

This is one of two films released in 1979 that attempted to combine vampires and disco (the other being the German sex comedy "Dracula Blows his Cool"). I actually don't know why there weren't even more films than this since disco and vampires have a lot in common (i.e. they both suck). This one was produced by and stars Nai Bonet, who made quite an impression belly-dancing naked while rubbing oil all over herself in Charles Band's sexpoitation/musical "Fairy Tales". Bonet was kind of more voluptuous version of 70's sex star Laura Gemser, but she really made the latter look like Meryl Streep when it came to acting. (To be fair though Bonet is acting here in what is obviously her second language while Gemser had the advantage of being dubbed). Once again, Bonet has some nice nude scenes in this movie, but I would strongly recommend turning the sound down during them because the music is SO bad it might end up like the "Clockwork Orange" Ludvico technique where ever afterward the sight of beautiful naked women will remind you of this music and make you violently ill.

Then there's the disco dancing. There's WAY too much of that here. There's also very little blood and gore, and the special effects are so bad they pass good several times before finally alighting back on bad. Oh yeah, then there's the "plot". Bonet plays Nocturna, an ancient bloodsucker and "grandaughter of Dracula", who comes to New York City from Transylvania, falls in love with a mortal man, and loses the urge to kill (which is odd because the blonde male douchebag playing her boyfriend greatly INCREASED my urge to kill).

The real saving grace of this movie though is the supporting cast. John Carradine doesn't give one his better performances as Nocturna's grandfather (aka Dracula), but he certainly doesn't embarrass himself either like he did in "Vampire Hookers" that same year. And speaking of vampire hookers, Sy Richardson has pretty good cameo as a vampire pimp whose stable of sexy vampire hookers serve him the blood of their johns in wine glasses. Yvonne DeCarlo has a rather pointless role as an older female vampire who give Nocturna tips on surviving in the big city, but she's not bad. The best by far though is Brother Theodore who plays Nocturna's manservant, who is madly in lust with his mistress. His inimitable scenery-chewing monolgues are definitely the closest this movie comes to genuine hilarity. This is certainly not good, but it's pretty hard to totally dislike.

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...

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.

Amazingly, Media Entertainment DID release NOCTURNA to home video one time in 1982 as a rental-only item: at the time the tape would have set a store back about $145 ... I found one for about fifty, but I collect these things like old men collect stamps & am a nut. There are some underground outlets that will have recordings of it for about $15 - $20, though do not expect surround sound quality audio, and yes there are probably people who would want this movie just for the musical angle: other than the soundtrack from the film some of these songs may be utterly unavailable, and one or two are performed live on camera.

And I delightfully agree with all of the other commentors: this is a film that could easily be re-discovered & made into an instant Midnight Movies circuit hit. The soundtrack is a disco lovers dream come true, with some interesting jams you won't find on those Rhino Records CD sets with Disco Hits of the 70's; this stuff was pretty much made for the film, and as such is the reason why the film went out of print almost immediately: Royalty issues. There are acts from like three different record lables on the soundtrack and that leads to legality issues when re-releases are sought -- the copyrights for the songs may be unattainable for licensing, a problem with a number of favorites [LET'S SCARE JESSICA TO DEATH & TERROR TRAIN being the most well known examples] that are long overdue for re-examination by the culture which spawned them.

Tis a shame: this is one of the few really watchable fangers from this period of time. VAMPIRE HOOKERS is what those schooled in the genre usually think of when you mention late 70's, and while his rheumatism may have gotten worse, the great John Carradine nicely makes up for his role in that debacle with his few scenes. Nai Bonei is of course a marvel to behold, and yes, her bathtub & subsequent scented oiling is reason in itself to seek this one out, though I am drawn to the color & lighting schemes, which have a very "NYC" look to them. Nai also smokes a joint, by the way, and it is odd how the way drug use in movies have changed since 1979: she is actually allowed to enjoy it. Imagne that!

I dunno about the disco dancing segments though: I would have been all of 12 in 1979 and never "got" disco. Unlike the clubbing we know these days, disco was a whole subculture, more like the modern country movement, with specific choreography for specific dances or moves that of course look silly, but are presented with such a tunneled vision that the film becomes about 1979, not just made in 1979, and one of the things that I like to look for in Vampiralia is seeing the conventions & trappnigs of the genre re-defined, and if it took disco dancing vampires to do it for 1979 well whatever.

NOCTURNA may be silly, but is FAR more watchable than that wretched DRACULA with Frank Langella, made the same year, or the excereble VAMPIRE HOOKERS with it's flatulence jokes, gay jokes, Filipino jokes and John Carradine in a white Ugly American silk suit. I'll take the bell bottomed vampires over that junk anyday. Hell some of them a brothers too, and soul food vampires sounds like a pretty cool idea, as long as we're remaking STARSKY & HUTCH and all. I wish more time had been spent on Nocturna's vampirism and less on her quest to find a really good party to dance at, but girls will be girls, and while narcissitic to say the least, Nai Bonei does appear to know how to have a good time, and I always liked girls who liked to party. Especially when they willingly strip down to their bikini's for an attention grabber.

Expect whatever recording you find of NOCTURNA to have some wear just before & after Nai's bath scene; it really is somethin' else, and I've sat through a lot of this stuff. For something to evoke that kind of a reaction from a mind as rotted by filth as mine is remarkable. Worth every penny of my $50 bucks.

*** out of a possible ****