BLOOD of DRACULA

Blood of Dracula is another film in the AIP line of teen horror pictures. I find it strange that they didn't include the word "teenage" in the title as they did with I Was A Teenage Werewolf and I Was A Teenage Frankenstein. I would think it would have been natural in this group of movies to call this film "I Was A Teenage Vampire". Blood of Dracula has the same theme as I Was A Teenage Werewolf - a teen with troubles is turned into a monster to satisfy an experiment by an adult who thinks they are going to save mankind. An underlying message in both of these movies, while not overt, but understood, is "Don't Trust Adults".

Blood of Dracula, like How To Make A Monster, includes only one song performance. This time with Jerry Blaine who sings "Puppy Love", which he also wrote.  Blaine previously had written "Eeny, Meeny, Miney, Mo" for the song performance in I Was A Teenage Werewolf; although he didn't have a part in that film, instead that song was performed by Ken Miller. And when I say performances, it's interesting to note that both of these songs are accompanied by a dance number. Of the two songs, I prefered "Puppy Love" with it's cute lyrics and Blaine really looked like he was enjoying the song and his performance added a lot to my own enjoyment. Sadly, these two songs and one acting appearance appear to be the complete resume of Jerry Blaine in films. Too bad, because he definitely had both talent in songwriting and acting.

At the first of Blood of Dracula, the movie appeared it was going to carry a very feminist message, which would have been a surprise for a late 50s cheapo film. The female teacher/scientist states her thesis keeps getting rejected because academia is ruled by men and they won't accept the findings of a female researcher. It's this drive to prove them wrong that compels her to experiment on the teen. Ultimately, the message (which I guess could be construed as feminist) in Blood of Dracula is a woman can be just as crazy as a man.