ThiefHott Too much of everything

Jenna Walter The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Billie Morin This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

Ortiz Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Nigel P Being a dog owner is not the first thing you would associate with Count Dracula. Indeed, it would be tempting to imagine this film to be a parody. But not only does it take itself seriously, it makes a convincing case for a vampire/canine partnership.Beginning during excavations of a Romanian crypt, Russian soldiers uncover a tomb containing coffins belonging to Dracula's family. A soldier unknowingly removes the stake (why do people in films do that?) from one corpse and Zoltan leaps out from under the wrappings. Soon, we are treated to a flashback in which the dog is bitten by Dracula in bat form that causes the creature's vampirism, and against the odds, the resultant scenes are very successful – real bats are used, which helps to convince.Zoltan, his eyes glowing eerie yellow, kills the soldier and retrieves Veidt Smith (Reggie Nalder, who also plays the vampire Barlow in 'Salem's Lot' a year later), former innkeeper, now vampire slave. Nalder plays Smith very well, an echo effect applied to his voice, which gives him an ethereal effect. Before Dracula himself can be revived, further blasting necessitates the escape of man and dog. As Smith states, 'Now Zoltan, we must find our new master …' This he does, and locates the family of Michael Drake, last descendant of The Count (despite having two children); Nalder is then reduced to staring moodily ahead and saying 'Soon, Zoltan, soon …' without much else, other than looking haunted, which he does with great effect. Drake sees Dracula in old family photos, which shows a surprising lapse in vampire lore.So spectral are Nalder and the hound, they often overshadow other cast-members, including Jose Ferrer as Inspector Branco, a sub-Van Helsing type as well as Michael Pataki as Drake (as well as doubling for Dracula in brief scenes) and his family. The family are extremely appealing and escape the bratty interpretations juveniles can sometimes bring. The inclusion of their own dogs, especially the puppy, adds to their endearing qualities (the puppy's death is a genuinely sad moment – we are all effected by mistreated animals, aren't we?).Sometimes, requiring animals to 'act' can result in awkward-looking scenes. That only very occasionally happens here - and the creature playing Zoltan is a magnificent looking Doberman, especially with moonlight glinting off his sleek fur. The various dog attacks are pretty well staged, especially when Drake recognises his own vampirised dog among their number.'Zoltan, Hound of Dracula' doesn't garner massively positive reviews. This may be due to its low budget, or viewers unable to take seriously the central premise. And yet I found it enjoyable and sincere in a way many bigger productions are not.Just as Andrew Belling's haunting, minimalist score runs into the credits, we are offered the probability that the story isn't quite over. And if your heart doesn't melt when you see the family's undead puppy with glowing moonlit eyes, then chances are, you have no soul.'There's More To The Legend Than Meets ... The Throat!'

BA_Harrison An extremely dumb soldier guarding an ancient Romanian tomb removes the wooden stake piercing the body of Zoltan, canine companion of Count Dracula, thereby bringing the malevolent mutt back to life. After killing the soldier, the pointy-toothed pooch revives his half-vampire master Veidt Smith (Reggie Nalder) and together they go in search of the last adult descendant of Dracula: Michael Drake of California, USA, who has just set off on a two week camping trip with his wife and children, a pair of German Shepherds, and their adorable puppies.Zoltan: Hound of Dracula is every bit as silly and as terrible as the laughable title and above synopsis suggests; but while it might sound like a horror comedy, everything in this film is played absolutely straight, making it one of the most ill-conceived attempts at a scary movie I have ever seen. Dog flashbacks, a vampire puppy, repeated gratuitous close-ups of Nalder's 'unique' visage, snarling dogs sporting plastic fangs, animal actors easily out-performing their human co-stars: this one is utter nonsense from start to finish, with just the occasional unintentional laugh to relieve the boredom (I had to giggle at how irresponsible Michael and his wife were, both as pet owners and as parents, and the film's closing shot—I won't say what it is—is absolutely priceless!).

FlashCallahan Russian soldiers accidentally unleash the servant of Dracula, as well as his dog, during excavations of Romania. Together, they set out for America, to find the last descendant of the great Count...I had heard that the film was poor, but sometimes you just want to watch a bad film, to have a laugh and forget about the world, right?But this is just puerile, from the weird old bloke pouting with a torch under his head every time the titular dog attacks, to the actual dog with his lit up eyes, it's pretty dreadful stuff.The plot is weak, the performances are dreck, and what should be funny ends up as boring as hell.When you start to wonder how on earth they got the fangs on the dog, or the fact that they must have buried that puppy in order for it to climb out of the ground, your in trouble.Ferrer tries to add a little gravitas, but the clothes he wars just cannot be taken seriously, and also according to the film makers, everyone who goes camping in a tent, sleeps outside.It's awful stuff, not even worth it for the curiosity factor, and the ending promised a sequel. Well, 34 years down the line, it's doubtful.Good.

BaronBl00d Cheaply made horror film from the 70's that is surprisingly better than you might initially expect. The film opens in Romania as soldiers uncover the underground tomb of the Dracula family. A soldier pulls the stake out of a puffy sheet in an opened casket and is soon bit to death by a giant of a hound(A Great Dane I believe). This is Zoltan and he soon pulls the stake out of his master - not Dracula but his servant - and the two begin a trek to the United States to turn the last surviving family member into their undead master. On the heels of these two is Inspector Branco who is well-versed in vampirism and folklore. Anyway, the two follow the Drake family to the woods where they camp and soon all hell breaks out as Zoltan begins to infect all the canines around. The plot sounds ridiculous - and it is, but it strangely works as reasonable entertainment. The actors are all decent with Jose Ferrer lending cachet and clout as Branco. He does a fine job bringing some much needed credibility, though I must confess seeing him drive in a convertible in black slacks, a black turtleneck, and a black beret is something not to be missed. The odd servant is played by none other than Reggie Nalder who just looks evil and up to no good. Throughout the movie he commands Zoltan telepathically. The rest of the cast is serviceable as well. Michael Pataki is believable as the last member of Castle Dracula and even plays the count in a flashback sequence. The dogs do a good job and the director Albert Band, despite a lack of any sizable budget and some real poor lighting, creates just enough suspense and tension to keep this dubious project somewhat afloat. Don't expect any real scares, but there are a few scenes that are well-shot: the dogs attacking the small rented cottage and the dogs attacking the car are just a couple to mention. I saw the denouement coming early in the picture, but is was pretty neat any way. The special effects are nothing really more than the eyes of the vampiric dogs glowing. A fun, bad film from the only decade where something like this could and would have been made.