Lake of Dracula

Abounding with images of dark thunderous nights, ghostly mansions and bloody fangs, Michio Yamamoto’s “Bloodthirsty Trilogy” — three vampire movies (VAMPIRE DOLL, LAKE OF DRACULA and EVIL OF DRACULA) that share the same cast and crew— is sure to please both fans of Japanese genre cinema and gothic Hammer horror.

LAKE OF DRACULA is the most satisfying gothic spookhouse ride you’ll take this week. Akiko returns to her childhood home and reconnects with her sister. But nightmares bleed into reality as Akiko comes face-to-face with bloody fangs, shady maniacs, and her darkest fears. Fifteen years after unleashing GODZILLA, Japan’s Toho Studios gifted the world with this dream-like melding of Mario Bava’s BAY OF BLOOD and Hammer’s TASTE THE BLOOD OF DRACULA. Presented from a woman’s perspective with an overdose of psychedelic imagery, LAKE OF DRACULA is the movie equivalent of an “headphones album” — innovative, meticulous, and always mind-expanding.