The Return of Count Yorga

1971

1h 37m

IMDb RATING

5.4/10

YOUR RATING

Rate

POPULARITY

Play trailer

3 Videos

22 Images

Horror

Count Yorga continues to prey on the local community while living by a nearby orphanage. He also intends to take a new wife, while feeding his bevy of female vampires.

Directors

Bob Kelljan

Writers

Bob Kelljan(screenplay by)

Yvonne Wilder(screenplay by)

Stars

Robert Quarry

Mariette Hartley

Roger Perry

See production, box office & company info

Top cast

Count Yorga

Cynthia Nelson

Dr. David Baldwin

Jennifer Nelson

Rev. Thomas

Lieutenant Madden

Professor Rightstat

Bill Nelson

Brudah

Sgt. O'Connor

Ellen Nelson

Joe

Michael Farmer

Claret Farmer

Jason - Ellen's Boyfriend

Liz Rogers

Laurie Greggs

Philip Frame

Tommy

Helen Baron

Mrs. Marcia Nelson

Directors

Bob Kelljan

Writers

Bob Kelljan(screenplay by)

Yvonne Wilder(screenplay by)

All cast & crew

Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

**_The darkly suave Count from Bulgaria shows up near an orphanage in the Bay area_** After somehow being resurrected, Count Yorga (Robert Quarry) moves north to purchase the old Gateway Mansion, which is located right by an orphanage and the attractive Cynthia (Mariette Hartley). Disturbing events lead a doctor (Roger Perry) to suspect the Count of being a… vampire. Craig T. Nelson makes his film debut as a subordinate detective. “The Return of Count Yorga” (1971) is more of the same from writer/director Bob Kelljan. Some people prefer it to the original 1970 flick, like Gene Siskel, but I favor the first one. Regardless, this is a solid follow-up with some creative bits. It’s genuinely creepy and, like the original, has the confidence to take its time, creating spooky ambiance, which some viewers might interpret as dull. The success of the low-budget Yorga films inspired Hammer to set their next two Dracula movies in the modern day: "Dracula A. D. 1972" (1972) and "The Satanic Rites of Dracula” (1973). It was also the inspiration for the haunting cult Indie "Lemora: A Child's Tale of the Supernatural" (1973). I have no doubt that Dan Curtis & Richard Matheson’s “The Night Stalker” (1972) and “The Night Strangler” (1973) were also inspired by them. They’re the same team who created the 1974 version of “Dracula” with Jack Palance. Unlike Christopher Lee as the Prince of Darkness and Barry Atwater as vampire Janos Skorzeny, who are laconic and diabolical in a one-dimensional way, Quarry’s nonchalant Count Yorga is a more charismatic character, having way more dialogue than the other two. This is augmented by a revelation in the second half, which likely influenced Coppola’s “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” (1992). The flick runs 1 hour, 37 minutes. Parts of it were shot in the San Francisco area, e.g. the Golden Gate Bridge and Marin Headlands, the latter of which is north of San Francisco and west of the bridge. The orphanage scenes were shot at Camarillo Ranch House in Camarillo, California, which is about 40 minutes west of Los Angeles and northwest of Malibu. The Count’s mansion is Casa Dorinda in Santa Barbara, which is about 50 minutes west of Camarillo and is now a retirement home. GRADE: B-/B

Wuchak17 Aug, 2023