Dracula III: Legacy
Encyclopedia
Dracula III: Legacy is a 2005 horror film
and the sequel to Dracula 2000
and Dracula II: Ascension
. The film was directed by Patrick Lussier
and stars Jason Scott Lee, Jason London
, Roy Scheider
, and Diane Neal
. It was released direct-to-video
on July 12, 2005.
The role of Dracula is played by Rutger Hauer, following Gerard Butler
in Dracula 2000
and Stephen Billington
in Dracula II: Ascension
, continuing the theme of Dracula's appearance changing due to "regeneration". Hauer had played vampires before, in 'Salem's Lot
and in Buffy the Vampire Slayer
.
, Father Uffizi and Luke (Jason London
) discover that Dracula (Rutger Hauer) has returned with Elizabeth (Diane Neal
) to his castle in the Carpathian Mountains
. However, fearing that Uffizi has been tainted by Dracula, Cardinal Siqueros (Roy Scheider
) refuses to give Uffizi his blessing for the mission. Uffizi defrocks himself and sets out with Luke to Bucharest. Romania has been devastated by a civil war, and NATO peacekeepers line the streets. In an abandoned village, Uffizi and Luke find a crashed helicopter containing a news reporter, Julia (Alexandra Wescourt
), and her cameraman. The cameraman is turned by the vampire clowns terrorising the village, but all are destroyed by Uffizi and Luke. They leave Julia but are soon lured into a rebel trap. They find Julia with the rebels, refusing to return to England
with nothing but a story on vampires. The undead attack the rebel base during the night, but Uffizi, Luke and Julia survive, proceeding to Dracula's castle. There they find Elizabeth, almost totally turned to Dracula's way of life. Dracula mortally wounds Julia and tells Uffizi that only through God's forgiveness can he truly die, but Uffizi engages the ancient vampire in a duel and ultimately destroys him by first biting him and draining him of his blood, then beheading him, announcing that he should consider himself forgiven. Meanwhile, Luke, on her request, beheads Elizabeth. Luke leaves the castle, while Uffizi sits on Dracula's throne, Julia apparently revived as a vampire. The film ends with the implication that Uffizi, who has missed the morning purge of his vampiric curse, has become the new vampire lord.
. John Puccio of DVD Town said, "This one is no world beater and hardly scary, but at least it's got mood and tone and atmosphere to spare, something the first two movies in the ongoing series lacked entirely. ... Dracula III: Legacy contains some decent acting and some solid atmospherics." Kevin Carr of 7M Pictures said, "At least in the cinematic morass that is modern movies, Dracula III is better than the wimpy vampire lore pioneered by Anne Rice
. ... Dracula III falls somewhere below Hellraiser
but above the Crow
sequels. It's not a grand placement, but there's always a market for vampire movies."
Walter Chaw of Film Freak Central said, "The strength of Dracula III is in its use of locations, with Lussier finally figuring out how to work with a DP to create a foreboding atmosphere. ... If reports are true and this is Lussier's last dip in the Carpathian pool, at least he's ending somewhere just north of mediocre." Dread Central' s review stated, "Lussier and company aren't out to reinvent the wheel, but they do one hell of a good job of keeping it turning. ... Each shot is brimming with authentic feeling vampire flavor, at times achieving an almost Hammer Film
type ambiance. Truly inspired stuff."
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
and the sequel to Dracula 2000
Dracula 2000
Dracula 2000, also known internationally as Dracula 2001, is a 2000 horror film written and directed by Patrick Lussier. The film stars Gerard Butler, Christopher Plummer, Jonny Lee Miller, Justine Waddell, Omar Epps, Colleen Fitzpatrick, Jeri Ryan, and Jennifer Esposito.Dracula 2000, the...
and Dracula II: Ascension
Dracula II: Ascension
Dracula II: Ascension is a 2003 horror film, directed by Patrick Lussier. It stars Jason Scott Lee, Stephen Billington, and Diane Neal. The film is the sequel to Dracula 2000. It was released direct-to-video on June 7, 2003...
. The film was directed by Patrick Lussier
Patrick Lussier
Patrick Lussier is a Canadian horror and thriller genre writer, editor and director.- Career :Lussier has worked as a film editor on most of Wes Craven's latter films, including Wes Craven's New Nightmare, Vampire in Brooklyn, Scream and Red Eye and has directed films including Dracula 2000, The...
and stars Jason Scott Lee, Jason London
Jason London
Jason Paul London is an American actor, best known for his role as Randall "Pink" Floyd in director Richard Linklater's film Dazed and Confused.-Personal life:...
, Roy Scheider
Roy Scheider
Roy Richard Scheider was an American actor. He was best known for his leading role as police chief Martin C...
, and Diane Neal
Diane Neal
Diane Neal is an American actress widely known for her role as Casey Novak on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.-Biography:...
. It was released direct-to-video
Direct-to-video
Direct-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television...
on July 12, 2005.
The role of Dracula is played by Rutger Hauer, following Gerard Butler
Gerard Butler
Gerard James Butler is a Scottish actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television. A trained lawyer, Butler turned to acting in the mid-1990s with small roles in productions such as the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies , which he followed with steady work on television, most notably in...
in Dracula 2000
Dracula 2000
Dracula 2000, also known internationally as Dracula 2001, is a 2000 horror film written and directed by Patrick Lussier. The film stars Gerard Butler, Christopher Plummer, Jonny Lee Miller, Justine Waddell, Omar Epps, Colleen Fitzpatrick, Jeri Ryan, and Jennifer Esposito.Dracula 2000, the...
and Stephen Billington
Stephen Billington
Stephen Billington is a British actor, best known for playing Greg Kelly in Coronation Street . He has worked with many leading film directors, including Peter Greenaway, Franco Zeffirelli, and Mel Gibson...
in Dracula II: Ascension
Dracula II: Ascension
Dracula II: Ascension is a 2003 horror film, directed by Patrick Lussier. It stars Jason Scott Lee, Stephen Billington, and Diane Neal. The film is the sequel to Dracula 2000. It was released direct-to-video on June 7, 2003...
, continuing the theme of Dracula's appearance changing due to "regeneration". Hauer had played vampires before, in 'Salem's Lot
'Salem's Lot (2004 film)
Salem's Lot is a 2004 American television mini-series which first aired on TNT from June 20 to June 21, 2004. It is the second television adaptation of Stephen King's 1975 vampire novel of the same name , though this version updates the story to take place in modern times rather than the...
and in Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a 1992 American action/comedy/horror film about a Valley girl cheerleader named Buffy who learns that it is her fate to hunt vampires. The original script for the film was written by Joss Whedon, who later created the darker and more acclaimed TV series of the same name...
.
Plot
Five years after the events of Dracula II: AscensionDracula II: Ascension
Dracula II: Ascension is a 2003 horror film, directed by Patrick Lussier. It stars Jason Scott Lee, Stephen Billington, and Diane Neal. The film is the sequel to Dracula 2000. It was released direct-to-video on June 7, 2003...
, Father Uffizi and Luke (Jason London
Jason London
Jason Paul London is an American actor, best known for his role as Randall "Pink" Floyd in director Richard Linklater's film Dazed and Confused.-Personal life:...
) discover that Dracula (Rutger Hauer) has returned with Elizabeth (Diane Neal
Diane Neal
Diane Neal is an American actress widely known for her role as Casey Novak on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.-Biography:...
) to his castle in the Carpathian Mountains
Carpathian Mountains
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians are a range of mountains forming an arc roughly long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the second-longest mountain range in Europe...
. However, fearing that Uffizi has been tainted by Dracula, Cardinal Siqueros (Roy Scheider
Roy Scheider
Roy Richard Scheider was an American actor. He was best known for his leading role as police chief Martin C...
) refuses to give Uffizi his blessing for the mission. Uffizi defrocks himself and sets out with Luke to Bucharest. Romania has been devastated by a civil war, and NATO peacekeepers line the streets. In an abandoned village, Uffizi and Luke find a crashed helicopter containing a news reporter, Julia (Alexandra Wescourt
Alexandra Wescourt
-Early life:Wescourt was born in London, England, the daughter of Gordon Wescourt Sr. and Gillian Margaret Elvins. Her father, an American residing in Los Angeles, California, was the son of Lithuanian-Jewish immigrants and made a career as an actor. Her mother was a vicar's daughter who had met...
), and her cameraman. The cameraman is turned by the vampire clowns terrorising the village, but all are destroyed by Uffizi and Luke. They leave Julia but are soon lured into a rebel trap. They find Julia with the rebels, refusing to return to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
with nothing but a story on vampires. The undead attack the rebel base during the night, but Uffizi, Luke and Julia survive, proceeding to Dracula's castle. There they find Elizabeth, almost totally turned to Dracula's way of life. Dracula mortally wounds Julia and tells Uffizi that only through God's forgiveness can he truly die, but Uffizi engages the ancient vampire in a duel and ultimately destroys him by first biting him and draining him of his blood, then beheading him, announcing that he should consider himself forgiven. Meanwhile, Luke, on her request, beheads Elizabeth. Luke leaves the castle, while Uffizi sits on Dracula's throne, Julia apparently revived as a vampire. The film ends with the implication that Uffizi, who has missed the morning purge of his vampiric curse, has become the new vampire lord.
Cast
- Jason Scott Lee as Father Uffizi
- Stephen BillingtonStephen BillingtonStephen Billington is a British actor, best known for playing Greg Kelly in Coronation Street . He has worked with many leading film directors, including Peter Greenaway, Franco Zeffirelli, and Mel Gibson...
as Dracula II - Diane NealDiane NealDiane Neal is an American actress widely known for her role as Casey Novak on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.-Biography:...
as Elizabeth Blaine - Jason LondonJason LondonJason Paul London is an American actor, best known for his role as Randall "Pink" Floyd in director Richard Linklater's film Dazed and Confused.-Personal life:...
as Luke - Rutger Hauer as Count DraculaCount DraculaCount Dracula is a fictional character, the titular antagonist of Bram Stoker's 1897 Gothic horror novel Dracula and archetypal vampire. Some aspects of his character have been inspired by the 15th century Romanian general and Wallachian Prince Vlad III the Impaler...
- Roy ScheiderRoy ScheiderRoy Richard Scheider was an American actor. He was best known for his leading role as police chief Martin C...
as CardinalCardinal (Catholicism)A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
Siqueros - Alexandra WescourtAlexandra Wescourt-Early life:Wescourt was born in London, England, the daughter of Gordon Wescourt Sr. and Gillian Margaret Elvins. Her father, an American residing in Los Angeles, California, was the son of Lithuanian-Jewish immigrants and made a career as an actor. Her mother was a vicar's daughter who had met...
as Julia Hughes - Claudiu BleonţClaudiu BleontClaudiu Bleonţ is a Romanian film and theatre actor. He is known in Romania not only by his acting ability, but also for his improvisational talent.-Life & career:...
as Bogdan - Serban Celea as Gabriel
- Ioana Ginghina as Bride of DraculaBrides of DraculaThe Brides of Dracula are characters in Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula. They are three seductive female vampire "sisters" who reside with Count Dracula in his castle in Transylvania, where they entrance male humans with their beauty and charm, and then proceed to feed upon them...
- Ilinca Goia as Marta
- George Grigore as Bruno
- Ioan Ionescu as Ragman
- Tom KaneTom KaneTom Kane is a prominent American voice actor with over 25 years of experience. He is most widely known for his animation work...
as EBC Anchorman
Reception
Critical reaction to Dracula III: Legacy has been mixed, though more positive in general than that of Dracula II: AscensionDracula II: Ascension
Dracula II: Ascension is a 2003 horror film, directed by Patrick Lussier. It stars Jason Scott Lee, Stephen Billington, and Diane Neal. The film is the sequel to Dracula 2000. It was released direct-to-video on June 7, 2003...
. John Puccio of DVD Town said, "This one is no world beater and hardly scary, but at least it's got mood and tone and atmosphere to spare, something the first two movies in the ongoing series lacked entirely. ... Dracula III: Legacy contains some decent acting and some solid atmospherics." Kevin Carr of 7M Pictures said, "At least in the cinematic morass that is modern movies, Dracula III is better than the wimpy vampire lore pioneered by Anne Rice
Anne Rice
Anne Rice is a best-selling Southern American author of metaphysical gothic fiction, Christian literature and erotica from New Orleans, Louisiana. Her books have sold nearly 100 million copies, making her one of the most widely read authors in modern history...
. ... Dracula III falls somewhere below Hellraiser
Hellraiser
Hellraiser is a 1987 British and American horror film based upon the novella The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker, who also wrote the screenplay and directed the film. Hellraiser explores themes of sadomasochism and morality under duress and fear. The film spawned a series of sequels...
but above the Crow
The Crow (film)
The Crow is a 1994 American action film based on the 1989 comic book of the same name by James O'Barr. The film was written by David J. Schow and John Shirley, and directed by Alex Proyas...
sequels. It's not a grand placement, but there's always a market for vampire movies."
Walter Chaw of Film Freak Central said, "The strength of Dracula III is in its use of locations, with Lussier finally figuring out how to work with a DP to create a foreboding atmosphere. ... If reports are true and this is Lussier's last dip in the Carpathian pool, at least he's ending somewhere just north of mediocre." Dread Central
Hammer Film Productions
Hammer Film Productions is a film production company based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1934, the company is best known for a series of Gothic "Hammer Horror" films made from the mid-1950s until the 1970s. Hammer also produced science fiction, thrillers, film noir and comedies and in later...
type ambiance. Truly inspired stuff."