Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
When a lawyer shows up at the vampire's doorstep, he falls prey to his charms and joins him in his search for fresh blood. Enter Professor Van Helsing, who may be the only one able to vanquish the Count.
Mel Brooks' spoof of Dracula is a fairly by-the-numbers parody that arrives late to the vampire satire game, lacking the sharp wit of his best work like Blazing Saddles or Young Frankenstein. The plot is a straightforward riff on the Bram Stoker narrative with gags inserted, offering little structural cleverness. Leslie Nielsen is reliably game and Brooks himself provides some laughs, lifting the acting above the material, but the ensemble is uneven. Cinematography mimics classic Gothic horror adequately without distinction. Novelty is low — vampire parodies were already well-trodden territory and this adds little new to the genre. The ending wraps up predictably without much comedic payoff.