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.
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BaronBl00d13 June 2006
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Coventry25 February 2004Oh my I can't believe they actually made a film out of this silly theme! I was really wondering whether it would as foolish as the title leads you to suspect. Apparently, you don't need any writing skills if you're working with Albert Band. I know, respect the dead and stuff (Albert Band recently passed away, in 2002) but he and his son Charles made, wrote and produced an awful lot of bad horror and sci-fi films in their lifetimes. Visualize the cheesiest and silliest image that pops up in your head, and you've got an idea what The Hound of Dracula is about! There really is a DOG buried in a coffin with a wooden stick through his heart and he comes to life! He's controlled by a half-ling a vampire who can stand daylight and together, they search for the last ascendant of Count Dracula since they need a new master. In short, Veidt Smith is some sort of `Renfield' and he lets his dog do all the dirty work. Hold your breath it becomes even better! They raise a whole army of Vampire dogs how about that?! The Hound of Dracula is filled with bad acting, uninspired twists and lame scenery. Even the killing scenes aren't bloody enough to bother. Most of the time, it just looks like a hilarious comedy or a sadistic spoof but the only problem is they didn't intend it to be funny! My only respect in this pile of rbage goes out to dogs themselves and to the people who trained them! They did a good job and surely deserved a better screenplay to work with.
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sol-13 January 2006A different sort of twist on the Dracula tale, the premise nevertheless wears thin by the second half, and overall the film is not too good either, despite having a degree of eeriness to it. The cheap special effects are hardly special, the dialogue is full of dud lines, and the quirkiness of the plot gives way to some awkwardly goofy silly moments. The dogs are the main aspect of interest here, better trained than what one would expect. Still, that is not quite a good enough reason to watch it. Some of the music is effective, and overall it is a bearable watch. It is a very trashy film and not at all very good, however it is still okay viewing if one is in the mood for some B-grade horror fluff.
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jvidal-327 December 2004Alright, I've been reading the comments for this movie and I must say everyone here agrees this movie is really a piece of crap.But, like other guy said, I also saw this movie late at night when I was about 8~9 years old and it really scared the hell out of me, I couldn't even watch for more than 10 minutes without freaking out and leaving the room (only to come back a few minutes later). Maybe now, as an adult, I would laugh at this movie, but the first impression is what you remember. I remember being as scared with this as I was with Nosferatu (1979) (Damn, kinski was a horrible vampire!) I want to see Dracula's Dog again, but I can't seem to find it anywhere...
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planktonrules18 September 2016Dracula's dog, Zoltan (a Doberman), and his servant, Veidt (Reggie Nalder) are on a mission. Since Count Dracula and all the other Dracula family members are dead and gone in Romania, they're coming to the United States in search of Michael Dracula to make him the next vampire. However, Michael has changed his name to Michael Drake and wants nothing to do with drinking the blood of the innocents. All the while, a once well-respected American actor (José Ferrer) is pursuing both them AND the complete destruction of his career.
The problem I had with this film wasn't just the ridiculously dumb premise but the atmosphere of the film. It lacked that wonderful old black & white look and seemed more like a cheap made for TV movie. I think if they couldn't have replicated this look, then they should have had more fun with the film...such as having Zoltan played by a Toy Poodle or Yorkie! Well, at least they DID have a cute little puppy vampire. Or, perhaps if they'd had Zoltan sport a cute Dracula cape...that would have been so adorable! Regardless, the film is silly and best for lovers of camp cinema. Anyone wanting a serious vampire film should keep looking. -
Sleepin_Dragon9 May 2023A group of soldiers excavate a crypt, one of The Soldiers pulls the lid off a sarcophagus, unveiling a cloth covered figure with a stake through its heart, he removes it, and all hell breaks loose.
It's a horror flick from the 70's with a story about vampire dogs, a horrendous script and presumably a budget that would barely have funded the purchase of a second hand Datsun, but it is a bit of fun.
Nobody will convince me that this movie is anything other than shocking, too many of the elements are excruciating, including the wooden (stake) acting, the horrendous script and somewhat cute dog, but I wasn't bored, I wasn't distracted, and I didn't flick through it, it held my attention.
I didn't dislike some of the visuals, and some of the special effects aren't totally without merit.
What do you expect from a film called Zoltan, Hound of Dracula, you know full well what you're going to get.
4/10. -
BandSAboutMovies9 September 2020You know how some idiot always ends up pulling the stake out of Dracula? This time, a moron does the same thing to Dracula's dog Zoltan. Yes, an entire film about vampiric dogs - not to be confused with Devil Dog Hound of Hell - directed by Albert Band.
Veidt Smit (Reggie Nadler, who would go on to be Mr. Barlow in a much better vampire film, Salem's Lot and Van Helsing in Dracula Sucks) was once the owner of the dog in the title, but Dracula (Michael Pataki!) turned man's best friend against him.
Pataki also is the ancestor of Dracula, who Smit wants to carry on the family curse. So they start biting every dog - the family has four, which seems close to hording - including a really cute puppy that ends up surviving at the end - and looking like my much-missed long-eared pal Angelo, so this made me happy.
Star Trek fans will be overjoyed to see Arlene Martel ("Amok Time") show up for a few minutes, as well as Jan Shutan ("Lights of Zetar").
Let me tell you how dumb this movie is. We're repeatedly told that Pataki is the last descendent of Dracula, but he has two kids. That's how dumb it is. -
Clayton15 October 1998This may sound like some hokey, cheaply-done horror film, and granted, it IS, but one has to give thanks to director Band and a the cast for keeping things lively throughout. Second-rate in most departments, however.
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paul_haakonsen9 July 2020Well, given the movie's titled "Zoltan: Hound of Dracula" (aka "Dracula's Dog"), I must admit that I didn't really have all that great expectations for this 1977 movie when I sat down to watch it in 2020. In fact, I didn't even know about the movie prior to getting the chance to sit down and watch it.
Well, I am sure that the movie might have had some impact back in 1977, I mean with the dogs being so ferocious and all. But for a horror movie watched today, the movie haven't really been able to withstand the ravages of time. It was more of a hilarious movie to watch than it was a horror movie.
First of all, apparently the bloodline of Dracula has been expanded upon tremendously and for some reason the descendant of Dracula himself is bonded with a vampiric dog named Zoltan. Sure, why not? I mean, it was original enough, despite it being somewhat silly.
"Zoltan: Hound of Dracula" had way too many close up shots of the a semi-creepy old man. It was good enough the first and second time, but director Albert Band overdid it and there were so many unnecessary close up of that guy that it became laughable. Sure, I get that it was for emphasis on him using telepathy with his bonded vampiric dog, but come on.
The dogs themselves were actually well-trained and I do like how they acted in the movie and how ferocious they were. But the sounds the film makers gave the dogs just made it seem like a farce.
This was by no means an outstanding horror movie for me, and I doubt that I will ever be returning to watch it a second time around, as writer Frank Ray Perilli just didn't add enough material or depth to the storyline for it to sustain more than a single viewing.
My rating of "Zoltan: Hound of Dracula" is a less than mediocre four out of ten stars. This is sort of a campy old horror movie, but hey, maybe you might just enjoy it... -
Blending the vampire and creature feature themes, Albert Band's "Zoltan" is a haunting filmscape canvassing Dracula's faithful undead servant Veidt Schmidt (Nalder) and bloodhound named Zoltan, awoken from their eternal slumber to locate Dracula's last known descendant (Pataki) and restore the undead dynasty. Pataki is on vacation with his family and two German Shepherds when Detective Jose Ferrer arrives to deliver the bad news.
Routinely panned as a monumental lemon, I have no trouble enjoying the creepy performance of the tight-lipped, scar-faced Nalder, his dialogue delivered telepathically as he commands the dutiful Zoltan (a savage looking greyhound) to execute opposition to their mission. Pataki is virtually a bewildered bystander as Ferrer has to convince him that not only is he the last adult descendant of Count Dracula, but that his lineage want him converted to undead status. Arlene Martel has a small supporting role as one of the foolish uniforms who exhume the long-dead vampires in the film's prologue, while some viewers might also recognise Simmy Bow and JoJo D'Amore in a humorous cameo as a pair of ill-fated fishermen.
Suspenseful at times (e.g. Ferrer and Pataki holed up in the log cabin while the pack terrorise them throughout the night), "Zoltan" is a novel twist on the Dracula theme and not, in my opinion deserved of the criticism - it's clearly a B-movie, yet technically well constructed with a moody atmosphere, some gruesome shocks and downright entertaining. -
Theo Robertson6 March 2014People of a certain age will remember the good old days in the late 1970s and early 80s when BBC2 used to show horror double bills on Saturday nights during the Summer months . We all had our favourites that we're shown and by the same token there would always be a movie that stuck out in its mediocrity . I can't remember the exact details of when it was broadcast but ZOLTAN was the movie that had the distinction of being the worst film of the season when I first saw it and the passage of time hasn't improved it in anyway
The reason I originally disliked it was because it didn't feel like a cinematic film , more like one of those made for TV productions and rewatching it again the feeling still remains with the very static camera and the entirely cheap feel to everything . Not only that but we get some cute all American family that only exist in TVMs and add to this some uber-sweet puppy and the illusion is complete .This sets up another problem and that is film gives the impression it doesn't know what its market is . Family friendly entertainment or straight forward horror . There is a scene involving a death of a trekker but is graphic enough to alienate anyone thinking this is a tame TVM and jars with the rest of the film . Some of the other scenes that are trying to be scary and horror orientated just come across as silly
There is another flaw and there's a considerable amount of obvious plot holes . The message boards point them out such as a servant of Dracula being resurrected , sailing to America and yet arrives in America before a Romanian detective who leaves the next day in an aeroplane . There's also an unanswered question as to why the servant and his hound need to find the Dracula descendant in America when the original Dracula remains in his tomb . One plot hole I noticed myself is how likely is it for someone to escape from the Stalinist regime of Romania and arrive in America without being caught by the authorities of either country ?
In summary ZOLTAN is a lame and dumb horror movie that won't appeal to anyone who has no interest in the genre . Horror fans will find it slow and boring and think they're watching something from the Hallmark Channel . If it was a dog it'd probably end in up in a refuge or failing that taken to the vets to be put to sleep - a fate it also bestows on the audience -
Awesome 70's B Grade horror. It pretty much has everything from the campy vibe, the synth scores, the right ending, and more. I liked the directing style as well. Anyone who likes B grade horrors from the 1970's should look out for this, it underrated that's for sure. Just don't expect great acting, well not at the start anyhow.
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leathermusic12 June 2006A great obscure B movie of the late 70's, Zoltan The Hound of Dracula is actually very well made. The music (which is practically constant) is very creepy, and the eeriness of the cinematography is super cool. I gotta tell the world about this masterpiece of cheese. The real laughs are not only experienced during the hilarious scenes of Zoltan sucking the blood of humans and dogs (and of the bat turning Zoltan into a vampire), but also with Michael Pataki's overblown delivery. The guy has probably got a bad temper in reality. Also, you gotta love the major padding that takes place when the family sets out on their camping trip "dogs and all" in their groovy motor home. Actually their are a couple scenes like this, where people are just driving from one location to another, dominated by happy synth pop that sounds really cool. You can't help but chuckle at how easily the people let their little puppy wander off, and how quickly they give up when the adult dogs get lost. "Oh well" our pure bred German shepherds are out there somewhere. "Oh Well" our prized puppy just bit the dust, we'll just bury the thing and continue with our fun vacation sitting around in a ugly looking vacant field just off the highway (some camping trip) These are just minor plot details that add to the ridiculousness that other writers have already noted. Other favorite scenes of mine include the rising of the vampire puppy from its fresh grave, and the gory mauling of a 70's hiking dweeb.
Anyways, thought I should also mention the top notch job Anchor Bay did with remastering this thing. The picture is exceptionally clear, and the sound is immaculate. It should also be mentioned that everything is played totally straight, as if this was a very important film. Reggie Nadler is one creepy looking dude. This movie should appeal to anyone who likes horror movies that take themselves all serious when the scripts are completely hokey to begin with. I won't give away the ending, but it very far fetched and ridiculous. Whoever trained all the numerous dogs did a damn good job! A classic! -
You have to hand-it (the booby-prize) to the Bands. This was the final-film by the patriarch of this schlock-horror family, and it's hard to describe. Disaster just doesn't work here, and I think Albert Band knew he had a turkey-script, so he made-the-best of it. His 1950s psychological-thriller/horror, "I Bury the Living" is excellent, but this is...wow, pretty bad. So, when your backers (UK and Yugoslavian) don't want to pay the Bram Stoker Estate money for the rights to Dracula, what do you do? Exactly! You do a tie-in, with a story about DRACULA'S DOG. Yes, his dog. Yes, it's as absurd and ridiculous as you might imagine. There is even a scene where the dog is wearing a turtle-neck...and operating a hearse! The story--what little there is--begins with Russian (obviously Yugoslavian) soldiers dynamiting a hill. They accidentally uncover a tomb that holds Dracula's manservant (Reggie Nadler, who looks creepy out-of-makeup), and his doberman, Zoltan. Yeah, it's retarded, I know. Yes, the stupid-soldiers release the half-vampire, and vampire-dog, and the "fun" begins. A lot of the story revolves around some followers of Dracula trying to make one of his living-descendants a vampire (WTF?!). The writing is full-of-holes you could drive a semi-truck through. At this time, even Hammer knew when to give-up on Dracula, having extended it into the mid-1970s. But this film is hilariously-bad, so it is watchable for all the unintentional humor it pummels the viewer with.
I'm 100%-certain that this is the ONLY film in human-history to contain a flashback scene for a vampire-dog character. I nearly fell out of my couch--could this be?! Did I really see what I thought I saw? I had to rewind my DVD-player. Yes, it was real, and there was even more hilarity. To make it short: the dog returns to America (where one goes for "success"--yeah, bullshit) with Nadler and some vampirized-dogs to sink-his-fangs into the descendant of Dracula, making him a vampire. Still, Albert Band's son has directed films that are much-worse with his excrement-mill, Full Moon. The only noteworthy thing here is that Stan Winston did some of his earliest makeup here, but doesn't get to shine much. Oh yeah, and the dog "talks" too, telepathically with the Nadler-character. Sucks, and not like a vampire, but good for some yucks. Not scary, unless you look at it as how stupid people with too-much money can be, they paid for this. -
A European vampire-tomb is unearthed by an explosion, releasing a Renfield-type minion of Count Dracula(Reggie Nalder) and his loyal bloodsucking canine named Zoltan. With a vampire-expert professor hot on their trail, they travel to America in search of the last Dracula descendant, a suburban family man unaware of his frightful ancestry.
DRACULA'S DOG is assembly-line drive-in fodder, but for a Crown International Pictures release, a bit tidier a production that one might expect. Amidst the intermittent belly laughs, a few scenes actually manage to bring on the chills. The casting of Reggie Nalder is beneficial, as well...his lizard-like mug glowing in the moonlight could send any man running for the hills.
5.5/10...a perfect flick for youngsters having Saturday night sleepovers. -
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!). -
utgard1415 October 2016This really should have been more fun than it is. I mean, Dracula's Dog just sounds like campy greatness. Unfortunately, it's a tired, mostly boring affair that looks like it was made for TV and takes itself too seriously. The story starts out where many Dracula movies have gone before, with someone removing the stake from the corpse and reviving Dracula. Only this time they don't revive Dracula but his guard dog Zoltan and his trainer or whatever (played by Reggie Nalder, one of moviedom's all-time best faces). Then the trainer takes Zoltan on a hunt for Dracula's sole living descendant (Michael Pataki), who has a dog of his own so expect a clash of canines at some point. This is all kind of dumb and could have been a lot better with a little more self-awareness and humor about what a 'dog' of an idea the movie is built around. See it if you must but keep expectations low.
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poolandrews17 June 2012Zoltan, Hound of Dracula starts in Romanian as the local there seems to be blowing holes in the ground for no apparent reason, while doing this seemingly random act of environmental vandalism they unearth an ancient tomb belonging to the Dracula's. They post a soldier there to guard the tomb until a further more detailed examination can be made, that night one of the coffins open & the soldier is stupid enough to remove a wooden stake from whatever it is embedded in & before he know's it a Vampire Dog named Zoltan has returned to life & bit his throat out. Zoltan then pulls the stake out of his master's remains, his name is Veidt Smith (Reggie Nalder) & is servant to Dracula who is long since dead. Feeling unwanted & lonely Veidt travels to California to find Michael Drake (Michael Pataki) who is the last living blood relative of Dracula, using the vicious Zoltan he plans to turn Drake into a Vampire like his ancestor & serve him for all eternity...
Originally released as Dracula's Dog this American & Italian co-production was produced & directed by Albert Band, this Dog of a film really should be taken away & put down humanely as it's absolutely terrible & I had a hard time getting to the end. Everything about this lousy film is terrible, I had heard of the film before but thought it would be better. I don't know why but I always imagined it to be a period Gothic horror film featuring Dracula himself set in Transylvania in a big stone castle like Hammer Studios were making at their peak but I was wrong, I was very wrong as Zoltan, Hound of Dracula features Vampire Dog's & is set in some woods near Los Angeles. The idea of a Vampire biting another person & turning them into a Vampire is standard horror film stuff but a Vampire Dog that bites other Dog's turning them into Vampires is just weird & is as ridiculous & absurd as it sounds. It's hard to keep a straight face during the majority of Zoltan, Hound of Dracula with it's terrible attempts at tension & scares along with the barest of stories that drags on & on, throw into that a funny & utterly predictable twist ending (I kept saying out loud 'What about the puppy! What about the puppy!') in which a cute little puppy is meant to be scary as it has plastic fangs & glowing eyes. The character's are awful especially Drake who believes everything Inspectoir Branco tells him about Dracula & Vampires without questioning it, from bit part campers to Drake's wife & kids who disappear totally from the film about two thirds of the way through to Veidt Smith whose only motivation is to be a servant to Dracula. Hasn't this guy heard that slavery has been abolished? Why can't he just be his own man? Why can't he just enjoy his life with Zoltan his Vampire Dog? Why can't he & Zoltan just settle down somewhere in Romania & live happily ever after with some dignity & self respect? Why does he want to be a slave to Dracula? He may be evil but he has human rights too you know. I mean would Dracula even pay him a decent wage for his services? I doubt it. The guy's not much of a conversationalist either, I don't think he says anything to anyone during the whole film except Zoltan who he can talk to telepathically, seriously & Zoltan understands every word he telepathically says. At just over 80 odd minutes long Zoltan, Hound of Dracula drags & is very boring with not much going on. Also, has anyone else noticed that Michael Drake is constantly referred to as the last blood ancestor of Dracula yet he has two children of his own?
Another big problem with Zoltan, Hound of Dracula is how seriously it takes itself with no attempt to ham things up a big & deliver on it's absurd title & premise. All we want is to be entertained & have a bit of fun while watching a film & Zoltan, Hound of Dracula fails miserably at this basic requirement. The direction is stiff & at times laughable, the Dog's on show are obviously tame & well trained so the attack scenes often look more like the Dog's are trying to play with people rather than rip them to shreds. Constant scenes of docile looking Dog's walking around with plastic fangs & glowing eye's is as silly as it gets. There's not much gore, a guy has his neck bitten, a few Dog's are staked through the heart & a camper is bitten by Zoltan but little else. Director Albert Band later went on to form the likes of Empire Pictures & Fullmoon Productions with his son Charles Band.
Filmed on what must have been a low budget the effects, music & production values are all average at best, isn't it unusual how the Romanian army all speak perfect English & with Americn accents? The acting is not great, Oscar winner José Ferrer is slumming it while Michael Pataki looks likes he's there for the money & nothing else. Pataki also starred in the much, much better Vampire film Grave of the Vampire (1974) several years prior.
Zoltan, Hound of Dracula is terrible, it really is & I found it pretty hard to make it to the end. It's a complete Dog of a film that sure be put down, it would be a mercy killing. Not recommended apart from the hilarious Vampire puppy at the end which is genuinely quite funny. -
TheWorkingDead19 February 2007*Please note the above score, as this movie is slightly below the middle of the road.*
Zoltan(named, I assume, after a Hungarian ruler in the 10th Century) isn't so much Dracula's hound as he is the hound of one of Dracula's servants, Veidt Schmidt. When the Russian army(I think their Russian, based on their uniforms, but no one has any kind of accent) unearths Dracula's tomb, they decide to burn all of the corpses, but not before some foolish soldier decides to pull the stake out of Zoltan's body, allowing him to regenerate and drain the blood of said soldier. He then helps his master, who decides to track down the last surviving heir of Dracula. At least, they call him the last heir in the movie, but he has two children, so wouldn't THEY be the last surviving heirs? There's a bit of a mythological problem here, as well. Veidt Schmidt is the vampire's servant, and not a full vampire. Yet he has immortality and can regenerate after death, all while walking in daylight and not needing blood. I don't know what Renfield's problem was, sitting in that asylum and eating flies.
At the beginning of the film Dracula is seen(in Zoltan's flashback!) is about to feast on a lovely young women in the 1800s. Zoltan interrupts his feeding, so Dracula transforms into a bat and instead feeds on Zoltan(why don't vampires do this more often, instead of courting danger by feeding on young, socially popular women?), who skips the whole 'dying' part of the process and goes straight to vampire dog. On their way out they drain and turn Veidt Schmidt(played by Reggie Nalder, whose wrinkles are more frightening than anything in this movie), who also skips the 'dying' part. I mention this because it's odd for them to have done that, as it's clearly established later that the victims DIE after being drained of blood.
The film quickly moves to southern California, where Michael Drake(the aforementioned Last Dracula) is taking his family on a two week camping trip in their RV. For plot motivation they also bring along their two dogs and a litter of puppies. Almost immediately weird things happen; Puppies disappear and the dogs are always howling at night. Of course, neither of those is odd, really, it seems to me a logical occurrence when you leave newborn puppies out in the wilderness all night, and howling is just something dogs do. But this bothers the family, who are worried and confused. Luckily for them, a Van Helsing-type character shows up in the form of Jose Ferrer to tell Michael all about his vampiric family tree and help him defeat the undead canines.
Really, the film isn't anything spectacularly atrocious, which is it's downfall. It's just middle of the road, never taking itself seriously enough to be campy, but also not self-aware enough to be tongue in cheek. There's no suspense to the film, since aside from the Russian soldier in the beginning there are NO human deaths, just a lot of animal cruelty. It's competently directed(by Albert Band, who would pass on the legacy of mediocre, competently bad horror movies to his son, Charles Band), with a clean print for the DVD. The dialog is notable for this type of film, due to it's believability. The characters may be boring and idiotic, but they speak in a natural manner(Michael's first thought after learning he's a Dracula is that he's going to get rich on royalties for all those movies). There is, however, a growing army of vampire doggies, and the oh-so-cute and cuddly widdle undead puppies.
Had it been a bit more over-the-top, just a little bit more awful, the movie would have been classic. As it was, I had fun and a few laughs, but just enough to feel justified in having seen it. I should note that it really takes a lot for me to hate bad horror movies. Even if the movie is awful and irredeemable, I usually feel the better for having seen it. I'll moderately recommend this, for people who REALLY love bad movies, but don't expect an MST3K level of fun. -
Bunuel197611 October 2007I'd always been interested in checking out this title even if it always promised to be a goofy and highly improbable variation on the Dracula legend. The opening crypt sequence features any number of hilariously named members of the infamous vampire family and, then, Zoltan itself (oversized fangs and all) emerges from inside a coffin!
The plot is quite simple-minded: Dracula's dog (actually, this film's original title) revives sinister-looking but mute vampire acolyte Reggie Nalder so that they can go to America in search of their new master but the latter is actually determined to (pardon the pun) bury his past and, wisely, has changed his surname to Drake! An Inspector from the old country, Jose' Ferrer, follows in pursuit but even he has a tough time persuading current vampire descendant Michael Pataki (his statement that he ought to sue the makers of previous Dracula movies is amusing, but would have undoubtedly worked better had this particular entry been somewhat better!) of the danger to his life and soul. That said, a lot of weird crap has been happening during the Drake family's would-be relaxing camping trip mostly revolving around the two Alsation dogs they brought along and their cute puppies!
It's rather amusing to see a plethora of canines getting vampirized as opposed to people so much so that, at times, it feels like one's watching an antropomorphic rendition of the Bram Stoker chestnut! Adding to the inescapable feeling of absurdity here is a cheesy score; the twist ending, then, is entirely predictable but also incredibly daft. Besides, the numerous close-ups on Nalder's scarred features for ostensibly eerie effect seem merely pointlessly morbid to me! Ultimately, the film is redeemed somewhat by a couple of intense attacks by the pack of vampire hounds towards the end one with Pataki and Ferrer inside a cabin and the other on the former's car (in which he's sheltered) as, otherwise, I'd have rated this even lower! -
It's kind of weird and I certainly did not expect this but I simply enjoyed watching this movie. It was all some good fun for the genre buffs and as an horror- and part of the Dracula franchise it's a quite original movie with a different approach.
This is certainly a B-movie but surprisingly enough you don't really see this back in the movie its look. The movie is way more horrible with its unintentionally funny dialog and silly plot holes and other stuff that just doesn't really make sense.
As ridicules as the main concept might sound, it actually is the strongest point of the movie. The evil dogs really play a big and significant role in the movie and I really think they did a great job with using the dogs as the main ingredient for the movie its horror. The movie is filled in which the dogs get to do their evil stuff and attack the human characters. They used some great animal trainers for this movie, fore the dogs really become characters in the movie that act out their scenes. Still it's a bit funny to hear the dog's their howling and barking, since it obviously got done by a human voice.
I can certainly understand why people would call this a bad movie, since yes well, the movie just isn't truly standing out with a good story, or great dialog and characters. However when you are into this genre, you'll see that this movie is actually one of the more entertaining but also original ones, even though it just isn't all done that very well.
Always a weird sight to see once great actors turn up in these sort of movies at the end of their careers. It happened to quite a lot of actors that were big and well known in the '40's and '50's. Big name that appears in this movie is José Ferrer, who once received an Academy Award for his role in "Cyrano de Bergerac" and starred in many more great and well known movies of the '40's and '50's. He plays the sort of Van Helsing role in this movie, though he seems to be more like the Sam Loomis character from the Halloween movies, of which the first one got released during the same year as this movie. This movie still got released a few months earlier though, so I don't think this movie did actually get 'inspired' by that movie. Also a good role is being played by Reggie Nalder, who is perfectly cast as a servant of the old count, who has rising from the grave. Nalder looks as if he had rising from the grave himself and he looks halve death to be frank. He still lived for another 13 years though after this movie and actually reached a respectable age of 84. He just looked much older, sicker, close to death, pretty much for most part of his career. Pretty much how Peter Cushing looked like from the '70's on, like halve a skeleton, halve man.
I really liked watching this movie, despite of all its all too obvious weaker elements.
7/10
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DTGuitar9 September 2009fantastic film, the best ,not!! But it has its moments,my favorite is when zoltan hound of Dracula hopes out of his own dog sized coffin!!!i found this film on videocassette from local goodwill.hard shell case release from EMI .SWeet,the dog seems scary when they shine lights into its eyes,thats about the only special effect I saw hahaa,a cult classic in the making,lets see it has to be ten lines, well this was a turd of a film but gave me hope that I could create an Indy film better than this and release it.Wow, how did they ever get the green light on this turd.though the dog is a nice looking dog.I jsust cant picture a studio exec saying wow this is a truly gripping film.Was it put out asa joke?
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Weirdling_Wolf25 November 2021In grubby, gob-garlended lahnden circa 1977 it was all anarchy in the UK, and designer safety pins on King's Road, but in dreamy delicious, sun-drenched California, Low-Budget impresario Albert Band was unleashing his barking-mad, kooky canine creep-show 'Zoltan - Hound of Dracula'. Wherein the long-buried tomb of the demoniacal, perfidiously plasma purloining patriarch Dracula was crudely disturbed, fatefully releasing Drac's singularly demented dog's body, Viedt Schmidt (Reggie Nalder). This morbidly mute, silently savage servant of absolute evil is hell-bent on locating his new master, thereby leading the vainglorious Viedt to L. A. along with grisly-minded, grey-flanked, ferociously feral hound Zoltan!
Schmidt villainously vampirizes, Michael Drake (Michael Pataki) Dracula's sole living heir, and thereafter the blissfully boisterous horror film turns into a plasma packed, William Girdler-type of 'when-diabolically-dentured-dogs attack' B-Horror schlocker! There's an endearingly TV Movie-of-the-week aesthetic which permeates pleasantly throughout, and bravura character actor, Michael Pataki delivers a zesty, surprisingly committed performance in a dual role, with B-Cult icon, Reggie 'Albino' Nalder looming luridly, and grimly glowering with a ghoulish intensity! Albert Band's fur-flyingly fang-tastic fear-flick belongs entirely to Zoltan whose pristine canine acting pedigree cannot be denied, calamitously chewing up the scenery with a rabid intensity that would give Kinski an inferiority complex! 'Zoltan - Hound of Dracula' remains a terrifically toothsome terror-flick, unequivocally proving the old adage that every Devil Dog will have its day...or night!!! The lusciously lounge-tastic score by maestro, Andrew Belling is furry funky indeed, and sculpting genius Stan Winston's sanguineous prosthetics are a gruesome delight! -
alexpolstonforex18 August 2006This film is great. Dog lovers should get a kick out of this movie. Seeing Zoltan lick his chops after biting both humans and fellow dogs is worth a chuckle or two. The Reinfeld-type character is probably the ugliest human being I have ever seen. Michael Pataki, seen in many more horror films such as "Grave of the Vampire" puts in another B-movie "performance." Jose Ferrer is simply there to pick up a paycheck. The dog that plays Zoltan is the second best actor in the movie. Overall, if you don't expect too much you won't be let down. Definitely a gem in the "so bad it is good" genre. Check it out while downing a few beers. You might enjoy it.
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lost-in-limbo25 June 2007A group of Russian soldiers discover the tomb of the Dracula family, and one of them foolishly removes the stake from the body of Dracula's dog Zoltan, and in which the dog raises Dracula's servant/original owner too. Needing to find the last of their master's bloodline, they end up travelling to California to discover their descendant Michael Drake and his family are going on holidays in the woods. Wanting to convert him they follow the family there, and transform dogs in the area into vampires to get the task done, but Inspector Branco has arrived to inform Michael about his problems.
How about that! Fun assured? Well not of the intentional kind or even camp, but this trashy and completely static b-flick makes for a lightweight and brainless distraction. You got a meaningful flashback from Zoltan, Dracula's dog, so we could see what a lovely dog he was before being bitten by Dracula. Yeah that's a sight to see. Actually there's quite a bit of Zoltan biting dogs and the unexpected traveller, so don't be looking for the any bathing beauties to be bitten on the neck. When we cop a grin from the dogs there are nice dental work on show, oh and the glowing eyes of pure evil was a super touch. Terrifying! I'm sure you'll think this sounds whacked! But no there's far more to share. You like puppies? Cute puppies? How about Dracula puppies? Yeah dog lovers beware. The dog's master (amusedly played by Reggie Nalder) looks likes a stunned mullet as he communicates telepathically with his mean looking mutt Zoltan, and this is quite rib tickling. This is just the cream of the crop too. A junky, and quite limited production (which is directed by Full Moon founder Albert Brand) comes across being rather grizzled and glum. The inventive concept, which is dreamt up by Frank Ray Perilli, is quite an unusual one, but it can't seem to sustain the idea and it soon becomes terribly old. There isn't enough to hang a story off it and too many holes open up. The stiff script and stuffy performances ( Michael Pataki really does grate away) added to unwanted crinkles too. Jose Ferrer doesn't seem to be putting a whole lot into his haggard performance, however he still comes off reasonably well. The dogs are the ones who out-perform their fellow co-stars. Brand might seem like his on cruise control, but he does construct some atmospheric moments within the brooding woodlands, and there are one or two intense build-ups. However most of it is downright silly to be effective, like the dog attacks involving obvious puppet work. The make-up effects are minimal and basic, and Stan Winston was part of the FX team. The photography is colourless and the hovering score hits all the generic notes with a blunt sounding synthesizer.
Watchable, but a long way from good.