Christopher Lee, who portrayed Dracula on film more than any other actor, hosts a blood-curdling search through myth and fact to uncover the truth regarding the infamous count. Based on the best-selling 1972 book by Raymond T. McNally and Radu Florescu, this fascinating documentary studies the historical Dracula and then follows the evolution of his mythical counterpart in literature, film and popular culture.
The cameras travel to the Carpathian mountains in the Transylvanian region of Romania, to the castle fortress of the fifteenth century prince Vlad Dracula. Known as Vlad The Impaler, for his nasty habit of impaling his captured enemies on sharpened wooden posts, the real-life count was a savage ruler responsible for tens of thousands of deaths, who clearly displayed an unholy delight in the shedding of blood. The film explores the vampire folk-lore still extant in the region, showing contemporary exorcism rites for the undead, and hideous footage of actual vampire bats gorging themselves. Laced with shocking surprises, this film is a must-see for all devotees of the monstrous Count Vlad.