Saw this as a child in the 70's on Creature Features w/Bob Wilkins, which introduced me to a myriad of salient horror & sci fi films like Night of the Living Dead, Forbidden Planet, Equinox (cheesy but the end terrified me), Invasion of the Body Snatchers & many others. Deathmaster starts w/an iconic 1st few minutes but later degenerates. Still dig the perfect opening & other fun/cool moments + historical relevance. Thanks for posting.
For those of you who are interested, here's a quick little background on this film. Basically, Robert Quarry was the driving force behind the making of this film titled "The Deathmaster". Quarry's performance as a charming and refined vampire Count in "Count Yorga Vampire" had won him praises from both critics and movie goers alike. The Yorga film had unexpectedly scored big at the box office, having grossed 20 million just in its opening weekend (That would be like $200 million today). With a mere cost of less than $100,000 ($1 million by today's standards) there was a large sum of profit for those who owned the rights to the film. Originally the financiers had wanted to make the Count Yorga film into a softcore porn but Quarry had convinced them to make it into a straight horror instead. Quarry's instincts had paid off and paid off big, but not for him. Quarry had been paid a very small sum for his role as Count Yorga. Not sure if there was going to be a sequel to Yorga and wanting to make himself a share of the profits from his stint as an elegant and charismatic vampire Count (while the memory was still fresh in the movie goers minds), Quarry went ahead with the production of "The Deathmaster" . In the end though, those who owned the rights to the Count Yorga film felt like there were too many similarities between the two films. For one, the nickname "the deathmaster" had been used generously in the promotional posters of the Count Yorga film. Then there was the fact that the name of Quarry's vampire in "The Deathmaster" film was Khorda, which rhymes with "Yorga". Then there was the fact that both Yorga and Khorda each had one physically formidable bodyguard, that didn't talk much, to watch over them during the day. Then the fact that both bodyguards drove their master around in a coffin which was placed in the back of a red truck in the beginning of both films. Then there was a very similar scene in both films where, right before Quarry's character attacked a victim, the crickets got louder and louder until right before the attack, they became completely silent. The creators of the Count Yorga character and those who owned the rights to the film (AIP American International Pictures), felt like Quarry's "Khorda" in "The Deathmaster" was a cheap rip off of the original "Count Yorga". This subsequently led to a lawsuit which ended when Robert Quarry sold the rights to "The Deathmaster" for a sum that was not much more than what the film had cost to produce. AIP wrote off the purchase as a tax write off, so they were satisfied. As part of the bargain, Quarry had been promised a role in the highly anticipated sequel to the original Count Yorga, most likely with a significant pay increase and so he was satisfied. In the end, what we have here is a film which is both interesting and intriguing. It's an exploitation film in every sense of the word and it's a true tribute to the 70's, with Quarry later admitting that the lead character was undoubtedly based on Charles Manson, at a time when the United States was still in utter shock from those notoriously gruesome, sinister murders. Perhaps not as engaging and as captivating as the Count Yorga franchise, but it's without a doubt a cult classic and a treat for any fan of horror movies from that era. What makes the film interesting, is that it's not just trying to be entertaining. It's also trying to make a statement. A statement about the disenchantment of the era, the coming of age, the uncertainty that many experience during their youth and most important of all, a warning. A warning to be weary and cautious of those elder guru figures who seem to want nothing more than to guide those lost souls, but perhaps, underneath the surface, have a much more sinister agenda.
sh a... I'm a huge, HUGE fan of this film, saw it when I was a young boy in the late 70s early 80s on the local Pittsburgh Chiller theater program and it has haunted me ever since, still holds up wonderfully (Bill JAWS Butler's cinematography is utterly gorgeous, and he also did a terrific job on the Return Of Count Yorga the following year) and I think THE DEATHMASTER may be my favorite out of all three AIP Quarry vampire films, and that's saying something, as I think all 3 are stone-cold classic 70s vampire films. You summed up the history behind this film very well! I wish Retromedia or Twilight time would release a Blu-ray of this cult classic, the DVD from Retromedia has a fabulous commentary with Robert Quarry and Fred Olen Ray, highly recommended listen and very entertaining chat between two old friends.
A product of its time but has iconic scenes that don't easily fade from memory. I even liked the score! Robert Quarry, does every high-brow ghoul proud! R.I.P. John Fiedler.
Thanks for posting. This was one of my favorite horror movies as a child. It was on tv during "Creature Double Feature" like every Saturday. Total flashback. Still like it lots! .. * spoiler alert * does speak to how nice hippies searching for enlightenment can get seduced... and to how dynamic people can seem to have the answers, but actually only be out for themselves.
The actor who played Pops looks familiar. I think he was in a Superman TV show in the 50's and played a scientist. Anyway, this was such a good commentary on cult worship Thank you for posting
Saw this on TV late night . Vietnam had ended but counter culture still lingered . I have seen some trash reviews from probably aging hippies turned MAGA but I was a high schooler at the time and I enjoyed the movie . Robert Quarry was the coolest vampire , second only to Jonathan Frid’s Barnabus Collins .
This was one of the films I saw on WILKIN'S " Creature Features" while growing up , but I am confused . There seems to be two versons of the film . I saw one where the Count and his followers are in the Castle towards the end of the other film and a whole bunch of bats breaks through a stained window and devoures the Vampires , but some one correct me , but I sware there are two versions of this story ?
john marciano I believe the film John Marciano has in mind is 1963's "Kiss of the Vampire", which is also Hammer's first Vampire film without Christopher Lee's Dracula or Peter Cushing's Van Helsing
+john marciano I think the film with the swarm of bats at the end is a British Hammer film called Kiss of the Vampire. Similar plot where vampires run a cult, but not the same movie.
The film with the swarm of bats attacking and killing the vampires at its climax is indeed Hammer's KISS OF THE VAMPIRE. Interestingly, that ending was originally intended for the film BRIDES OF DRACULA, where Cushing as Van Helsing was to summon the bats, but Cushing nixed the idea as he felt, rightly so, that the good doctor would not have resorted to black magic.
Have this on video collection,but yet to watch.Think Quarry is good actor,too bad Vincent Price took offense when told Quarry was going to take over as the new king of horror flicks,which never did happen,truth be told.
For some reason the thought of waiting that bag of potato chips when they are obviously living on the loaf. Not knowing when there next me will comes from seems off to me lol
Another good vampire film from this era was GRAVE OF THE VAMPIRE. That was REALLY good!
Saw this as a child in the 70's on Creature Features w/Bob Wilkins, which introduced me to a myriad of salient horror & sci fi films like Night of the Living Dead, Forbidden Planet, Equinox (cheesy but the end terrified me), Invasion of the Body Snatchers & many others. Deathmaster starts w/an iconic 1st few minutes but later degenerates. Still dig the perfect opening & other fun/cool moments + historical relevance. Thanks for posting.
Love watching Bob Wilkinson and Creature Feature when I was a kid.
Exactly - I saw it on Creature Features, too. Classic!
For those of you who are interested, here's a quick little background on this film.
Basically, Robert Quarry was the driving force behind the making of this film titled "The Deathmaster". Quarry's performance as a charming and refined vampire Count in "Count Yorga Vampire" had won him praises from both critics and movie goers alike. The Yorga film had unexpectedly scored big at the box office, having grossed 20 million just in its opening weekend (That would be like $200 million today). With a mere cost of less than $100,000 ($1 million by today's standards) there was a large sum of profit for those who owned the rights to the film. Originally the financiers had wanted to make the Count Yorga film into a softcore porn but Quarry had convinced them to make it into a straight horror instead. Quarry's instincts had paid off and paid off big, but not for him.
Quarry had been paid a very small sum for his role as Count Yorga. Not sure if there was going to be a sequel to Yorga and wanting to make himself a share of the profits from his stint as an elegant and charismatic vampire Count (while the memory was still fresh in the movie goers minds), Quarry went ahead with the production of "The Deathmaster" . In the end though, those who owned the rights to the Count Yorga film felt like there were too many similarities between the two films. For one, the nickname "the deathmaster" had been used generously in the promotional posters of the Count Yorga film. Then there was the fact that the name of Quarry's vampire in "The Deathmaster" film was Khorda, which rhymes with "Yorga". Then there was the fact that both Yorga and Khorda each had one physically formidable bodyguard, that didn't talk much, to watch over them during the day. Then the fact that both bodyguards drove their master around in a coffin which was placed in the back of a red truck in the beginning of both films. Then there was a very similar scene in both films where, right before Quarry's character attacked a victim, the crickets got louder and louder until right before the attack, they became completely silent.
The creators of the Count Yorga character and those who owned the rights to the film (AIP American International Pictures), felt like Quarry's "Khorda" in "The Deathmaster" was a cheap rip off of the original "Count Yorga". This subsequently led to a lawsuit which ended when Robert Quarry sold the rights to "The Deathmaster" for a sum that was not much more than what the film had cost to produce. AIP wrote off the purchase as a tax write off, so they were satisfied. As part of the bargain, Quarry had been promised a role in the highly anticipated sequel to the original Count Yorga, most likely with a significant pay increase and so he was satisfied.
In the end, what we have here is a film which is both interesting and intriguing. It's an exploitation film in every sense of the word and it's a true tribute to the 70's, with Quarry later admitting that the lead character was undoubtedly based on Charles Manson, at a time when the United States was still in utter shock from those notoriously gruesome, sinister murders. Perhaps not as engaging and as captivating as the Count Yorga franchise, but it's without a doubt a cult classic and a treat for any fan of horror movies from that era. What makes the film interesting, is that it's not just trying to be entertaining. It's also trying to make a statement. A statement about the disenchantment of the era, the coming of age, the uncertainty that many experience during their youth and most important of all, a warning. A warning to be weary and cautious of those elder guru figures who seem to want nothing more than to guide those lost souls, but perhaps, underneath the surface, have a much more sinister agenda.
sh a... I'm a huge, HUGE fan of this film, saw it when I was a young boy in the late 70s early 80s on the local Pittsburgh Chiller theater program and it has haunted me ever since, still holds up wonderfully (Bill JAWS Butler's cinematography is utterly gorgeous, and he also did a terrific job on the Return Of Count Yorga the following year) and I think THE DEATHMASTER may be my favorite out of all three AIP Quarry vampire films, and that's saying something, as I think all 3 are stone-cold classic 70s vampire films. You summed up the history behind this film very well! I wish Retromedia or Twilight time would release a Blu-ray of this cult classic, the DVD from Retromedia has a fabulous commentary with Robert Quarry and Fred Olen Ray, highly recommended listen and very entertaining chat between two old friends.
Excellently written, and very well put
A product of its time but has iconic scenes that don't easily fade from memory. I even liked the score! Robert Quarry, does every high-brow ghoul proud! R.I.P. John Fiedler.
Robert Quarry is terrifying vampire. Count Yorga scared the shit out of me at 13 years old. Lmao
Pretty good Hippy-Dippy Vampire Movie; and well worth the Price paid !
This is one of my favorite vampire movies-thanks for posting it.
The true origin of vampires in Santa Carla
The great Robert Quarry in action.
Scared crap out of me when I was a kid
@9:15 hmmmm ... Topanga Canyon ...who else was around there in the late 60s? Maybe Charles Manson. Great upload!!
Thanks for posting. This was one of my favorite horror movies as a child. It was on tv during "Creature Double Feature" like every Saturday. Total flashback.
Still like it lots! .. * spoiler alert * does speak to how nice hippies searching for enlightenment can get seduced... and to how dynamic people can seem to have the answers, but actually only be out for themselves.
The actor who played Pops looks familiar. I think he was in a Superman TV show in the 50's and played a scientist. Anyway, this was such a good commentary on cult worship
Thank you for posting
That was John Fiedler. He played one of the jurors in 12 Angry Men and made many guest appearances on various shows. Excellent actor. 😀
The Yorga vampire saga is awesome
Right. Both movies were great. Robert Quarry was set to become the next vampire taking the torch from Sir Christopher Lee but sadly he died
none like it
Great film
Que bueno esta película la buscaba no me acordaba el nombre, buenísima de vampiros.
Always thought this was a very good issue for a movie...seen it when i was younger but could never remember the name.
funky biker music kicks in around 6:00:
Took me forever to find this "underground" film. Couldn't remember the title.
Saw this on TV late night . Vietnam had ended but counter culture still lingered . I have seen some trash reviews from probably aging hippies turned MAGA but I was a high schooler at the time and I enjoyed the movie . Robert Quarry was the coolest vampire , second only to Jonathan Frid’s Barnabus Collins .
3:16- Vampire bursts into flames, movie over.
This a good movie it's count yorga as a hippie
is that Bobby Pickett playing the guitar and singing?
Can someone put on the whole of Count Yorga?
Where’s the sound?
This is the third in the Count Yorga trilogy isn't it?
@Retro7
sorry for the delay, the rest is available now.
Oh yeah n Yorga never bites any of the hippies so they just auto' turn n2 vamp from the spirit of the music?
This was one of the films I saw on WILKIN'S " Creature Features" while growing up , but I am confused . There seems to be two versons of the film . I saw one where the Count and his followers are in the Castle towards the end of the other film and a whole bunch of bats breaks through a stained window and devoures the Vampires , but some one correct me , but I sware there are two versions of this story ?
It may be Count Yorga
john marciano I believe the film John Marciano has in mind is 1963's "Kiss of the Vampire", which is also Hammer's first Vampire film without Christopher Lee's Dracula or Peter Cushing's Van Helsing
+john marciano I think the film with the swarm of bats at the end is a British Hammer film called Kiss of the Vampire. Similar plot where vampires run a cult, but not the same movie.
The film with the swarm of bats attacking and killing the vampires at its climax is indeed Hammer's KISS OF THE VAMPIRE. Interestingly, that ending was originally intended for the film BRIDES OF DRACULA, where Cushing as Van Helsing was to summon the bats, but Cushing nixed the idea as he felt, rightly so, that the good doctor would not have resorted to black magic.
Different movie
"Robert Quarry, aka, 'Bob the Brick!"
Anotha pt. is the movie didn't xplain how Barbado kno's the group n y he just opened up the house to them?
Wow, this is like reading a comment from a five-year-old.
Sum body xplain the opening scene?
Please learn English .
It's self explanatory
Man this music lol.
@CVForty3 yep, you got it. Good eyes CV
Looks as if he ashes r n the vile but it can't b-cuz the kid opens the casket. I'm gonna assume Yorga is n there!
In English, please?
Back then when weed wasnt laced with a million chemicals.
Have this on video collection,but yet to watch.Think Quarry is good actor,too bad Vincent Price took offense when told Quarry was going to take over as the new king of horror flicks,which never did happen,truth be told.
For some reason the thought of waiting that bag of potato chips when they are obviously living on the loaf. Not knowing when there next me will comes from seems off to me lol