Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12377 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-08-02
• Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 85 minutes

Synopsis
The great Peter Cushing stars, once again, as Professor Van Helsing in this fun collaboration from the mighty Hammer Studios and Hong Kong's Shaw Brothers combining the vampire and kung fu genres. Fists of fury meet fearsome fangs as the vampire hunter persuades a gang of black belts, in 1904 Chungking, to help him put an end to the bloodthirsty horror of Dracula. The film was butchered by 14 minutes and released as 'The Seven Brothers Meet Dracula' for its US release.

Customer Reviews

Kung Fu Biting
An incredible fusion of kung fu and vampire mythology which was Hammer films penultimate full length horror. There are some striking set pieces such as the the undead army rising from the earth and hobbling across the ground, and really this is one of Hammers most visually arresting films. Peter Cushing brings his usual dignity to the role of Van Helsing and the film moves at a rapid pace. I have read a few snotty reviews of this film in the past, entirely unjustified.
An excellent film

The infamous guilty pleasure Kung Fu flick from Hammer
In the old days there was "Billy the Kid Meets Dracula," but for our generation it was "Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires," or, as it was released in the U.S. (with severe cuts) "The Seven Brothers Meet Dracula." This Hammer film has essentially nothing to do with any of the other Dracula or vampire movies produced by the studio, although Peter Cushing is back once again as Professor Van Helsing. What it does have to do with is the kung-fu craze sparked by all those fun Bruce Lee movies and the fact that Far Eastern audiences had been eating up Hammer's movies for years. Thus we have this collaboration between Hammer and the Shaw Brothers of Hong Kong (insert gong sound here).

It seems that back in 1804 a Chinese priest named Kah made his way to the castle of Dracula (John Forbes-Robertson this time around), to ask the Count to revive the seven vampires of his cult back in China. Dracula agrees and then we jump ahead a century to find Van Helsing lecturing on vampires in Chungking. While relating the legend of the seven golden vampires (so named becomes masks of beaten gold hide their ugly faces), he meets with Hsi Ching (David Chiang), who knows of the Professor's winning streak against Dracula and begs him to help save his village from the vampires. Ching has six brothers (hence the American title) and a sister, who are all martial arts experts. There is a bit more exposition, and then we get down to some serious fighting between the vampires and the brothers Ching. Actually, for its time, the martial arts sequences are above average. Cushing has his part nailed, as well he should by this point in his career, and Chiang is a passable Lee-clone. This one is fun, a classic example of how crazy ideas can work in the wacky world of the movies. Check this one out.

Peter Cushing vs. Kung Fu vampires
Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires has Professor Van Helsing (played by Peter Cushing) travel to China in the hopes of studying oriental vampires nut while there he and his son are recruited to save an isolated village from its own vampire menace.

This film is highly cheesy but no less fun because of that. Much of the score and many of the sets look like they have been borrowed from an episode of the original Star Trek series but this is more humorous than annoying. With a mix of western and eastern vampire mythology and so fun action sequences, the film is definitely worth watching and is something of a cult classic.