Bloodthirsty Rose

Chi o suu bara, AKA The Evil of Dracula

Reviewed By-Sean Patrick Dolan
Year:  1974
Director:  Michio Yamamoto
Cast:  Toshio Kurosawa, Kunie Tanaka, Katsuhiko Sasaki, Shin Kisida, Mariko Mochizuki



Professor Shiraki (Toshio Kurosawa), of Tokyo, takes a new job at a girls' school in the country.  He gets off the train and learns that no bus runs to the remote location, but then realizes that a car has been sent for him, driven by the Principal's personal assistant, Professor Yoshi (Katsuhiko Sasaki).  Along the way, Yoshi informs him of the recent death of the Principal's wife.  They pull up to the Principal's house, a large imposing mansion located near the school.  Shiraki enters and is soon greeted by the Principal (Kunie Tanaka) who informs him that in the light of the recent tragedy and his failing health, he would like Shiraki to take over his position as principal after
the fast approaching winter break.  That night Shiraki has a terrible nightmare.  In his dream he awakens to a female voice singing, and when he investigates he encounters a young woman who is bleeding from her breast as well as the Principal's dead wife risen from her casket in the basement- she is being kept their for a period of seven days, a local tradition. 

The next morning he ventures into the basement and confirms that the Principal's wife is still in her coffin, but he is caught by the Principal and severely reprimanded for violating her place of rest.  Later that day he meets the school's physician, Doc Shimimura (Shin Kisida), who tells him more about the school, and how each year a few young women disappear from the premises- including one this year, a girl named Keiko. The Principal likes to keep these disappearances quiet, for the sake of the school's reputation.  Shimimura also reveals that he is fascinated by the supernatural and the occult, and has done extensive research into the local legends and superstitions, particularly those concerning vampires. Shiraki also meets three of his students, the roommates Kumi (Mariko Mochizuki), Kyoko, and Yukiko. 



Later that night, Kyoko is attacked, but she tells no one, merely returns to the dorm room and takes to her bed.  The next day in class she becomes hysterical and then faints.  Doc pronounces it a mere case of exhaustion, but Shiraki is not so sure- especially after Kumi has confirmed that the girl in his dream matched Keiko's description perfectly.  He notices an odd set of bites on her chest, and later shares this observation with Doc, who though skeptical, has a lot to tell him about his local research.  He tells Shiraki of a local legend concerning a European man who was shipwrecked in Japan two hundred years ago and who was forced to renounce his Christian religion.  Many believed that he then became a vampire, making his first victim of a local girl.  He also tells Shiraki that ten years ago another new professor, Shimuzaki, was offered the position as principal, but something he saw at the school drove him mad and he has since been confined to a nearby insane asylum. When Doc produces the old professor's diary, they discover that the odd series of events form a pattern going back to the school's origin, and they now believe that the Principal and his wife are vampires, and that the girls, Yukiko and Kumi, who have volunteered to remain at school to care for their sick friend Kyoko may be in terrible danger. 

It is up to Professor Shiraki and the Doc to protect the girls and defeat the evil that has hidden itself in this seemingly innocent school.  Predictably, the police do not believe their accusations, even after Kyoko dies in questionable circumstances and Yukiko falls ill as well, with the Principal himself being seen by witnesses at the scene of the crime.   



I found this film by Michio Yamamoto (Lake of Dracula AKA Bloodthirsty Eyes, Bloodsucking Doll) to be a great Japanese take on the familiar story of Dracula.  It was made at the same time as the Hammer films starring Christopher Lee, and struck me as very similar in style to them.  The dark gothic atmosphere of the Principal's mansion and the school dormitory are effective, as is the soundtrack.  Kurosawa and Kisida played their roles well as Harker and Van Helsing and the Principal, Tanaka, was indeed a very energetic vampire.  Sasaki also steals a few scenes as the Baudelaire quoting Renfield to Tanaka's Dracula.  The plot is compelling enough, with Shiraki and the Doc trying in vain to alert the authorities to the true nature of the Principal, who is well entrenched as a respectable member of society.  Some of the subplots are left unfinished, such as what exactly happened to Professor Shimuzaki to put him in an asylum and also the connection between the European vampire and the school- but these elements were necessary and did well to flesh out the film to its full length of 87 minutes.  While this film does not contain the degree of graphic violence or naked female flesh of most flicks of the Hammer era, it is still a well-paced, intelligent and fun campy romp- the last 15 minutes are pure action as Shiraki and Kumi ultimately defeat the undead after many pitched battles.

The availability of this film, should you be interested, is somewhat sketchy.  I reviewed a VHS copy of this film a friend provided with dubbed English voices that were not too poorly done. The alternate title "Bloodthirsty Rose" occurred as a result of the odd motif of white roses present in the girls' dormitory, which always prick the girls and draw blood.  After the Principal feeds on Yukiko, the rose turns blood red.  However, I am not aware of any commercial VHS release under this title.  I do know that this film was released on VHS as the "Evil of Dracula" in the US and Canada, and it is selling for an appallingly high price on Amazon.com- don't get me wrong, the film is worth seeing, but I would look for a better bargain.
3.5 Bitch Slaps

 

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