everything you have heard about this movie is true.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

The Return of Count Yorga (1971) *** (out of 4)This sequel to COUNT YORGA, VAMPIRE finds Count Yorga (Robert Quarry) and his five vampire brides stalking out an orphanage where there are plenty of victims but along the way Yorga decides to try and take a wife.When AIP released COUNT YORGA, VAMPIRE they had no idea that it would turn out to be such a huge hit. Obviously with the film making so much money a sequel was bound to follow and THE RETURN OF COUNT YORGA didn't take long to materialize. If you're a fan of the first film then you'll probably also appreciate this sequel, which was made for much more money but in many ways it's more of a remake than anything else.I say that because this here follows a very similar story and in fact the biggest difference is obviously in the budget, which was a lot higher here. The film manages to be quite entertaining on a number of levels even with a story that's less than good. The highlight of course are the vampire brides who I thought looked quite excellent and especially in their slow-walking ways. The slow pacing of them was a major plus and I thought the look of the brides were terrific.The action picks up a lot more during the finale and there are actually some very good attack scenes. The supporting players are nice but it's Quarry who once again steals the picture as Count Yorga. I really loved the way that the actor played the role and I thought he really delivered a fun and menacing character.THE RETURN OF COUNT YORGA certainly isn't a flawless picture but it's a good one that will keep you entertained.

This film, while solid for the most part, reminds me of a scene from "Columbo", where one character says to the detective "an exciting meal has been ruined!". That's the way I felt about this film, and they say a poor ending can hurt a film, and I must agree here. While this may seem like a negative review, there's things that I did like, such as Robert Quarry's performance, and the creepy mansion in which he resides, with a bunch of slick dark rooms, and skinny stairs. Look for some familiar faces in a very young Craig T. Nelson, Mariette Hartley, Michael Pataki, and Rudy De Luca. On the other hand, there's Philip Frame, who plays Tommy, and he may be the worst actor I've ever seen, and I'm not surprised that he only has 1 more acting credit after this film. That kid also deserved that good smack, the little jerk. One of the most disappointing aspects for me is that Tommy doesn't get his just desserts he richly deserved, but that's all I'll spoil for you. There's more good scenes than bad scenes, but the bad ones almost defy vampire logic, and really hurt the film for me.

This begins well enough at an isolated orphanage with talk of strange winds advancing and there is an amazing and extensive attack not very far in. The ending is only okay, however and somehow in between the director looses the plot (what there is of it). Unlike the rather charming and effective original Yorga this one clearly has a larger budget and is well shot but horror, comedy, romance ooh, lets have a bit of one and then the other and we can always end up running about like Scooby- Do. Its not a complete mess, but really, considering the potential and the simplicity of the location it is a bit of a shambles. I see that leading lady Marietta Hartley was born in 1940 and is still working today so I shall not be rude but do not know how she was chosen for this when all that was required was a young sexy woman who could make us believe she was going to save the day. Talking of 'sexy' again this 'Yorga' is rather lacking. In that early great scene when all hell breaks loose, almost everyone seems to be wearing dressing gowns. I understand the original "Yorga' had originally been intended as a sex film but that the excellent Robert Quarry thought it should be given a chance as a straight horror. Well, that one worked and then we come down to this sexless and almost lifeless effort. Shame.

Count Yorga, "alive" and well (quite a feat considering he was killed off at the end of the first film), inexplicably falls in love with Mariette Hartley, a worker at an isolated orphanage. After his coven attacks and destroys her family (a very scary, brutal sequence) he locks her in his nearby estate and tries to make her love him. Meanwhile, some policeman figure out what's going on and go to save her. But are they any match for Yorga and his female vampires? The vampire makeup here is lousy (like the first film), the FANGS are done wrong, the dialogue is pathetic and there is LOTS of padding--there are endless sequences of people running or walking through Yorga's estate. However, the film isn't a total washout--director Robert Kelljan adds some nice directorial touches, there are a few creepy scenes and it's fun to see Hartley so young and beautiful (her acting is bad but that's more because of the dialogue). Also Craig T. Nelson is on hand as a cop. Robert Quarry as Yorga tries, but (while he was good in the first film), he looks tired and more than a little silly with the fangs. Basically, a sequel that was rushed into production...and it shows. Unless you're a vampire completist, there's really no reason to see this film.