CINEMA RETRO EXCLUSIVE! A CONVERSATION WITH THE "DRIVE-IN DRACULA", ZANDOR VORKOV – Cinema Retro

(Above: Raphael Peter Engel (aka Zandor Vorkov) today.

BY MARK CERULLI

When you think of Dracula, some iconic names immediatelycome to mind Bela Lugosi, Christopher Lee, Gary Oldman, Jack Palance and RaphaelEngel.

Wait.

Who?

Raphael Peter Engel, akaZandor Vorkov played the thirsty count in one of the most unique films tofeature the immortal character 1971s Dracula vs Frankenstein, made bythe prolific B-movie team of director Al Adamson and co-writer/producer SamSherman.

Both the actor and the filmitself took a very circuitous route to come into being. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Raphael (then knownas Roger) grew up with a younger brother in Miami, Florida. We did Saturdaymatinees two films, cartoons, a short, popcorn and Id walk down many blocksto the theater, Raphael recalls in an exclusive Cinema Retro interview. That influenced me. Wed come home and playthe characters we had seen.

He shipped out to Vietnamin 1965, coming under enemy fire as soon as he stepped off the troop carrier. Afterserving a year in the Army I made it out without a scratch, Engelreturned to late 1960s New York where he managed record stores in GothamsGreenwich village while soaking up the eras vibrant music scene. A collector of life stories, one of hisfavorites is helping Stevie Wonder make some record choices on a Christmas Eve.He also hung out with music producer Gary Katz (Steely Dan, Jim Croce) anddrifted into the world of film finance. (Contrary to popular belief, he wasnever a stockbroker.) Raphael didntknow it, but this was all leading up to his donning Draculas cape.

Dracula Vs Frankenstein started out as a totally different film SatansBlood Freaks, later titled The Blood Seekers and meant to bea sequel to Sherman and Adamsons 1969 effort, Satans Sadists (The First Biker Horror Movie!). Tapping into national unease over the Mansonmurders, marauding biker gangs and occultism, Satans Sadists was a hit.

Satans Blood Freaks/TheBlood Seekers starred The Wolfmanhimself, Lon Chaney Jr. (in his final role), J. Carrol Naish (his final role), AlAdamsons wife, Regina Carrol (billed as the Freak Out Girl in SatanSadists), Angelo Rossitto from 1932s Freaks and returning castmember Russ Tamblyn more famous for his work in West Side Story. Theplot followed a mad doctor Durea (Naish) hiding out in a seaside sideshow, whoselumbering henchman (Chaney) murdered people on the beach so he could reanimatetheir bodies. The results weredisappointing at best. There was talk ofjust shelving the film, but Sherman wanted to take a crack at fixing it byintroducing the iconic characters of Dracula and the Frankenstein monster. As he was rewriting the script, he and Adamson arranged a screening oftheir film and Raphael was there with a financier. Although Sherman wanted to tap John Carradineto play Dracula (as he had in Universals House of Frankenstein and Houseof Dracula), they didnt want to pay his fee. Adamson took note of the tall, gaunt,assistant with the jet black Afro and popped the question, Howd you like to play Count Dracula? Funnily enough, Raphael didnt even likehorror films but he accepted the challenge. It became an adventure, Raphaelsays, adding, When I commit tosomething, I really care about people and want to do the best I can so I pushedthrough my own resistance and thought, How do I play this role?

Although he recalled seeingLugosis epic performance (It definitely set the tone for everything) Raphaeltried to make the part his own. I did everything I could to embody what myyoung self understood a vampire (to be). How did he rate his turn as the Count? It was different. to say theleast. The other guys who played it were subtler and didnt have long curlyhair and I was younger.

While the film wasdecidedly low budget, it was a fairly easy shoot. There was no tension thereexcept with J. Caroll Naish, who we found out later was hurting like mad (dueto osteoporosis.) Raphael remembers. Angelo (Rossitto) kept to himself Inever remember him smiling Regina Carrol was as nice as could be and JohnBloom (the Frankenstein monster) was in makeup for hours. (Sam Sherman has a memorable tale of seeingthe 7-foot Bloom becoming more and more impatient in the makeup chair. Finally, the producer said, John, what elsedo you have to do? Bloom replied, Itstax season. Im an accountant!) LonChaneys scenes had been shot two years earlier, so young Raphael never got achance to meet the Wolfman. (Chaney, a heavy smoker and drinker, wassuffering from throat cancer during production and died of heart failure in1973.)

Dr. Dureas (Frankenstein)lab scenes were shot at the Hollywood Stages in West Hollywood, utilizing studioalleys and the soundstage roof. Althoughdone on the cheap, the production did utilizethe same electro-magnetic gear from 1931s Frankenstein, created byelectrical effects wizard, Kenneth Strickfaden. It kept me on my toes,Raphael recalled. I walked onto the set and somebody said Stay back, Dracthose are live! Along with genuinecamp, the film offers a rare opportunity to see the original Frankensteinelectric gear in color.

Another member of the eclecticcast was longtime Famous Monsters of Filmland editor, Forrest J. Ackerman,playing an enemy of Dr. Frankensteins. Dracula appears in his car, directing him to a spot where the Frankensteinmonster is waiting. Raphael remembersthe legendary editor as being A nice guy he was really into it. Ackerman returned the favor by puttingRaphael on the cover of Famous Monsters issue #89. That was an honor, he says. (Ackerman also came up with Raphaelsdistinctive screen name Zandor, from Church of Satan founder Anton SzandorLaVey and Vorkov because it sorta sounded like Karloff!)

(Above: J.Carroll Naish with Forry Ackerman on the set.)

Originally the film wassupposed to end with the count being impaled on a pipe as Regina Carrol escapedwith her beau (Hawaiian Eye star Anthony Eisley). Sam Sherman considered that ending to be weakso he came up with a new one taking place in an abandoned church. Raphael and Carrol were flown back East andthe climax was filmed in rural Somers, New York. Not having the funds to fly John Bloom in,the monster was played by Raphaels former record store boss, Shelly Weiss.(We just need a big guy who we could make up and follow directions and he(Shelly) went nuts, he loved it and he got to tell everybody that story.)

They gave me a differentcloak and they handed me some Halloween plastic teeth, somebody put clown whiteall over me and that made for a fun movie, Raphael recalls with a laugh. Yes, the Count was wearing those upper andlower cheapo plastic fangs every 1960s kid wore at Halloween!

(Above: Regina Carrol and Lon Chaney Jr. in a candid moment.)

Fake fangs or not, Draculaliterally tears the monster limb from limb, finally ripping off his head. Draculasshocking act of violence is totally at odds with the gentle, civic-mindedactor. Everybody who knows me said You did what? Raphael recalls. Threeyears later, Monty Pythons Terry Gilliam riffed off the grisly sequence withthe memorable scene of King Arthur (Graham Chapman) dismembering the BlackKnight (John Cleese) in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Interestingly, Gilliam once worked with SamSherman at Warren Publications, publisher of Famous Monsters.

(Above: John Bloom watches director Al Adamson blocking a shot.)

When asked his reaction onseeing the completed film for the first time, Raphael responds with a heartylaugh, adding, I reached for another drink.

Although he starred inanother Sherman/Adamson film, 1971s Brain of Blood, Raphaels Hollywoodexperience was coming to an end. He actually landed an agent who sent him outon some auditions, then cut him loose saying Hollywood is about types andyoure the same type as Anthony Perkins. Everybody knows him, nobody knows you. Raphael took the typical Hollywoodsoul-crushing in stride: I did it. That was fun, that was weird. Thank youvery much, see ya.

(Above: John Bloom, Sam Sherman, Zandor Vorkov & Al Adamson.)

The actor moved back Eastand had careers in local marketing and publishing. I had other interests. I went on and did alot of other things. He also volunteered helping adults with disabilities andfounded an improvisational theater group.

Although the film endured somewithering reviews, it still has plenty of loyal fans. Along with the final work of Chaney andNaish, Dracula vs Frankenstein provides a snapshot of a turbulent timein Hollywood and America where conservative values were crashing into hippies,anti-war sentiment and psychedelia. Still, Raphael is proud of his work in thequintessential drive-in movie saying, A lot of people go to Hollywood to bediscovered and we know how that usually goes. Not a lot of people get to havethat experience, but I did.

(Above: Actor Anthony Eisley with Al Adamson.)

If all this has whet yourappetite to see Dracula vs Frankenstein on the big screen, youre inluck the film will be making a retro road trip across the country through thefall with a drive-in tour featuring cultclassics from Producer Sam Shermans Independent-International Pictureslibrary. The experience starts May 26that The Circle Drive-In in Dickson City, PA, with other dates to follow. Sherman and Engel have also teamed up tohonor the memory of their late friend, director Al Adamson with an audienceparticipation stunt entitled The Vampires Oath of Blood, which will airprior to screenings of Dracula vs Frankenstein. Featuring Raphael, akaZandor Vorkov, as Count Dracula, the public service announcement for Drive-In blooddrives is an update of Shermans legendary Oath of Green Blood intro to TheMad Doctor of Blood Island which invited audience members to drink a greenconcoction to protect them from turning into zombies. Raphael has decided to embrace his alter ego,Zandor Vorkov, and will be developing the character with Sherman on futureprojects.

In other words, the drive-in Drac isback!

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CINEMA RETRO EXCLUSIVE! A CONVERSATION WITH THE "DRIVE-IN DRACULA", ZANDOR VORKOV - Cinema Retro