Plot: What’s it about?
A badly burned corpse has been brought into the morgue, as delivered by the young, brash Luke (Jason London. The morgue worker on duty happens to be a woman who knows her stuff, so she instantly notices this corpse is an unusual one. The internal organs seem to have strange conditions, not the kind found on burn victims. In fact, she is certain the corpse went through some odd events before reaching her table. She believes all the blood was drained from the corpse, which prompts Luke to suggest the body belongs to a vampire. When the woman reaches into the mouth of the corpse to look for fangs, she finds them and much to her dismay, she pricks her finger on one of the sharp canines. Soon after the vampire’s identity is learned, a strange man calls offering to pick up the corpse and hand over thirty-million dollars in exchange. Now the two know the corpse is valuable and when a priest (Jason Scott Lee) arrives to perform the last rites, he discovers the body has been switched. The morgue worker’s boyfriend (Craig Sheffer) wants to experiment on the vampire, perhaps even use the special properties in its blood to restore his own health, since he suffers from a terminal disease. But is tempting fate by trying to revive the vampire a good idea, or are they making the final mistake of their lives?
No, this is not the sequel to the classic Bela Lugosi Dracula, instead its a direct to video sequel for Dimension’s Dracula 2000. I would have assumed Dracula 2001 or perhaps Dracula 2K1, but no, Dimension went with Dracula II: Ascension. I found Dracula 2000 to be a fun watch, if just for the unintentional laughs and presence of the stunning Colleen Ann Fitzpatrick, so I was eager to see if this sequel would be as entertaining. But Dracula II is not a traditional sequel, as no stars return and the storyline doesn’t continue, it simply branches off into new areas, so don’t expect a normal sequel with this picture. In addition, the tone is different and instead of a campish, fun atmosphere, Dracula II tries to be an actual horror movie. The result is ineffective, as aside from some cheap scares, this one never provides enough chills and suspense. There is some tension throughout, but it is not properly developed and maintained, which means the movie fails to be scary and by the same token, fails to entertain. I found the atmosphere to be thin, the blood content to be low, and the overall experience to be a disappointment. A few good scenes sneak in, but on the whole, Dracula II is a real clunker, even by direct to video horror standards. I can only recommend this release as a rental and even then, only to diehard horror buffs.
This movie might be called Dracula II, but the central character is a halfbreed priest, played by Jason Scott Lee. Lee hasn’t been in all that many movies, but his experience in action driven roles is substantial. And since he needs to be an action driven badass in Dracula II, that experience ensures he can handle his role well. But he has also worked in several horror themed pictures, which is also good, since Dracula II tries to be an eerie project. But as we know, Lee has never been able to carry a movie himself, so how would he manage in this one? As usual, Lee finds himself surrounded by supporting players, so while his role is substantial, he is by no means asked to shoulder the burden of this production. Which is good news, since without the help of his costars, Lee’s performance would suffer, without question. But when he is able to push some of that burden onto his costars, his work stands as quite solid. He is able to play his role well enough, but at times, his presence is less than impressive. Even so, given the low depth of the material and level of the performances around him, Lee’s work is acceptable. Other films with Lee include Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, The Jungle Book, Arabian Nights, Tale of the Mummy, and Soldier. The cast also includes Jason London (Broken Vessels, Poor White Trash), Roy Sheider (Jaws, All That Jazz), and Craig Sheffer (Hellraiser: Inferno, Nightbreed).
Video: How does it look?
Dracula II: Ascension is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. This might have been a direct to video release shot on a modest budget, but you wouldn’t know it from this impressive scope presentation. The print is clean, with only a few small pops to mention and this looks like a theatrical release, not a made for video production. I mean that most direct to video titles have a less than refined visual texture, but in the case of Dracula II, it looks like a theatrical project, as the image is crisp and slick throughout. This movie has a lot of darkness, but grain is minimal and contrast more than holds the line. So detail remains high at all times, which means no visual touches wind up lost in the shadows. No troubles with colors either, though the visuals often bathe the screen in certain hues, so expect lots of reds and blues. So even by normal theatrical film standards, Dracula II looks damn good.
Audio: How does it sound?
Not to be outdone by the visuals, the audio is also quite impressive, thanks to a well crafted Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. As you’d expect with a film loaded with cheap scares, there’s ample instances to spook the viewer and this track delivers. I was surprised by the amount and power of bass in this mix, as the subwoofer gets an intense workout. The bass never drowns out the other elements, but man, this one has a ton of deep, rich bass. The surrounds also provide a lot of active moments, but the mix has a natural, immersive presence. So the audio is powerful and aggressive, but never hollow or forced, which is excellent news. I found dialogue to be clean and clear also, so in the end, this is one terrific audio presentation. This disc also includes optional English subtitles, should you need those.
Supplements: What are the extras?
The main supplement here is an audio commentary track, which features director Patrick Lussier, writer Joel Soisson, and makeup effects supervisor Gary Tunnicliffe. This proves to be a solid session, as the trio provides an ample amount of behind the scenes insights. A lot of time is spent on the trials of shooting in Romania, including several stories about culture clashes that were quite humorous. A number of anecdotes are also to be found, while Tunnicliffe talks about how the special effects were created. All in all, a good session and if you’re a horror movie fan, one you won’t want to miss. This disc also includes four deleted scenes, as well as a substantial amount of audition footage.
