THE ORIGINAL DRIVE-IN DRACULA IS BACK!
SILVER SCREEN’S OLDEST LIVING DRACULA, ZANDOR VORKOV, COMES OUT OF THE CASKET AS A CAPED CRUSADER FOR DRIVE-IN BLOOD DRIVES DURING COVID-19 CRISIS
Charlottesville, Virginia, May 14, 2020 – After almost a fifty-year absence from the Silver
Screen, the actor known as Zandor Vorkov who appeared in Al
Adamson’s and Sam Sherman’s camp classics, DRACULA VS FRANKENSTEIN
(1971) and BRAIN OF BLOOD (1971), has decided to return to the Big Screen as the
original blood seeker, Count Dracula. However, this time it is for a worthy and heroic
cause.
In light of the COVID-19 crisis and the associated blood drive cancellations and blood
shortages that some hospitals are facing, Zandor has decided to don the cape and
fangs once again as “The Count” to get a critical message out to the public: to donate
blood. He is recording a special public service announcement encouraging
audiences to participate with hospital and community blood drives. The three-minute
audience participation spot will play prior to screenings of the film DRACULA VS
FRANKENSTEIN with selected bookings at drive-ins across the country. DRACULA VS
FRANKENSTEIN is one of the films included in Sam Sherman’s Retro Road Show
“Camp Classics” Tour of the Independent-International Pictures Corp. library. The
show starts at The Circle Drive-In in Dickson City, PA (near Scranton/Carbondale) on
May 26 at 9pm with additional shows to follow.
Community service has been a big part of the actor known as Zandor’s life. “The Great American Drive-In and horror genre fans are all about community,” Vorkov said. He believes the message to support local blood drives and donations is a “good cause” and can make a
big and positive difference during the crisis that America’s hospitals are currently
facing. “Like Count Dracula, we will always need blood to stay alive.”
The opportunity to work with his long-time friend, DRACULA VS FRANKENSTEIN
producer Sam Sherman, on a new, audience participation gimmick called “THE
VAMPIRE’S OATH OF BLOOD” also compelled Engel to participate as the original
“Drive-In Dracula.” Sherman was the brains behind the classic drive-in campaign and
gimmick called “THE OATH OF GREEN BLOOD” for the Tiki creature feature, THE
MAD DOCTOR OF BLOOD ISLAND (1968).
The man known as Zandor has an interesting backstory. He is a
Vietnam Veteran and served overseas in 1965 -1966.
Zandor was born in Cleveland, Ohio and raised in Miami Beach, Florida. He studied
acting at The Pasadena Playhouse in California and apprenticed at The Cleveland
Playhouse.
Speaking of Cleveland, the birthplace of Rock and Roll, Zandor had some interesting
connections to the music business. After his tour of duty in Vietnam, Raphael hung out
and assisted ‘70s record producer & A&R man, Gary Katz (Jim Croce, Steely Dan, etc.)
He also managed a small chain of record stores in Greenwich Village and Uptown
New York City.
While in NYC, he went on to raise monies for Sam Sherman and Al Adamson’s
distribution business which eventually became Independent-International Pictures Corp.
The myth that has been perpetuated is that Zandor was a stockbroker when he took
the role of Dracula … which wasn’t the case.
Zandor was chosen to play the role of Dracula by director Al Adamson since the 1970s
production could not afford veteran actor John Carradine, who portrayed the Count in
Universal’s monster matchups, HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1944) and HOUSE OF
DRACULA (1945). According to producer Sam Sherman, Adamson wanted a
contemporary looking Dracula who looked of the times. “It was the Age of Aquarius,
Hair, Charles Manson and Woodstock when we made DRACULA VS FRANKENSTEIN,”
Sherman recalls. “The film was originally conceived as SATAN’S BLOOD FREAKS and
shot as THE BLOOD SEEKERS before we added the classic monster match-up plot
and Zandor as Dracula. Al remembered meeting Zandor during a film distribution
financing meeting in New York and felt hel looked gaunt like a devilish Dracula. We
had just completed our first hit film for Independent-International, SATAN’S SADISTS
(1969) about a savage hippy biker gang starring Russ Tamblyn.” Ironically, horror fans
have suggested that Zandor’s hippy glam Dracula character looks like a cross between
Frank Zappa and Alice Cooper with his curly Afro hairstyle, goatee and ashen eyes.
The screen name Zandor Vorkov was created by Horror/Sci-Fi magazine editor
and writer, Forrest J. Ackerman of Famous Monsters of Filmland Magazine. Ackerman
also appears in the film DRACULA VS FRANKENSTEIN and provided publicity for the
feature with articles and a cover story featuring Vorkov as Dracula. The name Zandor
Vorkov was a combination of Anton Szandor LaVey and Boris Karloff. Anton LaVey was
the founder of the Church of Satan. Vorkov, which sound similar to “Karloff”, was named
for the British actor famous for immortalizing the role of the Frankenstein Monster in the
1930s.
Zandor pretty much dropped out of the film scene after his two films with Adamson and
Sherman. Sadly, as most know, Al Adamson, the director of DRACULA VS
FRANKENSTEIN, was murdered in 1995 (the subject of David Gregory’s current
documentary, BLOOD & FLESH: THE REEL LIFE & GHASTLY DEATH OF AL
ADAMSON). The man know as Zandor wrote Al’s eulogy for his memorial service.
He moved to different parts of the country, including California and Asheville, North
Carolina. He still is involved in Theatre and Improv and formed his own company. He
finally moved to the Charlottesville, Virginia area and has served as a Volunteer in a
residential community for adults with disabilities.
While many have mocked the unusual casting of Zandor as Dracula, his over-the-top
performance, as well as Al Adamson’s and Sam Sherman’s low-budget filmmaking, the
movie endures as a time capsule of the period and one of the original counter culture
cult classics. From Hippy Happenings, Freak Outs, Groovy Fashions, Psychedelia,
Biker and Satanic Panic, one can turn on, tune in, and drop out with DRACULA VS
FRANKENSTEIN. All the elements, whether intentionally campy or not, make this film a
total trip for movie fans to enjoy and one that has to be seen to be believed.
Indeed, DRACULA VS FRANKENSTEIN influenced American Pop Culture of the 1970s
including other Cult and Midnight Movies that followed including MONTY PYTHON AND
THE HOLY GRAIL and THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW, both released in
1975.
Terry Gilliam, who had worked with DRACULA VS FRANKENSTEIN producer and writer
Sam Sherman at Warren Publications, clearly imitated Dracula’s epic dismemberment
of the Frankenstein Monster in HOLY GRAIL’S Black Knight decapitation scene with
King Arthur that was more than “just a scratch.”
More DRACULA VS FRANKENSTEIN inspired insanity can be witnessed in Jim
Sharman and Richard O’Brien’s monster musical opus THE ROCKY HORROR
PICTURE SHOW. Tim Curry’s “ham and glam” performance as the Transylvanian
transvestite Dr. Frank-N-Furter in ROCKY HORROR appears to have taken a cue from
Zandor Vorkov’s glam funk Count in DRACULA VS FRANKENSTEIN, including his
portentous dialogue and flamboyant cape and cowl costuming.
From movies to music, DRACULA VS FRANKENSTEIN also resonates with “Monster
and Mascara” acts like Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie who referenced the film,
DRACULA VS FRANKENSTEIN, during their Gruesome Twosome Tour back in 2010.
Cooper said, “I’m looking forward to these concerts with Rob (Zombie), It’s sort of like
DRACULA VS FRANKENSTEIN. We’re like this generation’s classic monsters.
Zandor Lives! Zandor Rocks! See him in DRACULA VS. FRANKENSTEIN.
Zandor is available for interviews upon request.