The Big Scare (1974) User Reviews

Weird French Crap

[Steve_Nyland · 4/10 · 3 April 2007]

I'm giving this one a four out of ten just based on sheer obscurity: There is nothing quite so satisfying as engaging in some activity that most others cannot, and for very good reasons "Tender Dracula" is about as obscure as it gets, as in literally "difficult to see". For a few years I have made it a policy to neither confirm nor deny that I have an original VHS of this title after being warned that there were people who would literally do anything to get a copy of it ... Now that I have finally found time to see the movie I can think of a few things I'd like to have, so bring it on.

Peter Cushing manages a little tongue in cheek as the Count of a wonderfully crumbling French castle that along with him are the best things in this film. There is nudity, sex, some graphic dismemberment and lots and lots of jabbering Frenchmen running around waving their arms and acting in that "gonzo Euro comedy" manner that mystifies most American viewers. A pair of French writer doofuses are sent by their producer to his castle to get an exclusive on Cushing's Count, who is a horror film actor or something like that, an idea that would later be used in "Dracula: Father and Son", which also was a French made horror/comedy spoof/satire filled with lots of French actors running around, waving their arms excitedly and jabbering. I sense an idiom trait here of the sub-genre I refer to as "Weird French Crap". See other long lost mega-obscure titles like LA GOULVE/EROTIC WITCHCRAFT or DEVIL STORY for more information, they are priceless.

The story was too perfunctory to be memorable, with the most potent aspect of the film being it's atmosphere and all of the cringe inducing would-be musical numbers being sung by Miou-Miou stark naked whilst wearing an appalling 1970s super curl wig and metallic makeup. Meanwhile Cushing's half mute shuffling Igor type butler is lopping off his toes & administering beatings to the pair of writers, one of whom is portrayed by Bernard Menez, who would later figure prominently into "Dracula: Father and Son" as well. When Hammer went bale in 1974 their best actors went to France to make gonzo Euro comedy spoofs ala YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN with this putz? I know I am just not getting into the spirit of things here and promise to try and find time for another screening between now and when hell freezes over, but aside from looking at the gloriously dank, unkempt and uncomfortable looking castle the proceedings were set in I didn't get much out of this movie. The best way that it can be described of is "some French hack aping Jess Franco aping Juan Lopez Moctezuma aping Mel Brooks" but even that doesn't quite put the sheer vapidness of the production into perspective. It's also curious for a movie with such abundant nudity to not be sleazy: The Euro artiness even smothers the smut factor, unless you find yourself attracted to skinny French B actresses wearing obnoxious looking wigs.

I'll try one more time: This is another one of those confusing European horror comedies like FRANKENSTEIN'S GREAT AUNT TILLIE, DR. TARR'S TORTURE DUNGEON, "Mama Dracula", "Lady Dracula", or THE THRILLING VAMPIRES OF VOGEL with some otherwise respectable genre actor plunked in the middle of Euro arty cacophony. There are a few good laughs and plenty of nude bodies (including the obligatory French orgy conclusion, played for laughs rather than erotica), some good atmosphere and lashings of gore, but in the end you kind of have to wonder what they were thinking when they proposed the film. It's not quite horrifying enough to be an outright horror movie and not quite funny enough to be a recommended comedy, it's more kind of an experiment in surrealism with Peter Cushing trying his darndest as usual. Fans of Jean Rollin's work will no doubt be enamored, anyone else may very well wonder what the point of it all was. Other than coming up with an excuse to film a low budget movie in that amazing castle they found. What a place!

4/10

Boring vampire film

[The_Void · 3/10 · 17 December 2008]

Peter Cushing in a vampire movie. Sound good? Yes I thought so too...until I saw Tender Dracula. This is a French film and comes across as something like an arty Hammer Horror flick. The plot focuses on two writers. They go on a trip with their girlfriends (who both look like men in drag) and end up at the castle of an aging actor. He is famous for portraying vampires on screen; but as the night progresses, the group begins to wonder if the man is really acting when he is on screen. The film basically consists of eighty five minutes of boring dialogue and as you can probably imagine; it gets boring quickly. The copy I saw was of really poor quality; but in spite of that it's clear that the film doesn't utilise any particularly interesting locations which helps to make it more of a dull experience. The title, 'Tender Dracula' lead me to believe that it might be some sort of soft-core porn outing, but there's no sex or nudity in the film and the title is quite inappropriate. I'd hesitate even to call this a horror film really since there's no actual horror in it. Tender Dracula is a 'lost' film, and really that is for good reason and I doubt it will be resurfacing any time soon!

A deservedly 'lost film' from Peter Cushing

[kevinolzak · 2/10 · 9 May 2014]

1974's "Tender Dracula" was shot in France under the title "La Grande Trouille" (The Big Scare), purportedly a comedy, which may be the main reason why Peter Cushing chose to star, as 'High Priest of Horror' MacGregor, not a real vampire but an actor known for playing one, ala Christopher Lee. At the 16 minute mark, our introduction to him is a pleasant surprise, suitably attired in cape and fangs, but the relentless, unfocused insanity makes for a very unpleasant viewing experience. Alida Valli is the only other veteran in the cast, while the rest are cardboard ciphers of no interest whatsoever. As a sex farce, there are neither laughs nor thrills, as the two actresses are poorly made up, resembling a pair of bored drag queens. As for Peter Cushing, the role could have been much like Boris Karloff's Byron Orlok in "Targets," an icon who wants to abandon the genre that made him famous, but this lone directorial effort from prolific producer Pierre Grunstein offers no substance to support its star (there are photos from titles like "Tales from the Crypt" and "From Beyond the Grave," setting up a short sequence with Cushing playing his own gravedigger grandfather). It's a rare instance where Cushing can be said to be hammy, forgivable under the arduous circumstances, but his yearnings to free himself from 'horror' to 'romance' come off as very real, the lone 'truth' amid so much that's false ("she's not afraid of growing old, she's in love. Love is ageless, and because she is in love, she is pure. All things from above are peaceful, gentle, and pure"). Christopher Lee would have his chance in 1976's "Dracula and Son," in which he did indeed play a real vampire, just not Dracula.

Not Tender but Pretty Boring Dracula

[Michael_Elliott · 31 October 2013]

Tender Dracula (1974)

* 1/2 (out of 4)

Weird French mix of horror and comedy has two screenwriters and their girlfriends going to the home of a retiring horror actor (Peter Cushing) who played Dracula countless times in his career. It doesn't take long for the guests to wonder if he was playing Dracula or if he's the real thing. Well, I'm really not sure what to say about this film other than it's quite rare and that's a good thing. While the film isn't nearly as horrible as it's reputation, the entire thing is quite bizarre to say the least and in the end it comes off like an Abbott and Costello film with a lot of nudity and sex jokes. I do wonder if the filmmakers had Abbott and Costello in mind because I couldn't help but think of some of their monster mash movies and of course it's quite fitting that they've got Peter Cushing here playing the "Dracula" character. The film pretty much has the two writers and their two hot girlfriends running around and encounters countless bizarre things. This includes Cushing but we've also got blood in the bathtub and various other strange things throughout the castle. One running joke involves the horror star wanting to do romantic movies but it's not all that funny. In fact, most of the comedy here just doesn't work because the direction is simply all over the place and if you check out Pierre Grunstein's credits you'll notice this was the first and last time he worked the director's chair. To say the film is uneven would be an insult to the word uneven. You really can't tell what exactly they were going for because the pacing is off but there's also issues with the screenplay. The script simply goes on and on at times and you just sit there wondering what the whole point is. Even worse is that the horror elements really don't work either but I must say that you do get a good performance from Cushing who is at least energized and appears to be having fun. The supporting players really aren't all that memorable, although there is plenty of nudity with the two female leads. TENDER Dracula has pretty much been forgotten and there's really no reason for anyone to re-discover it.

Keep this one buried!

[cfc_can · 2/10 · 9 December 2000]

Tender Dracula is a combination horror film and French bedroom farce. It is one of Peter Cushing's least known films and for good reason. He plays a hammy actor who may or may not be a real vampire. Though Cushing is listed as the star, the film centers a lot more on the antics of two writers who visit Cushing's castle by the sea and the two girls they bring with them. There is a lot of nudity, some blood, some dream sequences and very little sense. It's like the makers want the viewer to puzzle over whether what is happening is real or not. By the end, the film becomes almost dream-like and makes no sense whatsoever. It's anybody's guess as to why Cushing signed on for this film. It is way beneath him. It's even beneath John Carradine!

"Tender is the day,The demons go away,Lord I need to find,Someone who can heal my mind."

[morrison-dylan-fan · 6/10 · 5 October 2014]

Searching round for Peter Cushing movies to watch for the upcoming October Challenge taking place on IMDb's Horror board,I was delighted to spot that a DVD seller had recently tracked down a French Horror that Cushing had made,which led to me getting ready to find out how tender Dracula could be.

The plot:

Expecting to be sacked,two scriptwriters are given a lifeline,when the studio boss tells them to pay a visit to retiring Horror actor MacGregor,in the hope of persuading him to take a lead role in an upcoming Romantic Drama TV show.Picking up their girlfriends,the writers head to the castle that MaGregor lives in.Arriving at the castle,the writers soon discover that MaGregor may have gone "method" for his role as Dracula.

View on the film:

Skipping over the option of making the title a straight-run Gothic Horror,co-writer/ (along with Hal Brav and Justin Lenoir) director Pierre Grunstein instead takes things in an eerie avant-garde direction,with Grunstein covering the rooms with white masks and having each of the characters dress in pre-French Revolution clothes.Along with Grunstein's peculiar directing style,the writers cover the film in a spooky psychedelic atmosphere,as the characters go from randomly breaking out into strange songs,to there being strong suggestion's that MacGregor is either Dracula playing an actor,or an actor playing Dracula!

Surfing the films wave of weirdness,Peter Cushing gives a deliciously flamboyant performance as MacGregor,with Cushing showing MacGregor to give everyone the shivers by chewing every piece of scenery in the film.Joining Cushing, Alida Valli gives a good performance as old dame Héloïse,who soon reveals how tender Dracula can be.