Demon's Brew

The Bride's Initiation (1973)

** (out of 4)

This here is a really bizarre mix of hardcore sex and horror. A newlywed couple are leaving their wedding and the husband is eager to take the bride's virginity but before he can do so their limo driver gases them and takes them to Count Dracula (Marc Brock). It turns out that Dracula needs sperm so that his witch servant can create a serum that keeps his sex parts working.

THE BRIDE'S INITIATION is known under a couple different titles but no matter what you call it the film is certainly a very weird one. There have been several films that took horror elements and threw in hardcore sex but this quickie shot in Florida has to be one of the strangest out there for a number of reasons but the overall vibe is just something unlike anything else out there.

There are some pretty funny moments throughout the film and I must admit that I got a kick out of the "virgin" bride because it seems she knows a lot more about sex than the two women who are Dracula's sex assistants. I also got a kick out of the performance from Brock who is incredibly over-the-top as Dracula but it made for a fun time. If you've seen THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW then you'll get the same type of vibe from Brock but remember that this film came first!

The film starts to wear off its welcome around the forty-five minute mark as the sex dries up as does the comedy. The entire finale where Dracula goes after a new woman is pretty bland and there's no doubt that it drags the film down a bit.

I have no idea how this amateur movie got to be released in theaters or on video tapes. The best parts are the cum shots, and they're ruined by a witch cackling while she collects the semen in a glass. It's interesting that a lot of the goofy plot resembles some events in the real life marriage of Jack Birch and Carol Connors. For example, his daughter was fired from a production of Dracula because he objected to Thora getting a back rub from a cast member. The main character here in parody is Dracula, also. A change in sex preference caused by a magic formula appears here, too. Thora was given her name because the couple expected a boy.

The Bride's Initiation, Duncan Stewart's 1973 erotic romp, offers a twist on the Dracula mythos, with a sperm-sucking vampire and a plot that is equal parts bizarre and amusing.

The film introduces us to a peculiar Dracula (played by Marc Brock), whose appetite is not for blood, but for male semen. This unique take on the classic monster is both intriguing and absurd, setting the tone for the rest of the film. The story follows Dracula and his hapless chauffeur, Jack Birch, as they kidnap a newlywed couple, with the vampire setting his sights on the groom's "elixir." The bride's parents, exuding an oily demeanor, hire a detective to find the couple, only to have him fall prey to Dracula's lair as well.

The real treat, however, is when Dracula lays eyes on a beautiful blonde, Carol Connors, and becomes infatuated. Unlike traditional vampires, this Dracula is unaffected by the sun, strutting about during the day and abducting his prey without fear of sunlight. The real twist comes at the end when it is revealed that Dracula's consumption of sperm has turned him gay, leading to a climactic encounter with the male detective, who is also gay-a fact that is conveniently revealed at that very moment.

This film is a wild ride, to say the least. It embraces its sleazy nature with gusto, throwing in some light S&M, sweaty faces, and production values that scream "$1.98 budget." The acting is questionable at best, and the plot, while bizarrely entertaining, is as linear as they come.

Overall, The Bride's Initiation is a curious entry into the world of adult cinema. While it has its moments of entertainment value and offers a unique twist on classic monsters, the film ultimately falls flat due to its lackluster production values and uninspired acting. It's a fun, bizarre ride, but one that is unlikely to leave a lasting impression.

THE BRIDE'S INITIATION is one of a kind, fortunately. This goof-ball combination of hardcore porn with other genres (comedy, horror, fantasy, bondage) was simply not ready for prime time.

Chief problem for over-achieving director Duncan Stewart is casting Marc Brock in the leading role of Count Dracula. This familiar porn face, usually resembling Eric Bogosian but due to amateurish heavy makeup nearly unrecognizable here, is a ham-bone, and his strenuous overacting does elicit some laughs, but only the unintentional kind.

The mythos for this Count is completely different from those familiar to horror fans. He walks around in the daytime, doesn't bite anyone on the neck, and instead of blood is immortal by virtue of a special potion made out of human sperm. The IMDb synopsis provided by the video company gives away the "comedy" spoiler of the ending twist, which I won't mention here.

I was introduced to this film in a roundabout way: I watched a 23-minute softcore excerpt (called a "featurette" by Something Weird Video) that was a bonus on the DVD for Dracula (The Dirty Old Man). It implied that the project was softcore, but following up by viewing the complete 68-minute VCX issue of the picture one sees it is XXX in content.

The entire bride central plot is omitted from the soft version. Integral film begins with a happy couple of newlyweds, who are shanghaied by their limo chauffeur James (Jack Birch, father of actress Thora Birch) in a very goofy scene wherein the lady is "frozen" by some knockout gas mid-blow job on her groom.

Ordering the kidnapping is the Count, who naturally given film's fantasy premise is more interested in obtaining the groom's sperm than he is in the predictable ravaging of the bride. I assumed that part of this oddball story's inspiration was generated by the medieval practice of the monarch getting first dibs on wedding night with his subjects' newlywed brides, as per the film's title, but this allusion to the count's practices is never made explicit.

With an elementary school play-level makeup job, the count's other assistant is a diminutive, hawk-nosed witch, charged with concocting the sperm-laden potion that keeps the count animated. She also doubles as the sperm-collector, holding a glass to capture each ejaculation generated by the count's set of busty handmaidens, who use hand jobs (naturally) and fellatio to do the trick.

Bondage seems to be director Stewart's not-so-hidden agenda here, as there are other maidens chained to the wall in the count's very low-budget lair, who never get involved in the sexual action but are decoratively nude. Part of the film's charm is the phoniness with which the imprisoned males are tied up by Birch, rendered "helpless" to prevent their being forced to ejaculate.

Stopped at an intersection, the count is smitten by a lovely blonde (porn star Carol Connors, Birch's real-life wife), who he follows home after accidentally bumping into her on purpose on the sidewalk. He later sends James to give her a huge ring as a present, which truly amazes Connors, although in her ad lib dialog she's even more shocked that there's no card accompanying it in the gift-wrapped package.

The count hypnotizes her from afar, and she sleepwalks (in a revealing nightgown, another fantasy/horror genre staple) into a limo for James to take her to the lair. Meanwhile James has knocked out the plodding detective on the case and hogtied him for sperm collection.

This nonsense is yet another example of bait and switch for Connors fans. She became a minor porn deity as the nurse, second lead femme in DEEP THROAT after Linda Lovelace, and made several other porn films, but while continuing to appear in explicit roles later in her career, she was also sometimes cast as marquee bait (notably in the Western SWEET SAVAGE), offering nudity but zero sexual action. The same is true here, even though the plot line strongly suggests to the viewer that she is going to get down.

At times this resembles a real film, micro-budgeted to be sure, but trying for something beyond the usual one-day wonder. But cheap sets, bad makeup and ham acting by Brock kill its potential.