The Bloodthirsty Trilogy

A young man (Jun Hamamura) journeyed to the remote family estate of his bride-to-be (Yukiko Kobayashi)...and wasn’t heard from again. The investigation by his concerned sister (Kayo Matsuo) uncovers the new in-laws’ unholy secrets in “The Vampire Doll” (1970), the first of three Hammeresque gothic shockers helmed by Michio Yamamoto for Toho. A woman (Midori Fujita) plagued since childhood by nightmares of a vampire turns to her doctor boyfriend (Chôei Takahashi) for help, but bizarre events in their lakeside community have him rethinking his diagnosis. “Lake of Dracula” (1971) co-stars Mori Kishida. A newly-hired teacher (Toshio Kurosawa) at an isolated girls’ school thinks the principal (Kishida) has something to hide regarding the mysterious disappearances of students--and pursues the uncanny truth at his peril. “Evil of Dracula” (1974) co-stars Mika Katsuragi, Kunie Tanaka. 4 3/4 hrs on 2 discs. Widescreen; Soundtrack: Japanese; Subtitles: English; featurette. In Japanese with English subtitles.