{"podcast":{"title":"General Witchfinders: The British Horror Podcast","slug":"general-witchfinders-the-british-horror-podcast-3516772","podcast_index_feed_id":3516772,"rss_url":"https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/5fd77337c08ac45a2c50d003","website_url":"http://www.generalwitchfinders.com","image_url":"https://assets.pippa.io/shows/5fd77337c08ac45a2c50d003/1772694982754-eb0af34b-8742-48c8-a3e1-0d3fc0433f39.jpeg","author":"Ross Cleaver, Jon Pountney, James Randall","episode_count":82,"summary":"General Witchfinders: The British Horror Podcast Welcome to General Witchfinders, a podcast dedicated to the dark heart of British horror and classic Hammer horror films – officially selected for permanent preservation in the British Library’s National Sound Archive. If you are passionate about British horror cinema, Hammer films, classic folk horror, Nigel Kneale’s Quatermass, and the chilling legacy of British supernatural television, this is the podcast for you. Hosted by lifelong friends Ross, Jon, and James, General Witchfinders dives deep into the world of British horror, gothic cinema, and unsettling archive television. We explore everything from Hammer horror’s blood-drenched vampire classics – starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing – to the eerie landscapes of The Wicker Man, Tigon’s The Creeping Flesh, and Amicus anthology films. Whether it is cinematic British horror icons like Dracula AD 1972 and The Curse of Frankenstein, modern independent UK folk horror like Possum and In The Earth, or sci-fi horror thrillers like Event Horizon and The Medusa Touch, we unearth the films that shaped the genre. We cover the definitive British sci-fi horror of Nigel Kneale – includ…","last_synced_at":null,"page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/general-witchfinders-the-british-horror-podcast-3516772"},"episode":{"title":"60: Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970) – Hammer Horror – Dir. Peter Sasdy – Christopher Lee, Geoffrey Keen & Linda Hayden","slug":"60-taste-the-blood-of-dracula-1970-hammer-horror-dir-peter-sasdy-christopher-lee-geoffrey-keen-linda-hayden","published_at":"2025-07-26T00:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/general-witchfinders-the-british-horror-podcast-3516772/60-taste-the-blood-of-dracula-1970-hammer-horror-dir-peter-sasdy-christopher-lee-geoffrey-keen-linda-hayden","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/general-witchfinders-the-british-horror-podcast-3516772","url":"http://www.generalwitchfinders.com/","audio_url":"https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/5fd77337c08ac45a2c50d003/e/687935d00d2a218993e0b257/media.mp3","summary":"Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970). We’re back to Hammer Horror, back to Christopher Lee, and back to Dracula. In this episode of General Witchfinders , we sink our teeth into Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970), the fifth official film in Hammer’s Dracula series and our sixth Hammer Dracula review to date. You can find links to all previous vampire escapades at https://tinyurl.com/Witchdrac . This British gothic horror classic, directed by Peter Sasdy and written by Hammer regular Anthony Hinds (under the alias John Elder), was nearly a Dracula-free affair. Christopher Lee had originally declined to return, and the script focused instead on Ralph Bates’s doomed Lord Courtley. But Warner Bros. insisted: no Dracula, no deal. So #BigChrisLee once again rises from the grave — bloodthirsty, silent, and furiously regretting his contract. Taste the Blood of Dracula opens with a satanic ritual involving Dracula’s powdered remains, a trio of Victorian hypocrites, and the ill-fated resurrection of evil. It’s a moody, blood-soaked revenge tale packed with brooding graveyards and Hammer’s trademark blend of sex, sin and satin capes. Cast Highlights: Christopher Lee as Count Dracula — in his fourth Dracula outing for Hammer. Ralph Bates as Lord Courtley — Hammer’s would-be replacement for Lee. Geoffrey Keen as William Hargood — a patriarch with a hidden penchant for brothels. Linda Hayden as Alice Hargood — the daughter turned devotee, previously seen in Baby Love and The Blood on Satan’s Claw . Peter Sallis as Samuel Paxton — yes, that Peter Sallis: Cleggy, Wallace, and voice of animated British melancholy. Roy Kinnear as Weller — bringing tragic optimism, as only Kinnear can. There’s Hammer horror royalty in every frame, from Linda Hayden’s eerie innocence to Ralph Bates’s foppish…","meta_description":"Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970). We’re back to Hammer Horror, back to Christopher Lee, and back to Dracula. In this episode of General Witchfinders , we…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":6730,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/general-witchfinders-the-british-horror-podcast-3516772/episodes/60-taste-the-blood-of-dracula-1970-hammer-horror-dir-peter-sasdy-christopher-lee-geoffrey-keen-linda-hayden/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/general-witchfinders-the-british-horror-podcast-3516772/60-taste-the-blood-of-dracula-1970-hammer-horror-dir-peter-sasdy-christopher-lee-geoffrey-keen-linda-hayden.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}