By 1979 Dracula (John Carradine) is an old man. He still lives in the family castle in Transylvania, but due to some lean years and back taxes the castle has been turned into a hotel. While Dracula spends most of his time in the family crypt, his granddaughter, Nocturna (Nai Bonet), with the help of a werewolf named Theodore (Theodore Gottlieb), takes care of the hotel.
The hotel has a ballroom called the Claret Room. Nocturna books a disco group called “Moment of Truth”, from New York City, to perform in the ballroom. While checking to make sure they have everything they need to set up, the group does one of their songs for her. While listening to the band Nocturna notices one of the guitar players, Jimmy (Anthony Hamilton). At the same time, Jimmy notices Nocturna. Jimmy and Nocturna are both immediately smitten. Jimmy asks Nocturna to dance. Nocturna has never danced before. While dancing with Jimmy Nocturna begins to feel unusual sensations. At one point, when she looks into a mirror, she can see her own reflection.
Jimmy and Nocturna fall in love. Nocturna believes that music and dancing is having an effect on her. She is changing into a mortal. She decides to go to New York City with Jimmy against her grandfather’s wishes. Nocturna stays with another vampire, Jugulia Vein (Yvonne De Carlo), an old friend of Dracula. When Dracula finds out that Nocturna has fled for New York City, he decides that he needs to go there and make his granddaughter return to Transylvania.
“Nocturna” AKA “Nocturna: Granddaughter of Dracula” was released in 1979 and was directed by Harry Hurwitz. It is an American comedy horror movie, and a Vampire musical. It’s a little on the obscure side. The movie was written by Nai Bonet and Harry Hurwitz. Bonet was also one of the producers for the film.
The film promotes every bad vampire joke imaginable. Camp is rampant. It is sort of a dated, boring disco version of Dracula. The plot is a little thin. There are lots of musical numbers. Actually, there is more music than dialogue. With comedic lines about diabetic vampires and a nude bathing scene featuring Nai and all her assets, the movie is a little silly and a little soft core. Still, other than Nai Bonet’s inability to act, the movie was not too bad, somewhat amusing and, except for a lot of montages with disco music, it was easy to watch. If anyone asks you what disco was, show them this movie. It’s even got a song by Gloria Gaynor.
Nai Bonet’s acting talents aren’t. Her facial expressions waver between annoyed and surprised. Nai started out as a belly dancer, so she handles the dancing in the movie expertly. Being able to act is a different story.
John Carradine wore the same vampire costume in “House of Dracula” 1945. Yvonne De Carlo's character Jugulia Vein is basically a play on words of "jugular vein". Antony Hamilton, who plays Jimmy, was a classically trained ballet dancer. Hamilton died of complications due to AIDS in 1995. Even though Theodore Gottlieb plays a werewolf, he never actually morphs into one.