The Vampire Doll

The Vampire Doll (幽霊屋敷の恐怖 血を吸う人形) is a 1970 Japanese horror film directed by Michio Yamamoto.

Cast

 * Yukiko Kobayashi as Yuko Nonomura
 * Yoko Minazake as Shidu Nonomura, Yuko's mother
 * Atsuo Nakamura as Kazuhiko Sagawa, Yuko's fiancé
 * Kayo Matsuo as Keiko Sagawa
 * Akira Nakao as Hiroshi Takagi, Keiko's fiancé
 * Jun Usami as Dr. Yamaguchi
 * Kaku Takashina as Genzo

Production
The Vampire Doll was the first of three vampire films made by Toho studios in the 1970s. The Vampire Doll was followed by Lake of Dracula (1971) and Evil of Dracula (1975).

Release
The Vampire Doll was released in Japan on July 4, 1970. The film was released in a subtitled format in the United States under the title The Night of the Vampire on August 6, 1971. The release was limited to New York and Los Angeles. The film has also gone under the title Legacy of Dracula.

Reception
The New York Times gave the film a positive review, stating that the director "tells his grisly story with a cool taciturn detachment. Don't be fooled by what seems a conventional staging. There is plently lurking around the bend, some of it is hair-raising." The review also noted that the film was "exceptionally well-written, with a denouement that is fascinating and—well, almost credible. The acting is on a par with the rest."

Home media
In 2018, Arrow Films released The Vampire Doll, along with Lake of Dracula and Evil of Dracula, in a single Blu-ray set titled The Bloodthirsty Trilogy. This release included uncompressed Mono audio, Toho's export English dubs for Lake of Dracula and Evil of Dracula, a video appraisal by Kim Newman, original trailers, and a collector's booklet.