In 1804, a wicked Chinese priest, Kah (Chan Sen), makes his way to Transylvania to ask Count Dracula (John Forbes-Robertson) to resurrect the "seven golden vampires" that Kah had previously employed to keep local peasants in order back home.
Dracula, however, has other ideas and steals Kah's physical form so that he can relocate to China and get back into the bloodsucking business for himself.
A century later and Professor Van Helsing (Peter Cushing) is lecturing at China's Chungking University on the dangers of vampires, while also seeking aid and co-operation to investigate local legends of the undead.
He is met with derision from all but one of his audience, Hsi Ching (David Chiang), whose village has been almost destroyed by attacks from The Seven Golden Vampires.
Meanwhile, Van Helsing's son, Leyland (Robin Stewart), has befriended the forthright, wealthy and attractive European widow Vanessa Buren (Julie Ege), who has caught the eye of a local tong boss.
Vanessa agrees to finance Val Helsing's expedition to the isolated village, on the condition that she can join the party, and Ching introduces his seven kung-fu trained siblings who will provide protection on the journey.
Soon after setting out, the group is ambushed by tong thugs and Van Helsing gets his first taste of Chinese martial arts.
Later on, they make camp in a cave and find themselves under attack from several of the gold mask-adorned vampires and an army of skipping zombies.
From there, the next stop for our heroes is their besieged village, where they organise the remaining villagers into a defensive force and await the assault of the vampires and their legion of the undead.
One of the vampires kidnaps Leyland's girlfriend, Ching's sister Mai Kwei (Shih Szu), leading the surviving heroes to pursue him to Kah's temple, where Van Helsing discovers that Kah is actually his archenemy: Count Dracula.
After this final conflict, like a good many films of its era, the movie abruptly ends without showing any interest in exploring the high cost our heroes had to pay to get through the climactic confrontation between good and evil.
Dracula, however, has other ideas and steals Kah's physical form so that he can relocate to China and get back into the bloodsucking business for himself.
A century later and Professor Van Helsing (Peter Cushing) is lecturing at China's Chungking University on the dangers of vampires, while also seeking aid and co-operation to investigate local legends of the undead.
He is met with derision from all but one of his audience, Hsi Ching (David Chiang), whose village has been almost destroyed by attacks from The Seven Golden Vampires.
Meanwhile, Van Helsing's son, Leyland (Robin Stewart), has befriended the forthright, wealthy and attractive European widow Vanessa Buren (Julie Ege), who has caught the eye of a local tong boss.
Vanessa agrees to finance Val Helsing's expedition to the isolated village, on the condition that she can join the party, and Ching introduces his seven kung-fu trained siblings who will provide protection on the journey.
Soon after setting out, the group is ambushed by tong thugs and Van Helsing gets his first taste of Chinese martial arts.
Later on, they make camp in a cave and find themselves under attack from several of the gold mask-adorned vampires and an army of skipping zombies.
From there, the next stop for our heroes is their besieged village, where they organise the remaining villagers into a defensive force and await the assault of the vampires and their legion of the undead.
One of the vampires kidnaps Leyland's girlfriend, Ching's sister Mai Kwei (Shih Szu), leading the surviving heroes to pursue him to Kah's temple, where Van Helsing discovers that Kah is actually his archenemy: Count Dracula.
After this final conflict, like a good many films of its era, the movie abruptly ends without showing any interest in exploring the high cost our heroes had to pay to get through the climactic confrontation between good and evil.
A joint production of Hammer Films and The Shaw Brothers, The Legend of The 7 Golden Vampires is surprisingly good for what it is, but could have been so much better.
From the moment they are introduced, the protagonists are stuck on a narrative railroad, travelling from point A to point B on a linear journey, broken up by impressive fight scenes... and culminating in a massive fight scene.
You get the impression that the Hammer crew were so delighted to be able to blend their tried-and-tested horror formula with Chinese martial arts that they couldn't really think of anything else to do with their Chinese cast or exotic scenery (it was shot on location).
While there's no denying the film is a lot of fun, there is so little to actual story that beyond its martial arts "gimmick" it is largely ephemeral.
The golden vampires aren't even the classic Chinese jiangshi ('hopping vampires'), which would have brought something a bit unusual to a '70s Hammer flick, but are instead a strange mix of Western vampires and Eastern martial artists.
It also pays not to think too hard about the 100 year time jump from the prologue to the main story and the havoc that plays with Van Helsing's timeline if he's coming off the back of his (many) fights with Dracula in, and around, Transylvania.
Are we supposed to assume that Dracula was doing all this - and dying frequently - at the same time he was in China running The Cult of The Seven Golden Vampires?
Or is this a different Dracula?
Although he is reduced to a largely supporting role, John Forbes-Robertson's take on Count Dracula is oddly camp, with his make-up bearing a more than passing resemblance to Cesar Romero's Joker in the Adam West Batman show.
Long out of print and pretty rare in these parts, I watched the 86 minute DVD version of The Legend of The 7 Golden Vampires, having finally tracked it down on eBay for a reasonable price, but I understand there's a 110 minute Eastern version that I'd love to see one day.
Ultimately, The Legend of The 7 Golden Vampires comes across as a massive missed opportunity.
From the moment they are introduced, the protagonists are stuck on a narrative railroad, travelling from point A to point B on a linear journey, broken up by impressive fight scenes... and culminating in a massive fight scene.
You get the impression that the Hammer crew were so delighted to be able to blend their tried-and-tested horror formula with Chinese martial arts that they couldn't really think of anything else to do with their Chinese cast or exotic scenery (it was shot on location).
While there's no denying the film is a lot of fun, there is so little to actual story that beyond its martial arts "gimmick" it is largely ephemeral.
The golden vampires aren't even the classic Chinese jiangshi ('hopping vampires'), which would have brought something a bit unusual to a '70s Hammer flick, but are instead a strange mix of Western vampires and Eastern martial artists.
It also pays not to think too hard about the 100 year time jump from the prologue to the main story and the havoc that plays with Van Helsing's timeline if he's coming off the back of his (many) fights with Dracula in, and around, Transylvania.
Are we supposed to assume that Dracula was doing all this - and dying frequently - at the same time he was in China running The Cult of The Seven Golden Vampires?
Or is this a different Dracula?
Although he is reduced to a largely supporting role, John Forbes-Robertson's take on Count Dracula is oddly camp, with his make-up bearing a more than passing resemblance to Cesar Romero's Joker in the Adam West Batman show.
Long out of print and pretty rare in these parts, I watched the 86 minute DVD version of The Legend of The 7 Golden Vampires, having finally tracked it down on eBay for a reasonable price, but I understand there's a 110 minute Eastern version that I'd love to see one day.
Ultimately, The Legend of The 7 Golden Vampires comes across as a massive missed opportunity.
GAME MATERIAL
Chime of Doom
Chime of Doom
An ornate template gong (about two foot in diameter, so not easy to move) that, when struck at night, will raise all the dead buried within a 300ft radius as 'skipping zombies' that are under the command of the person who struck the magical gong.
This control only lasts until sunrise. As dawn approaches the zombies will head back towards where they were originally buried and crawl back into their graves.
The control is mental, with a range of about a mile, but can only be general instructions (such as "attack that village"), rather than ordering them to target a specific person.
The Chime of Doom's magic only works once per night.
Skipping Zombie
Called into unlife by the sound of The Chime of Doom, skipping zombies rise from the grave en masse, bringing with them any weapons they used in life (and were buried with).
This is how they attack, rather than biting or clawing, as their condition is non-transferable to the living.
These undead jog in a faster-than-expected, "skipping" fashion, which is how they earned their name, allowing those in the know to differentiate them from "standard" zombies.
While surprisingly adept in combat, their corpses are fragile, so they are easily defeated on a one-to-one basis.
Generally, they are controlled by a sorcerer or necromancer who has used The Chime of Doom. This control only lasts until sunrise. As dawn approaches the zombies will head back towards where they were originally buried and crawl back into their graves.
#ENC: (1d4) x 10
HD: B (1d6)
AC: 11
This is how they attack, rather than biting or clawing, as their condition is non-transferable to the living.
These undead jog in a faster-than-expected, "skipping" fashion, which is how they earned their name, allowing those in the know to differentiate them from "standard" zombies.
While surprisingly adept in combat, their corpses are fragile, so they are easily defeated on a one-to-one basis.
Generally, they are controlled by a sorcerer or necromancer who has used The Chime of Doom. This control only lasts until sunrise. As dawn approaches the zombies will head back towards where they were originally buried and crawl back into their graves.
#ENC: (1d4) x 10
HD: B (1d6)
AC: 11
Atk: weapon (usually sword, 1d6) at +1
ST:18
MV:12
SPECIAL:
MV:12
SPECIAL:
- Immunities: 100% resistant to sleep, charm and any mind-control magic.
- Damage Resistance: Skipping Zombies take a maximum of "1" point of damage from non-magical missile attacks.
- Vulnerability: They take double damage from fire.
CL/XP: 2/30
Golden Vampire
There are, at most, seven of these golden-masked fiends in operation in one area at a time. A rigid cadre they do not tend to be found on their own and are always in service to a single master, be it an arch-vampire or a powerful necromancer.
They do not tend to travel far from their master, and usually can be found within a few miles of his castle/temple/cave etc
Desiccated corpses animated by powerful dark magics, these peculiar vampires hide their faces behind golden masks and wield golden swords as their main form of attack.
There are, at most, seven of these golden-masked fiends in operation in one area at a time. A rigid cadre they do not tend to be found on their own and are always in service to a single master, be it an arch-vampire or a powerful necromancer.
They do not tend to travel far from their master, and usually can be found within a few miles of his castle/temple/cave etc
Desiccated corpses animated by powerful dark magics, these peculiar vampires hide their faces behind golden masks and wield golden swords as their main form of attack.
Master swordsmen, they prefer to capture their prey and bring them (usually young women) back to their lair to imprison and then dine on, draining the women's blood as their sustenance.
Golden Vampires are incapable of speech, but have a psychic link that allows them to always know where their kin are.
Golden Vampires are incapable of speech, but have a psychic link that allows them to always know where their kin are.
 |
| The Golden Sword |
 |
| The Golden Medallion |
Their magical existence is tied to a golden medallion in the shape of a giant vampire bat, which they must wear at all times (usually hidden within the folds of their clothing).
The golden medallion (500gp) and vampire's striking golden swords (1,000gp, normally do 1d8 damage) have no magical abilities in the possession of anyone else, however Golden Vampires will be aware of the location of any of these items if stolen and will seek to retrieve them once the situation arises.
The golden medallion (500gp) and vampire's striking golden swords (1,000gp, normally do 1d8 damage) have no magical abilities in the possession of anyone else, however Golden Vampires will be aware of the location of any of these items if stolen and will seek to retrieve them once the situation arises.
#ENC: 1d6+1
HD: 10
AC: 16
HD: 10
AC: 16
Atk: 2, Golden Sword (1d8+1d6+2)
ST:5
MV:12
SPECIAL:
MV:12
SPECIAL:
- Immunities: 100% resistant to sleep, charm and any mind-control magic.
- Transformation: Once per day, a Golden Vampire may transform itself at will into an oversized, but otherwise normal, vampire bat.
- Leap: Golden Vampires are capable of leaping in a 30ft arc, once every three rounds, during combat.
- Vampire Bite: If a Golden Vampire bites a restrained foe with its fangs, it will usually be for sustenance. Each round, the vampire sucks the blood of its prey drains 2d6 HP from them and transfers it to the vampire. They can though elect to, instead, 'spread the love' if they drain all their target's blood (hit points), transforming their victim into a vampiric thrall (a 'traditional' vampire, but with only 2HD and a 1d6 bite attack).
- They take double damage from fire.
- Any holy item (a symbol, blessed water etc) causes them then 1d8 damage
- Removing their magical medallion causes them 1d4/round until it is returned.
- They must sleep during daylight hours and will seek shelter if outside their own base of operations as dawn approaches. They are known to sleep while transformed into bats.
- If exposed to daylight, a Golden Vampire suffers 1d8/round.
CL/XP: 11/1,700
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