The mysterious and sophisticated Count from Bulgaria appears close to an orphanage situated in the Bay area. Following a revival, Count Yorga (Robert Quarry) relocates northward to acquire the old Gateway Mansion, which happens to be near both an orphanage and the appealing Cynthia (Mariette Hartley). Strange occurrences prompt a doctor (Roger Perry) to suspect that the Count is a… vampire. Craig T. Nelson appears in his first film role as a subordinate detective. “The Return of Count Yorga” (1971) feels familiar, coming from writer/director Bob Kelljan. While some viewers, including Gene Siskel, prefer this installment to the initial 1970 movie, I personally like the original better. Nevertheless, it’s a decent continuation with some inventive elements. It creates a genuinely unsettling atmosphere and, similar to its predecessor, takes its time to build suspense, something that certain audiences could see as slow-paced. The success of these modestly budgeted Yorga films encouraged Hammer Productions to set their subsequent Dracula movies in contemporary times: "Dracula A. D. 1972" (1972) and “The Satanic Rites of Dracula” (1973). It also served as a basis for the eerie independent film "Lemora: A Child's Tale of the Supernatural" (1973). I’m certain that Dan Curtis & Richard Matheson’s “The Night Stalker” (1972) and “The Night Strangler” (1973) were also influenced by these films; they are the same team behind the 1974 adaptation of “Dracula” starring Jack Palance. In contrast to Christopher Lee portraying the Prince of Darkness and Barry Atwater as vampire Janos Skorzeny, who both embody a one-dimensional, silent evil, Quarry’s relaxed Count Yorga is a more charming figure, with considerably more dialogue than either of those characters. A plot twist revealed later in the film probably had an impact on Coppola's "Bram Stoker's Dracula" (1992). The movie has a running time of 1 hour and 37 minutes. Scenes were filmed in various locations around the San Francisco area, including the Golden Gate Bridge and Marin Headlands—which is north of San Francisco and west of the bridge. The orphanage scenes took place at Camarillo Ranch House in Camarillo, California, approximately 40 minutes west of Los Angeles and northwest of Malibu. The Count’s mansion is Casa Dorinda in Santa Barbara, roughly 50 minutes west of Camarillo and now a retirement community. GRADE: B-/B

Source on TMDB