Summaries

Synopsis

NOTE: Sequel to Dracula II: Ascensiion (2003). Dracula III: Legacy can be viewed alone, without having seen I & II, but it helps to know the history of how Uffizi, Luke, and Elizabeth got involved with the hunt for Dracula, to know that Uffizi was "tainted" at the end of Dracula II, and to know what Dracula is referring to when he says stuff like Luke made him suffer at the hands of the experimenters.

It is five years after the events of "Dracula II". Dracula [Rutger Hauer] hasreturned to Romania, taking Liz Blaine [Diane Neal] with him. Father Uffizi [Jason Scott Lee]wishes to pursue, but the church has withdrawn its support. They areworried that he has become "tainted" following his last encounter withDracula, and they want Uffizi to get out of the vampire business and takea position as pastor at a church of his choice. Uffizi's choice is to handin his collar and pursue Dracula on his own. Armed with his weapons ofchoice -- a scythe and a bullwhip -- Uffizi heads for Bucharest, Luke [Jason London] intow. Uffizi hopes to destroy and absolve Dracula; Luke hopes to find andrescue Liz, with whom he is in love.

Romania is in the throes of a civil war. TV news reporter Julia Hughes[Alexandra Westcourt] announces that the list of demands submitted to the Geneva Councilby the rebels includes the curious requirement that all present andprospective government officials make at least one public appearanceduring the daylight. Because of the war, no one may pass outside Bucharestwithout military approval. While Uffizi and Luke wait at a checkpoint toobtain permission, a jeep drives up bearing two French soldiers and abloody body. The driver says that they were attacked 51 kilometers outsidethe city, not by rebels but by people with big teeth.

Finally out of the city, Uffizi and Luke drive all night. The nextmorning, they run into some rebels who are taking people prisoner. Uffizilearns that they are not rebels but "procurers" who kidnap people to sellfor food to the nosferatu. Luke won't have it and forces Uffizi to stopthe car. Luke succeeds in freeing the prisoners, but the procurers blow uptheir car. Now, Uffizi and Luke have to proceed on foot. In the first townthey come to [filmed in Sigisoara], all the inhabitants are dead. Laterthat evening, after they have burned all the bodies, they come across avery scared man and woman near a downed helicopter. The woman turns out tobe reporter Julia Hughes, and the man is her cameraman Tommy [Gary J. Tunnicliffe]. Julia andTommy say they were attacked by rebels and shot some camera footage toprove it, but when Tommy runs back the film, there is no one on it exceptthemselves. Suddenly, a vampire on stilts swoops down and carries off Tommy.Uffizi tries to follow, while Luke and Julia head back to a church forrefuge. Uffizi finds the vampire sucking Tommy's blood and cracks one ofthe stilts with his whip. The vampire tumbles to the ground and impaleshimself on his own stilt. But now where is Tommy? Tommy has gone back tothe church. Julia opens the door to him, but it soon becomes apparent thatTommy is now a vampire, so Luke shoots him with his speargun.

The next morning, Luke and Julia are joined by Uffizi, who hascommandeered a military jeep. Now that they have transportation again,they find a car for Julia. Before they part ways, however, Julia asks tosee Uffizi's eyes (he always wears sunglasses). It's obvious that Juliaand Uffizi are attracted to each other. She tilts down his glasses for alast soulful look and notices that his irises are reddish.Julia goes her way and Luke and Uffizi go theirs. After driving for awhile, Luke notices a woman on the side of the road holding a baby andcrying. Against Uffizi's better judgement, Luke stops to help. As he triesto convince her that he is a friend, she suddenly tosses the "baby" intohis arms. It's a bomb. Uffizi grabs it and tosses it away just in time.They have been captured by rebels and are taken to their headquarters inan old army bunker. Uffizi tells leader Gabriel [Serban Celea] that they share thesame enemy - Dracula. Gabriel guffaws. "Dracula is a fiction, gypsy myth,tourist prattle, bedtime story." He takes off Uffizi's glasses and seeshis red eyes. "I'm fighting the infection," Uffizi explains, referring tothe vampirism he caught from Dracula five years ago. Just then, morerebels come in along with Julia, who seems to be friends with them.Gabriel orders that Uffizi and Luke be put in the stockade. "You're eithera hero or a demon," he says to Uffizi, "but we can't take any chances.Come dawn, you are free to go."

During the night, the bunker is attacked by vampires. Julia letsUffizi and Luke out of the stockade, but Uffizi pushes them both backinside, locks the door, gives them the key, and tells them to stay insideuntil he finds the way out. They wait till morning then let themselvesout. Julia goes outside and finds Uffizi standing in the rising sun, hisshirt off and screaming in obvious pain, Uffizi's way of purging himselfof the infection. Julia covers his shoulders with his coat.Luke notices the procurers driving their trucks down the road.Uffizi, Luke, and Julia follow in their jeep until they come upon agruesome scene. About a dozen priests have been impaled on stakes alongthe road. Uffizi orders Luke and Julia to go back, but they refuse, sothey all go on together, arriving at Dracula's castle. As they watch froma safe distance, they are suddenly ambushed by the procurers. Theyshoot Uffizi, knocking him over a cliff. Then they knock out Luke andtake Julia prisoner.Luke is tossed into a large courtyard with a dozen or more prisoners,all awaiting slaughter. Luke climbs up the wall and finds his way to aroom filled with at least a dozen televisions. He is greeted by an old,unkempt, bored-looking Dracula who remembers him (from Dracula II) as thecoroner who stole his body and made him suffer at the hands of theexperimenters. When Luke asks to see Liz, Dracula tosses him into apit of bloody, writhing, half-naked vampiresses, all feeding off eachother. "Be careful," says Dracula. "They WILL bite."

Meanwhile, Uffizi has climbed to the top of the cliff. He is in badshape and coughing up blood, but he is healing. He makes his way back tothe castle and goes looking for Julia.Julia has awakened to find that she is clothed in the dress of Dracula'sfavorite bride. Dracula recognizes Julia from the TV and seems excited tohave her in his chambers, but when Uffizi arrives, he finds Julia lying onthe floor, bleeding from a stake in her abdomen. He pulls out the stake asDracula shows up to taunt him. Just as Dracula is about to plunge a swordthrough Uffizi's heart, Liz cries, "Enough!" and shoots a flamingstake into Dracula's stomach. As Dracula looks at the stake in awe andpulls it out, Uffizi jumps him from behind and viciously bites his neck.He then takes the sword and beheads Dracula, who almost seems to beoffering his neck for the final blow. As he swings, Uffizi says, "Consideryourself forgiven." Dracula destroyed, Liz silently takes the swordand walks over to Luke. Uffizi asks a dying Julia whether there isanything she wants to confess. "I've had impure thoughts about you," sheadmits. "As I have about you," Uffizi replies."Please..." says Liz to Luke."...don't..." says Julia to Uffizi."...let me..." says Liz to Luke."...die." say Julia and Liz together.Luke beheads Liz as Julia dies in Uffizi's arms.

Epilogue: It is morning. Luke stumbles out of the castle and looksback for Uffizi. He does not come. Back in the castle, Uffizi sits onDracula's throne, holding Julia in his arms. There is a bite on her neck,and she is "alive" again. A postscript appears, saying THE KING IS DEAD! LONG LIVE THE KING! [Original synopsis by bj_kuehl]