Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966)

Lurid, entertaining but hardly shocking mid 60's Hammer horror production, probably most noteworthy for the fact that the title character played by the normally stentorian-voiced Christopher Lee says nary a word throughout, reputedly because he was so dis-enamoured of his allotted dialogue. While there are some plus features to the movie, this central flaw, which leaves a red-eyed Lee to ham it up like a refugee from a silent-movie throws the movie too far off-kilter for it to really recover.

Those plus features I mentioned would include the lush, airy location filming, ditto the castle interiors, in fact the cinematography on the whole is great on the eye, with blood-red the naturally dominant colour in the director's palette. The story pits the usual stereotypes and archetypes for our delectation, from holier than thou God-fearing priests, to a would-be (but in reality, not very) creepy butler attending on Lee, the timid superstitious townsfolk who watch and cower as usual and of course four upper class English twits, the perennial innocents abroad, who commit every clichéd horror-film action you can think of. These include, the obligatory ignoring of the warnings by stern priest Andrew Keir's about avoiding ol' Drac's castle, then disregarding one of their number's dire premonitions of death and destruction, wandering around the castle at night unaccompanied and of course ending up with stiff-upper-lip Francis Matthews, pre-Paul Temple, going back to the castle for the climactic duel with Lee.

I quite enjoyed the first hour, particularly the shenanigans in the castle, with a reasonable build up of tension, assisted by effective background music and sound effects but felt the last half-hour, up until just before the not-quite-redeeming conclusion on the ice, appeared grafted on, particularly the utilisation of a daffy old eccentric, a relapsed disciple of Dracula, who turns out to fully engage the trust of Matthew's fiancée when she hardly knows him and then is able to overpower with one blow a pretty virile looking priest. And yet there are one or two images that linger in the memory (just) beyond the end-titles, notably the transfiguration return of Dracula in the castle dungeon, sparked by the dripping blood of the spit-roasted corpse of Matthew's slain brother and also Lee's deathly gaze from under the ice which has claimed him to the deep (and no, I didn't know running water was fatal to vampires either).

It doesn't feel as if this was a particularly long shoot with an attendant unnecessary briskness of manner prevalent - you never feel for a minute that the actors ever really inhabit their parts, improbable as they are. Keir is probably the best of them though his Scottish Presbyterian accent does seem out of place in the likes of Carlsbad! Perhaps the film's most glaring fault is the re-run as a sort of prologue, of the conclusion of its predecessor "Dracula" (1958) with the memorable climax between Lee and the great Peter Cushing as Van Helsing. The remainder of this film lacks a scene as effective as this and is definitely the poorer for the latter actor's absence. Not, in conclusion then, the best of Hammer's horror recreations, but like an adult's ride on the ghost train, a pleasant enough journey, without ever getting close to actually frightening you out of your seat.

Fmovies: Watching it again as I write this, I'm reminded of the numbers of us that flocked to see this and other Hammer offerings in the '60's. It was a preferred film type then, and until Roger Corman introduced psychedelia to the genre it was all comfortably predictable.

Remember, we had all heard of Aleister Crowley (a real satanist of recent times, supposedly), and were all reading Denis Wheatley (The Devil Rides Out, etc). So Hammer obliged and provided the visuals, with surprisingly lush colour and good enough effects.

The "chaps" were all exemplary gentlemen, and it's difficult to imagine how you can traipse around deepest Romania/Transylvania in broken-down horse drawn carriages and keep the crease in trousers / not get plastered in mud. Someone else mentioned that Hammer's "vampire" women always looked better than the real thing, but I have to disagree - the older woman of the foursome group looks extremely good to me (when not stressed and screaming).

It's all good fun, and entertainment for the masses - who responded favourably.

The genre has been revamped time and time again, since Nosferatu, and for the collector this one would have to be in it for completion. Add "Bram Stoker's Dracula" and "Shadow of the Vampire" to the already mentioned Nosferatu and you'd have the Transylvania style covered.

Mind you it's metamorphosed again with the likes of Twilight, with another cult following. Didn't have CGI back in the '60's!.

Dracula Prince Of Darkness is in many ways as good as the first of the Hammer Draculas. It isn't actually the first sequel they made- that being The Brides Of Dracula- but that did not have Dracula in it, it actually being another adventure for Peter Cushing's Van Helsing, the vampire hunter. This film is hardly a classic, but it's extremely effective in what it sets out to do.

Rather disappointingly, Dracula is not revived {in startlingly gory fashion}until half the film is over, and even after that only puts in brief appearances. Although this has been heavily criticised, in some ways it makes the film more effective ,as you don't always know when he is going to appear. He doesn't even speak ,just hisses. The leisurely first half is nonetheless full of creepy atmosphere, while the second half is pretty much all action. The scene where a writhing Barbara Shelley is held down and staked remains astonishingly effective, and only Dracula's icy demise seems a little unconvincing technically.

Of course the sexual element is hardly worth thinking about- prudish Shelley becomes'eroticised'as a vampire and than has to be killed, and why were the Hammer ladies always far more attractive in their vampiric form? Still, this film shows many of the Hammer elements at their best.

Dracula: Prince of Darkness fmovies. Dracula (Christopher Lee) rides again in yet another Hammer entry in the Dracula franchise. This film is enjoyable horror hokum, but it has an awfully shallow story, fleshed out with a slow opening stretch and some amusing vampire lore in between the sporadic vampire attacks.

Four British travellers are journeying through the Carpathian Alps in the 1800s. They are repeatedly cautioned to steer clear of Carlsbad Castle but, being typically stuffy and stubborn, they end up going there anyway. The castle is deserted apart from a rather zombified manservant. During the night, one of the travellers is slain by the manservant, and his blood is used to resurrect the long-dead Count Dracula. Time for another bout of blood-sucking mayhem....

Christopher Lee has a small role this time around, but gets across a good performance due to his commanding presence in the title role. Andrew Keir is also good as a priest-cum-vampire-slayer, though he has to overcome some dumb dialogue. The slow build-up is rather damaging, as it generates more tedium than chills. The opportunities for real terror are somewhat fudged too, since most would-be "shock" moments are telegraphed too far in advance. However, Hammer buffs and vampire addicts will doubtless feel more than satisfied.

'Dracula: Prince Of Darkness' isn't technically the sequel to Hammer's 'Dracula' (a.k.a. 'Horror Of Dracula'), 'The Brides Of Dracula' is, but considering Dracula didn't even appear in the latter, this in my opinion is the REAL sequel. I actually enjoyed it a little bit more than 'Dracula' and it's one of the very best entries in the whole series, if not THE best. Dracula doesn't put in an appearance until about half way through the movie, but he's worth waiting for. Christopher Lee gives his most memorable performance as Dracula, which incidentally has no dialogue whatsoever. It's a great piece of acting, and Lee is an extremely underrated performer. Apart from Christopher Lee the rest of the cast is also first rate. Andrew "Professor Quatermass" Keir almost steals the movie as the unconventional Father Sandor, and the four English travellers who find themselves the guests of Dracula are Barbara Shelley, Francis Matthews, Suzan Farmer and veteran Aussie actor Bud Tingwell. All but the latter are familiar faces to Hammer fans. Shelley co-starred with Keir in the excellent 'Quatermass and the Pit" and she, Matthews and Farmer appeared with Christopher Lee in the wonderful 'Rasputin: The Mad Monk' released the same year as this movie. Pop culture obsessives will also remember that Francis Matthews voiced Captain Scarlet in the cult Gerry and Sylvia Anderson puppet show 'Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons' (a show that Bud Tingwell was also involved with). 'Dracula: Prince Of Darkness' is yet another wonderfully entertaining horror movie from Hammer studios. I suggest watching 'Dracula' and then following directly with 'Dracula: Prince Of Darkness' for a fantastic vampire double bill that is pretty hard to beat! Long live Christopher Lee!

Hammer brought Christopher Lee back after an eight year absence to play Count Dracula once more in this film, also directed by Horror of Dracula director Terrence Fisher. Fisher does a fine job creating tension as two English couples pay no heed to a priest's advice and go to Carlsbad AND to the unmarked castle in the forest. There a servant of the evil count kills one of the men(admirably played by Charles Tingwell) and uses his blood to ressurect his master. From there on, Lee creates havoc among the house guests. The typical Hammer touches are all here: bright colours, beautiful scenes and sets, great music by James Bernard, and a fine, talented acting group. Lee is very menacing as the count, yet the real star of the film for me is Andrew Keir as an outspoken Van Helsing-like priest. The Hammer girls are as always very easy on the eyes. Barbara Shelley makes a beautiful vampire. Though the script comes up a bit short to make this one of Hammer's best vampire films, all the rest certainly make it very entertaining.