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1966 - UK Directed By: Terence Fisher. Starring: Christopher Lee, Andrew Keir, Barbara Shelley, Francis Matthews, Suzan Farmer, Charles Tingwell, Philip Latham, Thorley Walters and Philip Ray.
Aka
Revenge Of Dracula
The Bloody Scream Of Dracula
Disciple Of Dracula
Current Availability
Available on DVD in numerous versions which date all the way back to the infancy of the format. Dracula: Prince Of Darkness is currently available uncut on UK R2 DVD as a serviceable release from Optimum available either on its own or as a part of their 21 film, 21 disc The Ultimate Hammer Collection box-set. There was also a UK R2 DVD from Warner, released in 2001 which while officially OOP is still fairly easy to come by. Both UK releases restore the moments of bloodshed to the ritual bloodletting and staking scenes which were missing from previous UK theatrical and VHS prints of the film. However, the Region Free US release from Anchor Bay released way back in 1998 is also uncut and in addition also includes an array of worthwhile extras. Anchor Bay later reissued Dracula: Prince Of Darkness with the same extras on a doube-bill with The Satanic Rites Of Dracula, however both releases are now long OOP and used copies tend to command hefty prices amongst collectors. There is however, also a German R2 DVD on the Anolis label which reportedly features the best quality presentation of the film yet complete with all the extra's from the Anchor Bay edition.
Recommended?
Highly recommended. Pound for pound Dracula: Prince Of Darkness stands as perhaps the best entry in Hammer's famous Dracula series. Brilliantly directed by the late Terence Fisher, Dracula: Prince Of Darkness is a gripping, stylish and wonderfully atmospheric effort which welcomes horror legend Christopher Lee back into his iconic role as Count Dracula in truly exceptional fashion. One of the quintessential Hammer Horror films.
Review (Contains Spoilers)
With their classic 1958 interpretation of Dracula (known as The Horror Of Dracula in some countries), legendary British film studio Hammer Film Productions not only eclipsed the success of their own previous horror classic The Curse Of Frankenstein, but established themselves as the pioneers of the period set gothic horror film. In addition the film also launched horror legend Christopher Lee, who featured briefly yet so memorably as the evil vampire Count Dracula, on the road to stardom in what remains the his most famous screen role.
As the sixties began Hammer began to focus heavily upon delivering more and more horror pictures in order to satisfy the audience demand drummed up by the massive international box-office success of The Curse Of Frankenstein, Dracula and The Mummy (1959), all of which were directed by deservedly revered British filmmaker Terence Fisher and featured the acting talents of Lee and fellow horror legend Peter Cushing. Understandably Hammer were keen to produce a sequel to Dracula, however Christopher Lee initially refused to reprise his role as Dracula expressing concerns about ending up typecast in the role as the famous literary vampire. Therefore, the second Hammer Dracula picture The Brides Of Dracula (1960) (once again directed by Terence Fisher), whilst an excellent film in its own right, ended up being a largely unrelated picture, linked tenuously to Hammer's original Dracula purely by the fact that Peter Cushing reprised his role as scholarly vampire hunter Dr Van Helsing. Unsurprisingly The Brides Of Dracula, largely due to Lee's absence, failed to repeat the success of Hammer's classic original.
However, Hammer would persevere and finally persuaded Christopher Lee - by then a household name - to return as Dracula in the Hammer Dracula series' third instalment Dracula: Prince Of Darkness. Once again directed by the great Terence Fisher and released in 1966 when Hammer were in the midst of their mid-sixties "Golden Age", Dracula: Prince Of Darkness proved to be huge hit (undoubtedly thanks to the return of Lee) and is now widely regarded by Hammer Horror fans as the first "real" sequel to the studio's original Dracula. It is also worth noting that Dracula: Prince Of Darkness would be shot back to back on the same sets (a common practise at the time) with Hammer's horrifically themed historical thriller Rasputin: The Mad Monk, which also featured much of the same personnel and cast including Christopher Lee in the starring title role.
The success of Dracula: Prince Of Darkness would lead to Hammer delivering a further three patchy yet mostly entertaining period Dracula pictures featuring Christopher Lee in the shape of Dracula Has Risen From The Grave (1968), Taste The Blood (1970) and Scars Of Dracula (also 1970). Following a brief sabbatical Hammer then dragged Lee's Dracula into the modern day with the poorly received Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972) and The Satanic Rites Of Dracula (1973). By this point however, the British horror film had fallen from favour with audiences and Hammer, by now on their last legs, would conclude their Dracula series without Christopher Lee (who no longer wished to play the role) with The Legend Of The 7 Golden Vampires (1974), a collaboration with famous Hong Kong based film distributors Shaw Brothers, which saw Hammer's familiar gothic vampire formula combined with elements of the oriental kung fu genre.
The plot of Dracula: Prince Of Darkness picks up ten years after Dr Van Helsing's destruction of the evil vampire Count Dracula. The film begins by introducing four English travellers, Charles (Matthews) his wife Diana (Farmer), Charles' brother Alan (Tingwell) and Alan's prim wife Helen (played by Hammer Horror's leading lady at that time Barbara Shelley) who are enjoying a climbing and sight-seeing break in the Carpathian Mountain region. At a local inn the two couples make the acquaintance of eccentric cleric Father Sandor (Keir) who cautions them against venturing near the old castle located in near to the local town of Carlsbad, which was once the home of none other than Count Dracula himself.
However, the next day the four travellers are left stranded by their superstitious coach driver and are eerily shepherded to the aforementioned castle. Ignoring Father Sandor's advice they decide to spend the night at the castle where they are attended to by sinister manservant Klove (Latham). This decision proves to have terrifying consequences when later that night Klove - in actual fact Dracula's dedicated servant - brutally murders Alan and uses his split blood in a ritual which results in Dracula (Lee) rising from the grave once again in order to resume his reign of terror. In the horror that follows Helen is killed by Dracula and in turn becomes a vampire herself, while Charles and Diana barely escape from the castle with their lives. After meeting once again with Father Sandor, the beleaguered Charles and Diana find sanctuary at his monastery. However, Dracula has now set his mind on having Diana as his own vampire bride and will stop at nothing in order to make her his latest vampire bride.
Although it took Hammer roughly seven years of dogged persuasion to lure Christopher Lee back into donning his trusty cape and fangs as Dracula, as it turns out it was well worth the wait. While Hammer's original Dracula is of course a classic horror film, rightly embellished with landmark status, it is also a film which has not aged especially well in retrospect. If one momentarily overlooks the great yet tenuously connected The Brides Of Dracula and looks upon Dracula: Prince Of Darkness as the real sequel to Dracula then it has to be concluded that while not without its faults, overall it far surpasses its famous predecessor. Indeed, not only is Dracula: Prince Of Darkness the zenith of Hammer's Dracula series, but also a shining example of the sort of film Hammer, then in the midst of their mid sixties "Golden Age", did better than anyone at that time.
While Hammer and director Terence Fisher delivered a number of gothic horror pictures during this period, few if any succeed in absorbing the viewer on quite the same level. By this point an absolute master of his craft, Fisher draws the viewer into Dracula: Prince Of Darkness with a lengthy and steady yet compelling, suspenseful and at times unnerving build-up. Then when the time comes for Lee's Dracula to finally be revived and unleashed, Fisher delivers admirably following the long, yet pleasurable wait. It also helps that Dracula: Prince Of Darkness sees the stately, gothic splendour associated with Hammer's period horror pictures at perhaps its most rich, vibrant and wonderfully atmospheric. This is thanks in no small part to excellent scope photography courtesy of Michael Reed (who also lensed The Gorgon (1964), The Devil Ship Pirates (1964) and Rasputin: The Mad Monk (1966) for Hammer) and also the sterling work of the legendary composer James Bernard who contributes one of his most ominous, powerful and effective scores.
Following a welcome recap of Dracula's destruction at the climax of Hammer's original Dracula, Dracula: Prince Of Darkness quickly settles comfortably into its steadily paced and gripping build-up as our four central protagonists, English tourists Charles, Diana, Helen and Alan arrive in the Carpathian Mountain region. Father Sandor's ominous warning to steer clear of Dracula's infamous castle lair (delivered with a wonderful gravity by Andrew Keir) establishes the requisite feeling of oncoming dread, which Fisher, much to his credit, sustains throughout the foursomes eerie yet heavily contrived journey to the castle. In truth it is a shortcoming of Jimmy Sangster's otherwise serviceable script that the manner in which the travellers are supernaturally drawn towards the castle feels more than a little "convenient" to say the least. Also the rather pig-headed manner in which our four protagonists (with the sole exception of Helen) completely disregard Father Sandor's warning and blunder straight into the awaiting spiders web as a result does make them come off as rather ignorant and foolhardy to say the least. Nevertheless, Fisher's fine direction is enough to paper over these few cracks in the narrative and the manner in which they are lured to Dracula's castle as if they were somehow being drawn in by an invisible, beckoning finger of fate, succeeds in maintaining the tension.
Once the action moves inside Dracula's castle Fisher really begins tightening the screws by using the cold, sinister presence of Dracula's minion Klove and the simultaneously grandiose yet dusty, sinister and claustrophobic interiors of the castle (shot at Hammer's famous long-time home Bray Studio's) to further enhance the films wonderfully foreboding period gothic atmosphere. At roughly the halfway point Dracula: Prince Of Darkness then really comes alive in fine style, the long and steady build-up of tension finally reaching its satisfying initial crescendo. This begins with the delightfully lurid and - for the time - extremely bloody throat-slashing human sacrifice sequence in which Klove uses the spilt blood of the boorish yet unfortunate Alan to bring about the resurrection of his infernal master Dracula. Unfortunately this bloody sequence would be censored by the BBFC from the original UK theatrical prints and would not be properly restored until decades later. Fortunately once revived Lee's Dracula soon makes his presence felt, Fisher reintroducing the Count via a spine-chilling encounter with a terrified Helen on a darkened castle staircase. Following on from there the film quickly delivers even more seat edge excitement as an understandably perturbed Charles and Diana return to the castle and barely escape with their lives following a close encounter with Dracula and Helen, who has now been transformed into a vampire herself.
Although Christopher Lee's screen time as Dracula is once again relatively scant, as it was in Horror Of Dracula, this time around Jimmy Sangster's script rather cleverly confines the Count to the second half of the film thus creating the impression of a far more active and threatening Dracula. It is said that Lee was extremely reluctant to return to the Dracula role and eventually only did so once a compromise was reached that he could play the role without dialogue as Lee allegedly felt that the lines he was afforded in Sangster's original script were dreadful. While some have criticised the films snarling, almost animalistic, speechless depiction of Dracula, in the opinion of this reviewer it is actually harnessed very effectively, creating the unnerving impression of a thoroughly malefic creature whom having been unexpectedly restored to life is now desperate to prolong his renewed existence. At any rate Lee is still terrific in the role, his tremendous presence and fearsome appearance saying more than any cliched lines of dialogue ever could.
On paper some may fear, perhaps justifiably, that Dracula: Prince Of Darkness may falter due to the absence of the legendary Peter Cushing in the role of the vampire hunter Dr Van Helsing, which he had portrayed so exceptionally in both Dracula and The Brides Of Dracula. Happily any such fears are duly laid to rest by the reassuring presence of Andrew Keir, who enters a terrific, authoritive performance as the jovial yet imposing, rifle carrying cleric Father Sandor. Indeed, Keir makes such a good adversary for Lee's Dracula that Cushing really isn't missed at all. Elsewhere on the acting front Francis Matthews as Charles and the bubbly Suzan Farmer as his young wife Diana make for serviceable enough leads. However, the films acting honours undoubtedly belong to the ravishing Barbara Shelley, one of the British horror genre's most attractive and talented leading ladies, Shelley does a terrific, highly convincing job or depicting her character Helen's transformation from a prim, uptight prude into a seductive and wanton female vampire. The principal cast also receive able support from both Philip Latham as Dracula's sinister manservant Klove and also from veteran character actor Thorley Walters in a welcome semi-comic turn as fly-eating eccentric Ludwig. Of course the character of Ludwig is fairly obviously patterned upon that of Dracula's lunatic minion Renfield from Bram Stoker's original Dracula novel.
Once the narrative reintroduces Father Sandor and moves on to Charles and Diana seeking sanctuary at his monastery, Dracula: Prince Of Darkness does drift into a rather dialogue heavy ten or fifteen minutes. While this sudden slowing of the pace is rather jarring following on the heels of the initial confrontation with Dracula, fine performances from Keir and Matthews (who seems to settle more and more comfortably into his role as the film progresses) are more than enough to hold the viewers interest. At any rate Dracula: Prince Of Darkness quickly intensifies once again starting with the capture and staking of the vampire Helen, which ranks as one of the most bloody and brutal scenes that the mid-sixties Hammer Horror oeuvre has to offer. From there Dracula: Prince Of Darkness moves on to a tense chase sequence en route to the films creative exciting and well-staged climactic showdown between Dracula and the trio of Father Sandor, Charles and Diana which takes place on the icy surface of a frozen river.
While not without its narrative flaws and contrivances, all in all Dracula: Prince Of Darkness is a gripping, stylish, visually sumptuous and at times genuinely chilling example of the period gothic horror film, which ranks as perhaps the best instalment in Hammer's famous Dracula series. In one of his finest hours in the directors chair the great Terence Fisher crafts a superb first act which simmers with mounting tension and dread, building towards a thrilling final act in which Lee's silent yet typically unnerving Dracula is finally confronted. When all is said and done Dracula: Prince Of Darkness is one of the best things that Hammer ever did, no halfway respectable horror collection should be without it.
Also Try... Dracula (1958, Terence Fisher) / Dracula Has Risen From The Grave / Taste The Blood Of Dracula / Scars Of Dracula / Dracula A.D. 1972 / The Satanic Rites Of Dracula / The Brides Of Dracula / Kiss Of The Vampire / The Legend Of The 7 Golden Vampires / Rasputin: The Mad Monk.
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