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Hurry Shop - Dracula: Prince of Darkness (Ws)
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List Price: $14.98
Our Price: $18.99
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Manufacturer: Starz / Anchor Bay
Starring: Christopher Lee, Barbara Shelley, Andrew Keir, Francis Matthews, Suzan Farmer
Directed By: Terence Fisher
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Audience Rating: Unrated
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9781564427090
Format: Color
ISBN: 1564427099
Label: Starz / Anchor Bay
Manufacturer: Starz / Anchor Bay
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Starz / Anchor Bay
Release Date: 1997-09-10
Running Time: 90
Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay
Theatrical Release Date: 1966-01-12
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: THE REVENGE OF DRACULA
Comment: Vampires & More! 20 Movie Pack
Dracula, prince of darkness was directed by Terence Fisher, who had guided Christopher Lee through his first performance as the blood-thirsty count. Yhis film was the first NOT to feature Dracula's nemesis Van Helsing(played by Peter Cushing). Instead vamoire-fighting expertise was supplied by Andrew Kier in the role of Father Shandor. Like Van Helsing, Shandor despises blind superstition, but recognizes the forces of evil and respects their power. Dracula, Prince of Darkness, is in many ways a different sort of film from Hammer's, Horror of Dracula. Rather than jumping right into the expected vampiric activities, this film, takes its time introducing and developing its new characters before the revival of Dracula. Along with Shandor, the film's featured characters are two vacationing British British couples, newly-weds, Charles and Diana(Francis Mathews and Suzan Farmer) along with Charles' elder brther, Alan and his wife Helen(Charles Tingwell and Barbara Shelly). Despite Shandor's warnings, the holiday-quartet, find themselves, stranded near Castle Dracula at night. A driver-less coach appears and on boarding it, they find that they are unable to control the horses, who bring them directly to the castle, where they encounter, Klove(Philip Latham), an eerie "servant" of Count Dracula. Once Dracula is introduced, the pace of the film picks up, and a number of thrilling vampiric encounters ensue. While much of this footage is similar to material in Horror of Dracula, variations and some novel ideas do crop up. Even Dracula himself, is is a bit different. Most obviously the lining of his cloak has been changed from black to red. The most interesting of the film's new material is drawn from Bram Stoker's original,'Dracula', novel. Thorley Walters plays an insect-eating character named Peter, who is obviously based on the novel's Renfield. And Dracula summons Diana to vampirism by baring his chest, cutting himself with his fingernail, and drawing the girl to him, to taste the wound: a sequence lifted almost exactly from the original work.. The film also uses Stoker's premise that a vampire cannot cross a threshold uninvited, and coverts Stoker's idea that a vampire cannot cross running water into the premise that running water is fatal to the vampire.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Drawn out but not altogether bad
Comment: Dracula Prince of Darkness was Hammer's only Scope entry in the Christopher Lee series, but it's frankly a rather dull and dragged out affair - Drac doesn't appear for 49 minutes and the first hour of the film could have been done much better in half the time. Lee is clearly bored and has little to do, but Andrew Keir's gun-totting monk is one of Hammer's most interesting characters and there's no doubting the effectiveness of Barbara Shelley's transformation from uptight sister in law to hottie demon dyke ("You don't need Charles!"). There are good moments, from Dracula's reincarnation to the Dracula-on-Ice finale, and the fact that the hero and heroine are called Charles and Diana is good for a few unintentional laughs, but this is far to sedate and drawn out for its own good.
The DVD is an impressive package, with some great home movie footage of the shoot taken by 'juvenile lead' Francis Matthews' brother, original trailer and an audio commentary typically dominated by Christopher Lee. A rather uninspiring episode of the World of Hammer clip show dealing with the studio's vampire movies is also included. The 2.35:1 transfer is mostly pretty good, although the arrival at Castle Dracula is excessively dark.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A fine sequel
Comment: This is the second Hammer Dracula film to feature Christopher Lee in the title role. Although Peter Cushing sadly does not reprise his definitive role as Van Helsing this has much to offer.
The film starts with a replay of the final few minutes of the first Hammer Dracula (US title The Horror of Dracula), which is perhaps the greatest moment in the history of Hammer films. From there it develops quickly, with two couples ending up staying at Castle Dracula. Some well known faces make up the rest of the cast including Francis Matthews, Barbara Shelley and Andrew Keir. This film was made eight years after the original and its quite surprising how much more violent and gory it is.
The film was directed by Terence Fisher and you always know with a Hammer film that if he was the director you would get a quality film. He also directed Curse of Frankenstein, The Devil Rides Out, Hound of The Baskervilles, Brides of Dracula and of course the original Dracula (all worth buying). Add this to James Bernard's great score and you have a fine horror film that has stood the test of time really well.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Hammer in decline.
Comment:
Although this film holds a nostalgic pull for this particular viewer, (having seen it in its original stateside release at a Drive-In)an honest assessment today compels us to admit that the film is a study of a studio in decline.
True, the film is not without its assets, not the least of which is the veteran cast, with the lovely and always dramatically compelling Barbara Shelley pretty much walking off with the picture. Suzan Farmer, as always, is charming, and very easy on the eyes.
However, Bernard Robinson's art direction, (though adequate) doesn't begin to approach his earlier work, (particulary in "Brides of Dracula," "The Man Who Could Cheat Death," and "The Kiss of the Vampire"--and Robinson's genius is of a type that the work 'adequate' sits uncomfortably upon). Curiously, Mr. Robinson was back at the top of his game months later when he designed the plushy, "Plague of the Zombies."
The cinematography is compromised by grainy film stock, poor color, (as noted by film historian Leslie Halliwell), often rushed lighting, and a cumbersome and unnecessary use of wide screen. Terence Fisher filmographer, Wheeler Dixon, has noted the deficiencies in Michael Reeds's lensing on this project. In any case Mr. Reed nowhere equals the beautiful compositions he had managed on "The Gorgon," all of which makes the absence of Jack Asher particularly evident.
That the aforesaid technical credentials are lacking bears ample testament to the studio's drastic mid 60's cost cutting strategies, and the artistically regrettable, but imminent move away from Bray studios.
Moreover, the commercial objectives are baldly evinced here--the film screams "Formula."
Despite these shortcomings, and since this film was one of the last shot at Bray, it does bear compensatory traces of former glories. Thus we fully appreciate the hapless quartet's posthumous toast to Count Dracula, whilst the armorial flags above them billow in a ghostly breeze and the underscoring throbs unnervingly.
And Miss Shelley, as a vampiress, descending the staircase in a diaphanous gown goes a far way on the asset side of the ledger.
Mr. Lee for his part, does his usual hissing and cape waving. Too much is made of his lack of dialogue here. After all he has only a few lines at the beginning of "Horror of Dracula," and a few lines in this film's successor, "Dracula Has Risen From the Grave." So why on earth people feel the absence of such scanty phrases damages this film, who can say?
This picture would have been far better had it been done five years earlier. That said, it is a masterpiece compared to the dreck the eviscerated Hammer would be foisting on the public just five years later.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Christopher Lee could replace his predecessor Bela Lugosi as Count
Comment: Christopher Lee could balance and continue his charismatic predecessor Bela Lugosi(1882 - 1956) in the 60's Hammer british Dracula series.
This film is a great example for Lee as Count.
The differences are:
- Lugosi was more a theatrical Dracula from Broadway. Lugosi acted very elegant, exclusive & gentleman as a Dracula star. His charming style becomes a legend.
- Lee is more a mainstream Dracula star. He is not a theatre star like Lugosi did in 1931. He'd prefer a type of cold elegant beast. His style is less charming because he has to accustom himself into various directions in eight Dracula series.
Lugosi played as Dracula three times:
1. Dracula 1931
2. Return of the Vampire 1944
3. Mark of the Vampire 1935
Lee played as Dracula 8 times (see Filmography Imdb)
Frankly Bela Lugosi was a bit more charismatic than Christopher Lee, but Christopher Lee could balance the great charisma of his great predecessor.
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