Dracula - Prince Of Darkness

The ultimate Hammer Horror classic from 1966 is resurrected in all its gory glory and as a fully restored double-play set, too. Bloody marvellous!

Causing controversy and mixed reactions upon its original release, Dracula – Prince Of Darkness has become one of Hammer’s best loved films and further catapulted its star, Sir Christopher Lee, to iconic status.
It also sparked a long-standing feud over Lee’s apparent silly dialogue or rather, his non-existent dialogue in the movie (and other Dracula films thereafter). If scriptwriter Jimmy Sangster is to be believed, he didn’t write Lee any dialogue “because vampires don’t chat”. Obviously, he never read Bram Stoker’s novel… If Lee is to be believed, he demanded his dialogue to be removed from the script because he disapproved of the lines he was given. Oh, how I love a bat fight!

Dracula – Prince Of Darkness is widely regarded as the sequel to the 1958 Hammer film Horror Of Dracula and thus opens with a pre-titles sequence of the latter, depicting the climactic fight between Count Dracula and Van Helsing (Peter Cushing) and the destruction of the count.
The story of Prince Of Darkness is set ten years later and begins with a group of four English travellers on a holiday through the seemingly endless Carpathian forests. Charles Kent (Francis Matthews) and his wife Diana (Suzan Farmer) are generally excited about the trip, whereas Charles’ brother Alan (Charles Tingwell) has his hands full persuading his spoilsport of a wife Helen (Barbara Shelley) that this is a trip that’s meant to be enjoyed and broaden everyone’s horizon.

Later on, in an inn, they make the acquaintance of Father Sandor (Andrew Keir) who warns the travellers to stay away from a nearby castle. Stranger still, the locals won’t even acknowledge its existence. Ignoring every warning (for tourists always know better) the small group heads off via coach, but is left stranded when the coach driver refuses to go any further along a route leading up to the castle. He also pretends he doesn’t see the castle. As the group prepare to walk to the nearest shelter they can find, a mysterious coach suddenly appears out of nowhere, without a coachman. When Charles takes the position, the horses uncontrollably head off in the opposite direction and the four travellers find themselves in the very castle that the locals seem to be so wary of. As the two men set off to inspect the place, Helen’s uneasiness grows and she warns her friends of impending doom, only to be laughed off as being narrow-minded and nervous. However, even the others have to admit that the whole situation is strange and don’t know what to make of the fact that their luggage has been brought to the place and the table is served ready for dinner. Out of the shadows, the sinister figure of the castle’s retainer, Klove (Phillip Latham), appears. He greets the bewildered guests and informs them that his late master, Count Dracula, instructed him to have the castle ready at all times to welcome any travellers passing through. Somewhat relieved, the group decide to enjoy their dead host’s hospitality and later recline to the guest rooms. When Alan tries to calm an increasingly scared Helen by pointing out that everything will look much brighter and more cheerful in the morning, she prophetically replies, “There will be no morning for us!” As it turns out, she is right…

Dracula – Prince Of Darkness boasts breathtaking scenery and sets, as well as proper ‘old-school’ acting by all its cast. Terrific and terrifying, Christopher Lee proves to be not only the prince of darkness, but the ultimate count amongst all screen counts. He doesn’t need any lines to spread fear and terror. The scene in which he appears at the staircase – eyes crimson-red and fangs exposed – still makes one’s blood curdle today.

This gloriously re-mastered release (in association with Hammer Films) is accompanied by a host of exciting new extras, all produced in collaboration with Hammer expert Marcus Hearn and featuring insightful contributions by actor/comedian Mark Gatiss and Jonathan Rigby, the acclaimed author of ‘English Gothic’ and ‘Christopher Lee – The Authorized Screen History’. Furthermore, Barbara Shelley and Francis Matthews offer their memories and anecdotes. Furthermore included is a rare footage filmed by Francis’ Matthews brother on the set of ‘Dracula – Prince Of Darkness’. Various trailers and the ‘World Of Hammer’ episode ‘Hammer Stars: Christopher Lee’ are also thrown in, plus a restoration comparison. Another strike of genius is the sleeve art of this DVD & Blu-ray double set, for it is the poster of the film’s original theatrical release.

If this isn’t something to dig your fangs into, I don’t know what is! More Hammer titles are announced, so watch this space.