Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966)

Director:

Terence Fisher

Writers:

Anthony Hinds (story)
Jimmy Sangster (writer)

Release Date:

12 January 1966 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

The Greatest All New Fright Show In Town!

Plot:

Dracula is resurrected, preying on four unsuspecting visitors to his castle.

Plot Keywords:

Dracula | Castle | Sequel | Vampire | Tourist

Cast

Christopher Lee	...	Count Dracula
Barbara Shelley	...	Helen Kent
Andrew Keir	...	Father Sandor
Francis Matthews	...	Charles Kent
Suzan Farmer	...	Diana Kent
Charles 'Bud' Tingwell	...	Alan Kent (as Charles Tingwell)
Thorley Walters	...	Ludwig
Philip Latham	...	Klove
Walter Brown	...	Brother Mark
George Woodbridge	...	Landlord
Jack Lambert	...	Brother Peter
Philip Ray	...	Priest
Joyce Hemson	...	Frau Koenig (mother)
John Maxim	...	Coach Driver
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Peter Cushing	...	Doctor Van Helsing (archive footage) (uncredited)

Directed by
Terence Fisher

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Anthony Hinds		story (as John Elder)
Jimmy Sangster		writer (as John Sansom)

Produced by
Anthony Nelson Keys	....	producer

Original Music by
James Bernard

Cinematography by
Michael Reed

Film Editing by
Chris Barnes

Production Design by
Bernard Robinson

Art Direction by
Don Mingaye

Costume Design by
Rosemary Burrows

Makeup Department
Roy Ashton	....	makeup artist
Frieda Steiger	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Ross MacKenzie	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Bert Batt	....	assistant director
Hugh Harlow	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Roy Baker	....	sound editor
Ken Rawkins	....	sound recordist

Special Effects by
Les Bowie	....	special effects (uncredited)

Stunts
Peter Diamond	....	stunts (uncredited)
Eddie Powell	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Cecil R. Cooney	....	camera operator (as Cece Cooney)

Editorial Department
James Needs	....	supervising editor

Music Department
Philip Martell	....	music supervisor
Philip Martell	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Lorna Selwyn	....	continuity

Production Companies

• Hammer Film Productions
• Seven Arts Productions

Distributors

• Warner-Pathé Distributors (1966) (UK) (theatrical)
• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1966) (USA) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox (1966) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Centfox (1966) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1973) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Warner Home Video (1992) (UK) (VHS)
• Lumiere Pictures (1993) (UK) (VHS)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (1997) (USA) (VHS) (letterboxed)
• Video Treasures (1997) (USA) (VHS) (letterboxed)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Manga Films (2002) (Spain) (DVD)
• Paradiso Home Entertainment (2003) (Netherlands) (DVD) (rental)
• Paradiso Home Entertainment (2003) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Paradiso Home Entertainment (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD) (retail)
• Warner Home Video (video)

Special Effects

• Bowie Films

Also Known As:

Disciple of Dracula
Dracula 3
Revenge of Dracula
The Bloody Scream of Dracula

Runtime:

90 min | Spain:86 min (DVD edition)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Norway:16 (1972) | Norway:(Banned) (1966 - 1972) | Germany:16 (DVD release) | West Germany:12 (f) (re-rating) | West Germany:16 (f) (original rating) | Australia:M | Finland:(Banned) (1966) | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (video rating) (1992) | UK:X (original rating) | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Bray Studios, Down Place, Oakley Green, Berkshire, England, UK

Company:

Hammer Film Productions

Trivia:

Christopher Lee found the lines given to this character so awful that he chose to play it silent.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Just as Dracula begins his descent into the freezing waters of the castle moat at the end of the film, the long shot clearly reveals the pivots holding up the ice beneath him.

Quotes:

Father Sandor: [after stopping a mob, led by a local priest, from driving a stake into the body of a girl who has died of natural causes. He orders the body be brought to a churchyard] I will bury her. Now do as I say.
[nobody moves to carry out his instructions]
Father Sandor: Do as I say!
Priest: You're out of your jurisdiction! I'll complain to the bishop!
Father Sandor: You? And tell him that I stopped you from performing an act of blaphemy?
[indicates the body]
Father Sandor: Or would you prefer that I told him?
Priest: Well... We have to be sure.
Father Sandor: You are an idiot, Father. Worse than that: you're a superstitious, frightened idiot.
Priest: We...
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 100 Greatest Scary Moments (2003) (TV)

Hammer Fans Unite!

There is a cult in this world that are die-hard fans of Hammer films and "Dracula: Prince of Darkness" is another one to whet your appetite. Hammer Studios made their reputation in the horror film genre and all the films have a cetain look that is their trademark. The sets are rather lavish, it always seems to be winter and Christopher Lee or Peter Cushing are lurking around somewhere.

This film, missing Mr. Cushing, is probably one of the best of the "series". The charismatic Mr. Lee, however, does not utter a word and has fairly limited screen time which may dismay some fans. But he is still menacing and still biting necks with abandon. The story centers more around the 4 travelers and the priest (very well played by Andrew Keir). As usual, the innocents in the film stay at a castle which they have been warned to avoid by half the population of Transylvania. And then they pay the price. One scene worth mentioning, which is a little more gory than most in films of the 1960's is the discovery of Charles Tingwell, hanging upside down like a side of beef in the basement. You might jump at little at that point. But generally the film pretty much sticks to the Hammer formula.

So, if you are a Hammer fan, this one's for you. If you are not a Hammer fan, don't think for a moment that the story resembles Bram Stokers "Dracula"........well, maybe the fly eating Thorley Walters, modeled on the Renfield character from the book. Howevwer, it is a satisfying entry in the Hammer oeuvre and worth a watch.