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

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:

According to the DVD commentary by Barbara Shelley and Suzan Farmer, all of Barbara Shelley's screams were dubbed over by Suzan Farmer.

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:

Charles Kent: [as Klove starts to serve dinner] What's your name?
Klove: Klove, sir.
Charles Kent: Well, uh, Kove, isn't your master joining us for dinner?
Klove: No, sir. I'm afraid not.
Charles Kent: Is he indisposed?
Klove: [matter-of-factly] He's dead.
Charles Kent: [hesitates] I'm sorry if we appear a little dense. Perhaps you could explain?
Klove: Explain, sir?
Charles Kent: Yes, you seem to have expected us. Ah, this dinner. our rooms, the carriage... everything.
Klove: You see, sir, my master is dead but instructions were left that the castle should always be ready to receive guests. I am merely carrying out his wishes.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Nachts, wenn Dracula erwacht (1970)

Enjoyable albeit shallow revisit to Transylvania.

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.