Rating: 
Summary: 2nd Lee-Cushing Dracula is a great time
Review: Strangely, this film is referred to often as "the sequel" to Horrors of Dracula, when actually Brides of Dracula was the second in the series. Then it became know as the "prequel to the sequel"...whatever, it's one of the best of the Hammer vampire cycle and a great film for Lee - Cushing fans.Hammer in it's early days tended to be shortsighted. In the first pairing of Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing in Frankenstein, they ended up having Cushing dump Lee's monster into a vat of acid. Super ending - but it literally stopped Lee from returning in a sequel. Cushing did go on to reprise Frankenstein in a series of Films. And it looked like Hammer had repeated the same mistake at the end of The Horrors of Dracula. Wonderful ending of Lee turning to dust and the wind carrying him away...only, they once again stopped any hope of Lee returning in the next film. Cushing went on to make the critically acclaimed Brides of Dracula, many often site as the better film, but it lacked Lee and that lack really hurts the film. David Peel just did not have the power and presence Lee did in the cape!! So Hammer put their thinking caps on and 8 years (and Lee refusing to put on the cape) they came up came up with a way to bring Lee back to "life" for a the sequel. Okay, a little stretch, but it worked! Hammer made sure never to kill of Lee "permanently" again!! The box office pairing of Lee and Cushing was magic. Two English couples traveling through Transylvania end up spending the night at the Drac's Castle. Lee's servant brings the Count back to "life" and he is off and up to old tricks. The film is super, Hammer at top form with Terrence Fisher as director. Just a SHAME they kept Dracula mute with no lines.
Rating:
Summary: christopher lee is back as dracula
Review: christopher lee is back as the very sexy dracula.dracula was so sexy ,but I was disappointed that he didn't have any speaking roles.very good movie just needed a speaking role for dracula or christopher lee....................
Rating:
Summary: 2nd in the Hammer Horror Dracula series
Review: Hooray for Hammer Horror! What would we do with it? Hammer Horror is its own brand of Horror with its own special feel which basically revolves around putting crappy characters and big-chested women in with great set designs and letting the blood flow as much as possible while trying to maintain a "serious" feel. Even this early British Dracula movie from 1965 doesn't shy aware from an odd neck-slitting or two. Basically the story revolves around four upper-class English tourists who are warned not to visit the Carpathian mountains, but are soon thrown out of their carriage by the driver who does not want to continue on with the journey and naturally they end up in the place where they where told not to go. Suffice to say that they become guests in the castle of Count Dracula and he rises from the grave to commence his old antics once again. The most enjoyable part of these films is watching Dracula (the ever great Christopher Lee) rejuvenate from his previous film's screen death to only then die in another inventive way. Hammer Horror is dated material but is still a hell of load of great fun!
Rating: 
Summary: Where's Peter Cushing when you need him
Review: Everyone to their own thrills and chills but this movie has a problem -- it's boring. In fact, the most entertaining sequence is the opening flashback to its predecessor, "Horror of Dracula". After the success of that earlier film, it was no doubt evident to Hammer Productions that they needed to get Christopher Lee back into the cape. They must have felt that this was all that was necessary, because they forgot to add a compelling story to go along with the garment. We follow two vacationing couples as they stumble into Dracula's Castle, and provide the necessary cocktail for his comeback. The problem is that it takes forever to get things rolling. They talk and grumble, and talk and whine. Finally Drac appears, nails Barbara Shelly, couple of mild thrills, and we're back to the "slooooows" again. Another cheap thrill or two, Drac slips onto ice, and we get this hokey ending. I think that Hammer's first vampire work, "Horror of Dracula", while generally appreciated, is not given credit for the level of fright it delivered to its 1958 audience. While a low-budget film, it dispensed various elements of horror up to that time unseen. It also contained a crisp, fast-moving script (albeit, full of plot holes), and an unrelentingly, adversarial relationship between Dracula and Van Helsing (the great Peter Cushing) that drives the story all the way to its slick ending. If you contrast these two films, "Dracula, Prince of Darkness" is not in the same league. At best, it is a mild thriller. After "Prince of Darkness", things only became worse. Reluctant to give up its cash cow, Hammer drove on into the seventies, until the films became so pitiful that the monsters were being killed by boredom. With "The Curse of Frankenstein", "Horror of Dracula", "Brides of Dracula", (and "The Mummy", if you like), Hammer infused new blood into the horror genre, and deserves that recognition. Like most creative ventures though, the originality and inspiration dwindled within a few years; nevertheless, we're left with a batch of chilling treasures from which to pick our favorites for curling up on cold, dark, windy nights.
Rating: 
Summary: Pleasing sequel to horror classic
Review: At first it looked as if Van Helsing would be the center of attention. Peter Cushing reprised his role as Van Helsing in the mislabeled Brides of Dracula. Although the script was uneven (it passed through many hands before Terence Fisher held a final script), it made sense to proceed with Van Helsing; Cushing's portrayal was bold, vivid and powerful enough to make up for Christopher Lee's absence. Finally Hammer talked Lee into reprising his role. While Lee is terrific in Dracula Prince of Darkness, the script (based on a story by Hammer producer Anthony Hinds writing as John Elder)is once again very uneven. In fact, what makes Prince arresting is Fisher's eerie atmosphere (there, I've said it again after other comments) and his ability to coax strong performances under adverse circumstances. Barabara Shelly shines in her role and, along with Lee and Andrew Keir, makes Prince more memorable than it has any right to be. Dracula is silent throughout the picture. While it does add to the animalistic qualities of the character (making him substatially less human)it also removes an additional dimension to the character. Reportedly Lee refushed to utter the inane dialog given to him and, as a result, the Count became quiet. Given the constraints of the plot, it works fairly well although, again, one misses the charismatic qualities of Dracula so well played in Horror of Dracula. The picture starts off well enough with the funeral of a young girl. But rather than burying her, the townspeople and elderly priest plan on putting a stake through her heart and burning her body. Andrew Keir's priest makes his first appearence with the ringing sound of gunfire as he shoots his rifle to get their attention. He criticizes the townspeople (my favorite line of dialog so well delivered by Keir that it works is when he calls the priest "an idiot, no you're worse than an idiot. You're an ignorant, superstitious idiot" or words to those effect)for their ignorance and saves the girl's body from being burned. He shows them that thee are no marks of the vampire and promises to give her a decent burial. When the priest refuses to do the rites, Keir states he'll do them himself. I have to admit I did chuckle when I first saw Keir on horseback as he reminded me of a priestly Lone Ranger with his hood. The scene works because of the conviction of the actors and Keir's delivery. Keir proves to be up to the task of replacing Cushing. Prince is bloodier than Horror. In the 7 years that had passed, Hammer and horror films in general had become more gruesome. The additional graphic violence and gore works, again, to the film's advantage. It reflects Dracula's more sinister, animal like qualities. The conclusion at the Count's castle with Keir trying to kill Dracula with the unique use of his shooting skills is imaginative even if it does stretch credibility. It's not quite as powerful as the final scene in Horror but it is different. The transfer is good although not up to the standards I've seen with some Anchor Bay releases. The print appeared jittery and there was a lot of compression artifacts in the earlier, darker scenes. Part of that is due to the fact that it's a single layer disc (although two sided) and part of this is due to the dark look of the film and high speed film used during the shoot. Prince has always been a bit grainer (from what I recall)than Horror and some of Fisher's other Hammer films. The extras are appealing. First, let me note that there's no rule that says that a commentary can't ramble. Sure Lee does it quite a bit but what can one say about a film make 38 years ago? Barbara Shelly proves to have the most reliable memory about the making of the film. Lee provides a number of interesting (although not always relevant)stories about the making of Prince as well as other Hammer productions. Actor Francis Mathews also appears on the commentary track. Since he's still with us, hopefully someone will hire him to do the same for the other films he appeared in. The picture quality is good although not outstanding and the mono audio decent. That's not a condemnation; Prince is a fine minor classic and Fisher still demonstrates his usual flair as a director. It's a pity that the uneven series never got any better than the first film in the series but it's not surprising. Future Hammer scripts were routine and by the numbers for the most part (although Roy Ward Baker did show an imaginative flair in Scars of Dracula as did Peter Sasdy with Taste the Blood of Dracula). The quality of the scripts slid as time wore on. Still, Prince has many of the best qualities that made Horror so memorable. Although it's not king of the Dracula films, it's princely status shall go unchallenged.
Rating:
Summary: One Of The Best Horror Movies
Review: 'Dracula: Prince Of Darkness' is one of the best horror movies I have ever seen. Christopher Lee gives an excellent performance as Dracula.
The basic plot is that two couples are vacationing in the Carpathian Mountains. They had stopped at an inn to rest and get something to eat. As they are preparing to leave, a priest comes in to warm himself by the fire. He then strikes up a conversation with the two couples. When he finds out that they are on their way to Carlsbad, he warns them to stay away from the castle. Both of the husbands, who happen to be brothers, are skeptical because there is no castle on the map. They leave soon after and are presently on their way to Carlsbad. However, they wind up with a superstitious driver who abandons them in the woods and tells them that he will be back after sunrise.
Dismayed that they have been stranded, the two couples look around and find that they have two choices for shelter. One a creepy looking castle, and two a run down shack. They opt for the shack and are about to head in when out of nowhere a carriage comes. Thinking that they can get to Carlsbad, they all climb aboard and start out for their destination. The couples soon realise that the horses are headed not to Carlsbad, but to the castle.
When they arrive, they are eventually greeted by a butler who is about as creepy looking as the castle.
The butler tells them that they are expected and to make themselves at home. Later in the night, one of the husbands is awakened by a weird noise and goes to investigate. He is then killed by the butler, who slits his throat over an open sarcophagus and resurrects Count Dracula, who is played by Christopher Lee.
Dracula then turns the dead guy's wife into a vampire and they go after the dead guy's brother and his wife. The two remaining people run for a monestary where they are taken in by the same priest they met at the inn. He is all but saying 'I told you so'. Together, the priest and the dead guy's brother go after Count Dracula where he gets stranded on the ice around the castle. The priest then takes a shotgun and breaks up the ice and plunges Dracula into the running water. bottom line: This time the butler really did do it.
Rating:
Summary: One Of The Best Horror Movies
Review: For any and all horror movie fans, 'Dracula: Prince Of Darkness' is a must see. Starring Christopher Lee, this movie puts another spin on the vampire film. Two couples are vacationing in the Carpathian Mountains when a priest comes to the inn they are resting eating a meal at. The two couples are actually in-laws, as the two husbands are brothers. The priest asks them what their plans are, and when he hears that they are headed to Carlsbad, he warns them to stay away from the castle. Being skeptical at the priest's words because the castle is not marked on the map, the two men believe it is just an old legend. Disregarding the priest's words the two couples get into a carraige thinking that they will be able to get to Carlsbad when their superstitious driver abandons them in the woods and tells them that he will be back after dawn the next morning. The horses that are hitched to the carriage cannot be controlled and they take the four unsuspecting people to the castle. They are then startled by a creepy looking butler who was preparing their rooms. Later that night, one of the brothers hears a noise and goes to investigate. He winds up getting killed by the butler ho then uses his (The dead guy's) blood to resurrect his master, Dracula, who has been 'dead' for the past ten years. However, since vampires are undead he was only destroyed and could be brought back with the blood of a human. The butler then goes to the wife of the dead guy and leads her to where Dracula's coffin is and Dracula turns her in to a vampire. Any how the other brother and his wife then flee the next morning, are found by the priest who is all but saying 'I told you so', followed by Dracula and the girl he turned into a vampire and Dracula is finally chased back to the castle where he is then destroyed when the priest fires the rifle several times to break up the ice and use the running water to destroy the vampire. Bottom line: This time the butler really did do it
Rating:
Summary: The Best of the Dracula Sequals
Review: This is a great old fashioned horror film. Alot of atmosphere that gives off a real creepy feel. Easily the best of the Hammer Dracula sequals. If you're a casual horror fan and want to try out Hammers horrors then purchase this film or Horror of Dracula.
Rating:
Summary: Vamp Shocker
Review: Hammer, bless their hearts, manage to take all that is cheesy in the Dracula idiom, concentrate it, and discard everything of any real interest. Bram Stoker's novel is an extremely subtle, complex and allegorical exploration of the human condition, and there have been some outstanding dramatisations of it (the best of which pick up a number of different subtexts), but this surely isn't one of them. This is a Z-Grade horror/suspense movie, and in fairness to it, it doesn't try to be anything more than that. Ludicrous capes, pantomime style "he's behind you" suspense, busty vamp chicks (nothing wrong with these of course) and hilarious overacting from the good Count (Lee is just awful - no doubt overcompensating for his lack of dialogue) are the order of the day. As long as that's your "bag", it's fine - although you'll find the 40 odd years since it was released have not treated it kindly. The ending is also something of a damp squib. If, on the other hand, you're on the lookout for a more sophisticated rendering of the Dracula story, check out Coppola's "Bram Stoker's Dracula", F.W. Murnau's seminal 1922 silent movie "Nosferatu: A symphony of horror", or - my personal toppermost recommendation - Werner Herzog's exquisite homage to the Murnau picture, "Nosferatu the Vampyre", in which Klaus Kinski is simply magnificent.
Rating: 
Summary: Flawed, but still the Best
Review: Though many consider "Horror of Dracula" the best, this film was more richly filmed, Lee's absence of lines made him more inhuman and menacing (as a vampire should be, unlike Ann Rice's lame all-too-human vampires), it had Bernard's rich score, and had very atmospheric directing. If the story seemed very basic, bear in mind that all Hammer films were basically stretched out short stories meant to create an impression rather than tell an intricate story filled with sub-plots. The demise of Dracula in the icewater was rather unspectacular in relation to the film's earlier build-up, however, and Peter Cushing's absence kept this from being the best one of Hammer's Dracula films.
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