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Dracula - Prince of Darkness

Dracula - Prince of Darkness

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A surprisingly tepid Dracula movie from director Fisher
Review: With Christopher Lee as Dracula, Terence Fisher as the director, and Andrew Keir as the vampire hunter, you would certainly expect "Dracula--Prince of Darkness" to be a much better film. The Count is revived by his slaverying servents and goes after a group of tourists. Arguably the weakest of the Hammer Dracula films. Actually, no, I'm quite comfortable saying this is the worst of the lot. Watch it, but put extra butter on the popcorn to make up for its shortcomings. The sequel to "Horror of Dracula," but order does not really matter with this movies.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Dracula 2, Lee on form
Review: The sequel to "The Horror of Dracula" is an excellent example of bloody well done again!. Terence Fisher (Director) creates a dark and foreboding athmoshere right from start to finish. Fisher a superb director, had all actors working in a friendly environment, this can be clearly seen within in the audio commentary provided by Christopher Lee and other members of the cast. With exellent production design (note the use of contrasting colors, large red drapes and the grey concrete/stone effect of the pillars) this Anchor Bay Production presents the widescreen anamorphic version of the film newly restored. For any fans of the Hammer Horror Film this is a good buy.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Hammer Fave
Review: I credit Dracula Prince of Darkness to showing me the light of the wonderful world of Hammer Films. This was the first movie I saw as a kid, and have been hooked ever since. Christopher Lee,although he didn't utter a single word other than hissing, can still command the screen. He has stage presence like nobody's business! "Clove" was absolutely menacing as one of Count Dracula's slaves and I thouroughly enjoyed Andrew Keir's role as well. I know Hammer has put out better films than this, but it is still an enjoyable and suspenseful film overall. You won't be disappointed.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Weak sequel
Review: I was very disappointed with this first sequel to the classic "Horror of Dracula". The latter film is one of my favorite films of all time, with Christopher Lee giving a terrifying performance along with Peter Cushing. This sequel doesn't come close.

What really surprises me is how good this film starts, and how dull it gets once Lee appears as Dracula. Four individuals are lost and find Castle Dracula. There, they are welcomed to stay by a very eerie, creepy butler. This guy is terrific. He has the same mannerisms that Lee has in the beginning of "Horror": polite but very scary.

As the movie progressed, I started to feel the same anxiety and terror of the first film. The guests stay overnight but then they start walking around the castle as they hear noises. This section creates suspense and chills because we don't know what will happen next, or how Dracula will be revived. Once Dracula appears though, the movie seems to lose everything. Lee pops up and gives a few perfunctory snarls and runs around, but has nothing to say. Somehow he just doesn't have the presence he had before (maybe because he's bored playing it a second time). In "Horror" he was much scarier even when he didn't have lines. From there, the film never seems to recover.

One question: Why isn't "Horror of Dracula" available on DVD?

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Solid Sequel
Review: Sometimes film companies outdo themselves the second time around and sometimes they don't. The latter happened with Prince of Darkness.It is a good solid Hammer production, but I guess(hmmmm)we are missing something here that would have made this a better sequel:CUSHING! Okay plot about stranded travelers who wind up you know where and they meet you know who!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A Worthy Sequal
Review: This is the long awaited sequal to the groundbreaking Hammer file The Horror of Dracula. Dracula-Prince of Darkness remains an underated gem. Starting somewhat slowly but building in both suspense and action as it progresses, it is one of the better efforts from Hammer Films. It has long been a point of contention that the film is weakened by the fact that Christopher Lee's Dracula has no dialouge. However, given Lee's powerful screen charisma as the titular fiend, he really doesn't need to say much. Director Terence Fisher's direction is assured and there are a handful of memorable scenes, including both the resurruction and death of Dracula. A winner.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: GOOD MOVIE
Review: I really enjoyed this movie.Four people accidently stumble upon Dracula's castle and spend the night there.Two manage to escape and seek the help of a priest to destroy Dracula once and for all.The scene where the guy gets his throat slit while hanging upside down was pretty gory,especially for 1965,although I didn't mind seeing him get killed or his wife because they were snobs.The young couple that survived were cool.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: One of the better Gothic horror stories.
Review: Although the theme is hardly original, this is one of the better Dracula-movies. The pace is fast, the atmosphere chilling and the characters better developed than usual. The standard Vampyre-hunter van Helsing has been left out this time and personally I didn't miss him. The scene where Dracula is revived from his ashes with help of a little blood is downright spectacular and Christopher Lee gives an excellent performance as the not so dead count. Good camera work, a thrilling score and good performances from the entire cast make this a fine contribution to the horror scene.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The strong silent type
Review: Unlike the countless other reviews this will be brief. Though the third in the Dracula series... (c'mon, don't forget The Brides of Dracula) It is the second of the series to star Christopher Lee as the notorious nosferatu. Lee doesn't speak but his blood red eyes and evil hiss says it all. A great cast. Barbara Shelley just does it for me as the converted undead. If you are anything like me, (and God help you if you are...) this will bring back loads of haunting childhood memories of Friday Night at home in the dark. See it widescreen, of course.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: "THE CASTLE,STAY AWAY FROM IT"
Review: The words of Father Sandor (Andrew Keir) are laden with dread as he delights in warming his posterior,drinking mulled claret. Made back to back with Rasputin the Mad Monk,the product of Hammers perennial economy drive Dracula Prince of Darkness not only made use of the same sets and cast as Rasputin,but was also shot using a poor man,s widescreen process called Techniscope,which obtained the desired 1:2.35 ratio by exposing only half a frame of standard 35mm celluloid,thereby reducing the cost of film stock.

Despite the fact that theoretically this leads to a reduction in quality of the final print,any imperfections have largely gone unnoticed,mainly because most of us don,t have eyesight with the resolving power of an electron microscope. Which is good news for buyers of this DVD version of Christopher Lee,s second Hammer outing as Count Dracula,as the quality of the transfer is excellent ,pin sharp with even colour and good shadow detail.Typically the kind of first rate image you can only obtain with DVD.

A synopsis of the film is really superfluous ,everyone by now being familiar with the tribulations of four unsuspecting English travellers visiting the distant and fear ridden Carpathians. With an accent on mystery and suspense,John Sansom,s (Jimmy Sangster) script allows Terence Fisher to dwell on building an effective atmosphere.He is ably assisted in this by a very good cast,Bernard Robinson,s superb sets and James Bernards characteristic score.

Perhaps the only criticism of the film is the eventual demise of Dracula which although nicely staged lacks a certain credibility,the arch vampire succumbing all to easily to a watery grave.On a high note one of the additional features that makes this DVD version stand out is the audio commentary by Christopher Lee and three other members of the original cast,soothing the pains of nostalgia in a manner that will seem priceless to all ardent Hammer fans.


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