The Brides of Dracula (1960)

Vampire hunter Van Helsing returns to Transylvania to destroy handsome bloodsucker Baron Meinster, who has designs on beautiful young schoolteacher Marianne.

Director:

Terence Fisher

Writers:

Jimmy Sangster (screenplay), Peter Bryan (screenplay),

Stars:

Peter Cushing, Martita Hunt, Yvonne Monlaur

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Peter Cushing	...	Dr. J. Van Helsing
Martita Hunt	...	Baroness Meinster
Yvonne Monlaur	...	Marianne Danielle
Freda Jackson	...	Greta
David Peel	...	Baron Meinster
Miles Malleson	...	Dr. Tobler
Henry Oscar	...	Herr Otto Lang
Mona Washbourne	...	Frau Helga Lang
Andree Melly	...	Gina
Victor Brooks	...	Hans, a Villager
Fred Johnson	...	The Cure, Father Stepnik
Michael Ripper	...	Coachman
Norman Pierce	...	Johann, Landlord
Vera Cook	...	Landlord's Wife
Marie Devereux	...	Village Girl (as Marie Deveruex)

Storyline

A young teacher on her way to a position in Transylvania helps a young man escape the shackles his mother has put on him. In so doing she innocently unleashes the horrors of the undead once again on the populace, including those at her school for ladies. Luckily for some, Dr Van Helsing is already on his way.

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Plot Keywords:

van helsing | vampire | undead | music score features organ | rosary | 

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Taglines:

He Turned Innocent Beauty Into Unspeakable Horror.

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Official Sites:

Hammer Films

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 September 1960 (USA)

Also Known As:

As Noivas de Drácula

Filming Locations:

Black Park, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hammer Film Productions, Hotspur Film Productions Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The ending was to have originally had the vampires destroyed by a swarm of bats. This ending proved too expensive to stage and shoot. The concept of this ending was recycled three years later for the climax of Hammer's The Kiss of the Vampire.

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Goofs

In the opening scenes, the windows on the coach almost all alternate between open and closed from shot to shot.

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Quotes

Gina: [resurrected as a vampire] Marianne... my darling Marianne... you haven't forgotten your little Gina? Put you arms around me, please, I want to kiss you, Marianne. Please be kind to me. Say that you forgive me for letting *him* love me.

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Connections

Referenced in Sleepy Hollow (1999)

User Reviews

One of the best Hammer vampire flicks

This is an excellent entry in the Hammer studios series of vampire flicks. Almost everything that fans love about this particular vein of horror is here; the great Peter Cushing as Van Helsing, atmospheric sets and lighting, a creepy baroness, direction from the celebrated Terence Fisher... damsels in danger and the various tropes of the genre. What could be considered missing is Dracula. This is potentially confusing since the film is titled 'The Brides of Dracula', but is clearly set after Dracula's first demise in the series time-line.

What sets this apart as a relatively very good film is the amount of events they managed to squeeze in - which allows actors such as Cushing to flex their ability in a few interesting scenarios. What hasn't aged so well is the writing/portrayal of the young 'heroine', who seems to spend most of her time stupidly wandering into dangerous situations - acceptable in some cases, but in this film it just makes you question what level of intelligence they were trying to impart to her character.

If you're a fan of 'modern' horror, which is more to do with exploitation, you will undoubtedly view this film as very dated with not much to frighten. If you like Hammer horror and understand what it's "all about", or have an interest in Gothic horror films from the 50s and 60s, this film will be a very enjoyable screening.