Van Helsing (Peter Cushing) returns to Transylvania to battle evil Baron Meinster (David Peel), a Dracula wannabe freed from captivity by a young schoolteacher (Yvonne Monlaur). Despite the title, Dracula is nowhere to be seen in this one. Still, it works as a sequel of sorts to Hammer's 1958 Dracula because of Van Helsing being in it. Christopher Lee wouldn't return for the sequel so it had to be written with Baron Meinster in place of the Count. David Peel is a poor substitute for Christopher Lee, but thankfully the film had Peter Cushing to pick up the slack. Cushing's performance is wonderful, as are those of Martita Hunt and Freda Jackson. Terence Fisher's expert direction and the great Gothic sets make this a very enjoyable Hammer horror film that fans will love.
130 Reviews
Although it does have its weak spots, The Brides of Dracula is still a near classic
TheLittleSongbird9 January 2015
The Brides of Dracula is not as good as 1958's Dracula(or Horror of Dracula), but it is almost as good and a very good follow-up, a near classic in fact. Yvonne Monlaur is rather wooden in the female lead role, the bat effects are truly laughable and the film drags a tad at the halfway mark but that's it for the flaws personally.
Hammer horrors are always at least visually good, and The Brides of Dracula certainly looks good. In fact it looks fantastic, to me it's one of the best-looking Hammer films. The photography is smooth, rich in colour and enhances the atmosphere rather than detracting and the sets are some of the most sumptuous and atmospheric of any Hammer horror. The music in its most haunting parts positively induces tingles down the spine and while there are a couple of clumsy loose ends the script is one of Hammer's most nuanced. The story is filled with marvellous atmosphere and Gothic ghoulishness and is always compelling and easy to follow, the standout scene is the ending which is like a fairy-tale nightmare come to life.
Terrence Fisher's direction is unflinching and the performances on the whole are very good, especially from a classy and typically impeccable Peter Cushing as one of the best screen Van Helsings and Martita Hunt as a sometimes sympathetic but genuinely scary Baroness, especially in the scene when she's standing behind Monlaur. Freda Jackson is chilling also and chews the scenery with glee(and not in a negative way despite how it sounds) and Miles Malleson brings some amusing comedy that doesn't feel out of place at all. David Peel is nowhere near in the same league as Christopher Lee- then again it's really difficult to follow Lee in any role really- but while a little fey in places he is a worthy and charismatic substitute.
Overall, a near classic if with its weak spots. 8/10 Bethany Cox
Hammer horrors are always at least visually good, and The Brides of Dracula certainly looks good. In fact it looks fantastic, to me it's one of the best-looking Hammer films. The photography is smooth, rich in colour and enhances the atmosphere rather than detracting and the sets are some of the most sumptuous and atmospheric of any Hammer horror. The music in its most haunting parts positively induces tingles down the spine and while there are a couple of clumsy loose ends the script is one of Hammer's most nuanced. The story is filled with marvellous atmosphere and Gothic ghoulishness and is always compelling and easy to follow, the standout scene is the ending which is like a fairy-tale nightmare come to life.
Terrence Fisher's direction is unflinching and the performances on the whole are very good, especially from a classy and typically impeccable Peter Cushing as one of the best screen Van Helsings and Martita Hunt as a sometimes sympathetic but genuinely scary Baroness, especially in the scene when she's standing behind Monlaur. Freda Jackson is chilling also and chews the scenery with glee(and not in a negative way despite how it sounds) and Miles Malleson brings some amusing comedy that doesn't feel out of place at all. David Peel is nowhere near in the same league as Christopher Lee- then again it's really difficult to follow Lee in any role really- but while a little fey in places he is a worthy and charismatic substitute.
Overall, a near classic if with its weak spots. 8/10 Bethany Cox
Easily one of the best Hammer Dracula films
preppy-31 October 2004
The film begins by a narrator telling us Dracula is dead..but his disciples live on to spread vampirism. It's all about a beautiful woman named Marianne Danielle (Yvonne Monlaur) going to a woman's academy to teach French. It gets complicated but she ends up spending the night in castle Meinster. She also meets young, handsome Baron Meinster (David Peel) who's chained up in the castle by his mother...because he is a vampire. She doesn't know this and lets him loose. It's a good thing Dr. van Helsing (Peter Cushing) is around!
OK--this isn't perfect. Some of the plotting is clumsy (i.e.--why didn't the Baron just turn into a bat and fly out of his chains?), Manlaur is a TERRIBLE actress and the fake bats are pretty laughable (I saw the strings at one point!). Still this is just great. It moves quickly and has some great performances by Cushing (of course), Feda Jackson (as Greta--tearing the scenery) and a GREAT performance by Peel. He's sexy, handsome and scary as hell as the vampire. Hard to believe he was FORTY when he did this! Also I'm lucky enough to have a copy of the pristine print they released on laser disc and VHS in the early 1990s. The color is incredible and the picture and sound are crystal clear.
I'm giving it an 8--I WANT to give it a 10 but Monlaur and some clumsy plotting (what happens to the two female vampires at the end?) really work against it. Still--a must-see!
OK--this isn't perfect. Some of the plotting is clumsy (i.e.--why didn't the Baron just turn into a bat and fly out of his chains?), Manlaur is a TERRIBLE actress and the fake bats are pretty laughable (I saw the strings at one point!). Still this is just great. It moves quickly and has some great performances by Cushing (of course), Feda Jackson (as Greta--tearing the scenery) and a GREAT performance by Peel. He's sexy, handsome and scary as hell as the vampire. Hard to believe he was FORTY when he did this! Also I'm lucky enough to have a copy of the pristine print they released on laser disc and VHS in the early 1990s. The color is incredible and the picture and sound are crystal clear.
I'm giving it an 8--I WANT to give it a 10 but Monlaur and some clumsy plotting (what happens to the two female vampires at the end?) really work against it. Still--a must-see!
Terence Fisher serves up the High Gothic!
ian-4337 January 2004
Warning: Spoilers
Probably Hammer's best horror, even though it doesn't have Christopher Lee. But David Peel is equally formidable as an aristocratic young disciple, and Peter Cushing's Dr Van Helsing is still the scourge of vampirism in Victorian Europe.
It begins with a wonderfully spooky tracking shot over a misty woodland lake (actually Black Park next to Pinewood Studios) and ominous narration (`Transylvania, land of dark forests, dread mountains and black unfathomable lakes. Still a place of magic and devilry as the 19th century comes to a close.'). Hammer gothic depended heavily on photography for mood and Jack Asher lit their early horrors masterfully, but the always budget-conscious studio let him go as his often exquisite set ups took to long.
Pretty Parisian Marianne Daniel (Yvonne Monlaur), en route to her first teaching appointment in a Transylvanian finishing school, is lured into spending a night at the forbidding Chateau Meinster by its haughty Baroness. Explaining away the extra dinner place set by servant Greta, the Baroness says it is for her absent son, `feeble-minded' and locked away in another wing (`We pray for death, both of us. At least, I hope he prays.'). When naïve young Marianne lets Meinster out, Greta cackles in demented glee as a wolf howls into the night (`There's a wolf down there. And an owl. He'll get them all astir, trust him.').
It all comes together in Brides of Dracula. Script, characterisation and acting (Cushing, Peel, Martita Hunt as the Baroness, Freda Jackson as Greta all splendid; even the comic turns - the inimitable Miles Malleson as a sceptical country doctor and Henry Oscar as pompous schoolmaster Herr Lang - are just perfect).
And its horrors, as directed by Terence Fisher, are sudden and violent. Bitten by Meinster, Cushing purges the wound with a red-hot branding iron, doused by holy water. But perhaps the single most macabre moment Hammer has ever devised is the scene where Greta sits astride a new grave like a hellish midwife, urging Meinster's latest victim to rise out of her coffin.
Can Cushing save the village daughters from a fate worse than death? The stakes are high!
It begins with a wonderfully spooky tracking shot over a misty woodland lake (actually Black Park next to Pinewood Studios) and ominous narration (`Transylvania, land of dark forests, dread mountains and black unfathomable lakes. Still a place of magic and devilry as the 19th century comes to a close.'). Hammer gothic depended heavily on photography for mood and Jack Asher lit their early horrors masterfully, but the always budget-conscious studio let him go as his often exquisite set ups took to long.
Pretty Parisian Marianne Daniel (Yvonne Monlaur), en route to her first teaching appointment in a Transylvanian finishing school, is lured into spending a night at the forbidding Chateau Meinster by its haughty Baroness. Explaining away the extra dinner place set by servant Greta, the Baroness says it is for her absent son, `feeble-minded' and locked away in another wing (`We pray for death, both of us. At least, I hope he prays.'). When naïve young Marianne lets Meinster out, Greta cackles in demented glee as a wolf howls into the night (`There's a wolf down there. And an owl. He'll get them all astir, trust him.').
It all comes together in Brides of Dracula. Script, characterisation and acting (Cushing, Peel, Martita Hunt as the Baroness, Freda Jackson as Greta all splendid; even the comic turns - the inimitable Miles Malleson as a sceptical country doctor and Henry Oscar as pompous schoolmaster Herr Lang - are just perfect).
And its horrors, as directed by Terence Fisher, are sudden and violent. Bitten by Meinster, Cushing purges the wound with a red-hot branding iron, doused by holy water. But perhaps the single most macabre moment Hammer has ever devised is the scene where Greta sits astride a new grave like a hellish midwife, urging Meinster's latest victim to rise out of her coffin.
Can Cushing save the village daughters from a fate worse than death? The stakes are high!
how wonderful the film looks
christopher-underwood16 January 2014
Charming though they are, the Hammer horror films usually lack a certain something for me. Not quite enough 'edge', hampered, I guess by censorship at the time, they are often lack the exotic and the 'strange' present in many that followed from Spain say or Mexico or Italy. 'Brides' is perfectly well made with an excellent performance by Marita Hunt as the governess, perhaps she should have had a larger part. The young foreign student was convincingly played by a pretty Yvonne Monlaur but I felt Cushing seemed ill at ease. He didn't have the gravitas he usually brings to the smallest of parts and David Peel seemed most bland in the central role although neither he nor the rest of the cast were helped by such rudimentary 'vampire' teeth. What, I must say, though is just how wonderful the film looks. Fantastic sets and costumes all photographed perfectly and if some of the dialogue fell a little awkwardly or the acting a little flat, the lush and colourful Gothic look still prevailed.
Dr. Van Helsing making house calls
bkoganbing17 December 2016
As in the tradition of the B western Dracula makes no appearance in this Hammer horror film The Brides Of Dracula. But there are brides aplenty for the Count Meinster and there's also Dr. Van Helsing making house calls as it were.
Peter Cushing is the intrepid vampire hunter who knows well that Dracula is not the only undead creature out there. The Count Meinster has been terrorizing the population of his area of Germany for some time now and he's collected a bevy of beauties to do his bidding.
The Dowager Countess Meinster is played by Martita Hunt and for her kid's own good she has him chained up. Never mind that though, a passing woman takes pity and frees him. That brings in Van Helsing.
Cushing is always good and David Peel is the matinée idol vampire who was a trendsetter without knowing it. It would be another thirty years before Frank Langella, Tom Cruise and folks like that would start playing undead creatures let alone the whole Twilight Saga.
You'll have a few frights before this one is over.
Peter Cushing is the intrepid vampire hunter who knows well that Dracula is not the only undead creature out there. The Count Meinster has been terrorizing the population of his area of Germany for some time now and he's collected a bevy of beauties to do his bidding.
The Dowager Countess Meinster is played by Martita Hunt and for her kid's own good she has him chained up. Never mind that though, a passing woman takes pity and frees him. That brings in Van Helsing.
Cushing is always good and David Peel is the matinée idol vampire who was a trendsetter without knowing it. It would be another thirty years before Frank Langella, Tom Cruise and folks like that would start playing undead creatures let alone the whole Twilight Saga.
You'll have a few frights before this one is over.
Could you ever doubt Peter Cushing?
Hey_Sweden20 October 2014
Warning: Spoilers
The title is a bit of a misnomer in Hammers' first sequel to their hit horror film Dracula. The famed bloodsucker himself never turns up here. But this film is entertaining enough that you realize you don't miss him all that much. An immense part of the appeal is the determined heroism of Peter Cushing as intrepid vampire hunter Van Helsing. He also has a pretty formidable opponent this time. The young ladies are beautiful, and "The Brides of Dracula" has the typically authentic look of any period Hammer genre piece.
This time, Van Helsing must battle the young Baron Meinster (David Peel), a vampire and disciple of Count Dracula. The Baron had been chained up by his mother the Baroness (Martita Hunt). Unfortunately, aspiring student teacher Marianne (Yvonne Monlaur), who was staying in their castle for the night, took pity on him and set him free, not knowing the truth about him.
Peel is a handsome, charming, and also convincingly sinister bad guy. Monlaur is pleasing to the eye, although her performance is admittedly a weak link here. Miles Malleson supplies a very welcome dose of comedy relief as a doctor who has interesting methods of preventing himself from becoming ill. Hunt is very good as the Baroness, and Henry Oscar, Mona Washbourne, Victor Brooks, Fred Johnson, and Michael Ripper all provide fine support. But the show is stolen by Freda Jackson as Greta, the Meinsters' insane servant, who in one standout scene lies atop a freshly dug grave and implores the person within to rise. Cushing is of course wonderful. At one point we see something unexpected happen to Van Helsing, but his quick thinking is most impressive.
Co-written by Jimmy Sangster, the script is questionable at times. And the poor bat effect may generate guffaws among some in the audience. But otherwise, this is a good, solid entry in this franchise, worthy viewing for old school horror fans.
Seven out of 10.
This time, Van Helsing must battle the young Baron Meinster (David Peel), a vampire and disciple of Count Dracula. The Baron had been chained up by his mother the Baroness (Martita Hunt). Unfortunately, aspiring student teacher Marianne (Yvonne Monlaur), who was staying in their castle for the night, took pity on him and set him free, not knowing the truth about him.
Peel is a handsome, charming, and also convincingly sinister bad guy. Monlaur is pleasing to the eye, although her performance is admittedly a weak link here. Miles Malleson supplies a very welcome dose of comedy relief as a doctor who has interesting methods of preventing himself from becoming ill. Hunt is very good as the Baroness, and Henry Oscar, Mona Washbourne, Victor Brooks, Fred Johnson, and Michael Ripper all provide fine support. But the show is stolen by Freda Jackson as Greta, the Meinsters' insane servant, who in one standout scene lies atop a freshly dug grave and implores the person within to rise. Cushing is of course wonderful. At one point we see something unexpected happen to Van Helsing, but his quick thinking is most impressive.
Co-written by Jimmy Sangster, the script is questionable at times. And the poor bat effect may generate guffaws among some in the audience. But otherwise, this is a good, solid entry in this franchise, worthy viewing for old school horror fans.
Seven out of 10.
A Typical Vampire Movie by Hammer
claudio_carvalho8 May 2014
In Transylvania, the teacher Marianne Danielle (Yvonne Monlaur) is heading to a small village where she will teach French and etiquette for teenage girls. The stagecoach stops at a village and when Marianne is preparing to eat dinner, the coachman goes away and leaves her in the inn. Out of the blue, Baroness Meinster (Martita Hunt) comes to the place and invites Marianne to spend the night in her castle, where she lives with her servant Greta (Freda Jackson). During the night, Marianne sees a man in a balcony and she learns that he is Baron Meinster (David Peel), the insane son of the Baroness. Later Marianne believes that he will jump off the balcony and she goes to his room and finds that he is chained by his mother. Marianne decides to help him to escape and steals the key from the Baroness' room. Then she leaves the castle and is found by Dr. J. Van Helsing (Peter Cushing), who has been invited by the local priest to treat a disease. Soon Van Helsing learns that Marianne has unleashed a vampire that is murdering the dwellers of the village.
"The Brides of Dracula" is a typical vampire movie by Hammer, highly entertaining, with beautiful actresses but also with many flaws. Marianne is a silly woman that makes the movie happens with her stupid attitudes. The ham David Peel is awfully ridiculous in the role of the blonde vampire. It is not explained why the Baron Meinster does not turn into a bat to release from the chains. Who is the creepy man in the beginning of the movie that leaves a log on the road? Why people are so scared of the Baroness if they believe that her son is dead? Why the vampire did not kill Van Helsing and how a red-hot iron together with holy water avoids the victim to turn into a vampire? And the mysterious luggage of Marianne that is never seen? But the secret for enjoying movies from Hammer is to ignore the plot holes and have a good time with the silliness of the story. My vote is six.
Title (Brazil): "As Noivas do Vampiro" ("The Brides of the Vampire")
"The Brides of Dracula" is a typical vampire movie by Hammer, highly entertaining, with beautiful actresses but also with many flaws. Marianne is a silly woman that makes the movie happens with her stupid attitudes. The ham David Peel is awfully ridiculous in the role of the blonde vampire. It is not explained why the Baron Meinster does not turn into a bat to release from the chains. Who is the creepy man in the beginning of the movie that leaves a log on the road? Why people are so scared of the Baroness if they believe that her son is dead? Why the vampire did not kill Van Helsing and how a red-hot iron together with holy water avoids the victim to turn into a vampire? And the mysterious luggage of Marianne that is never seen? But the secret for enjoying movies from Hammer is to ignore the plot holes and have a good time with the silliness of the story. My vote is six.
Title (Brazil): "As Noivas do Vampiro" ("The Brides of the Vampire")
Forever Fabulous!
PrincessAnanka9 October 2001
This lush, hypnotic horror extravaganza from Hammer Studios improves steadily with age. The magnificent color design, the sets and the all-out performances of the superb cast makes this a classic right along with "Bride of Frankenstein." Each scene is filmed like a work of art, with purple and azure lighting in the backgrounds, marvelous set pieces and a knockout finale. One cannot say enough about the extraordinary cast. Two Shakespearian pros, Martita Hunt (the wizened Baroness Meinster) and her crazed maid, Freda Jackson (Greta)knock everyone else off the screen. Both also performed in the classic, "Great Expectations" and Martita had a stellar career in films. David Peele is stunning as the vampire. Beautiful, evil, arrogant, it's like watching Dorian Gray (which he performed on radio)at his peak. Yvonne Molnaur as the beautiful heroine is perfect. The vampire girls are all superb. I would put this superb classic at the top of any great horror films. You watch it today and see how modern horror films have degenerated. "Brides" was made by masters at their peak. Now, if we can only get this on DVD, maybe as a double feature with "Horror of Dracula." Bravo Martita, Freda and David Peele! If you never did anything else, you did yourself proud with this glimmering jewel of evil,incest and sex.
A Fine Hammer Film
Uriah4329 November 2016
This movie begins with the short explanation that Count Dracula is dead--but his disciples live on. The film then shows a stagecoach being driven extremely fast over a dirt road and eventually coming to a stop at a nearby village where the lone passenger named "Mdm Danielle" (Yvonne Monlaur) is dropped off before the carriage speeds off again. It's at this time that an elderly woman walks into the inn and offers Mdm Danielle a place to stay for the night. She is then driven to a castle on the outskirts of the village. That night she meets a strange man by the name of "Baron Manster" who has been shackled inside a room within the castle and he convinces her to get the key and let him loose. Upon doing that what she doesn't realize is this particular person is no ordinary man--but a vampire who has now been set free to wreck havoc on the nearby countryside. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this particular film managed to continue the fine Hammer tradition of establishing a good, solid Gothic setting necessary for a movie of this type. Yet, even though it had a good story and more than adequate performances for the most part, I didn't particularly care for the ending or the selection of David Peel (as "Baron Meinster") for the role of the vampire. He just didn't seem to have the same sinister quality that actors like Bela Lugosi or Christopher Lee manage to convey on screen. But that's just my opinion. In any case, I liked this film in spite of the previously mentioned criticisms and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.
Atmospheric, but not convincing
kneiss121 October 2010
This movie is beautiful for the eye and ear. I really like the old hammer films atmosphere. Sadly they often lack a good, convincing story. Just like this one. If only I could ignore how silly the story and characters are, I could totally enjoy this movie. Sadly I can't. The story barely makes any sense, and at the same time, it's quite uninteresting and predictable.
There are way better Hammer Films vampire flicks out there. This one is totally uninspired, and would have been a waste of time if it wouldn't have been so beautiful. Yes, OK, the effects are cheap, the set often obviously looks like a set, yet, Hammer Films have been able to create an amazing atmosphere that no other B-Movie studio ever came close to again. Hammer Films are probably the only reason why I keep giving all that Vampire trash movies out there one chance after another. I have been disappointed by every B-Movie Vampire flick but Subspecies and Hammer Films.
There are way better Hammer Films vampire flicks out there. This one is totally uninspired, and would have been a waste of time if it wouldn't have been so beautiful. Yes, OK, the effects are cheap, the set often obviously looks like a set, yet, Hammer Films have been able to create an amazing atmosphere that no other B-Movie studio ever came close to again. Hammer Films are probably the only reason why I keep giving all that Vampire trash movies out there one chance after another. I have been disappointed by every B-Movie Vampire flick but Subspecies and Hammer Films.
One of Hammer's Best!
BaronBl00d27 February 2000
Dracula is dead, and one of his disciples carries on his wicked ways in Eastern Europe. This time around it is the young Baron Meinster(played with credibility by David Peel). A young woman is invited to the Castle Meinster and unleashes the Baron from his shackles to allow him to slake his thirst through the living. This film lacks the star power of Christopher Lee in Hammer's second vampire outing, yet does not suffer greatly due to the wonderful performance of Peter Cushing reprising his role as Dr. Van Helsing and the incredible direction of Terrence Fisher. Fisher's ability to tell a story through film is not to be overlooked, nor is his use of subtle and bright colours to create wonderfully atmospheric sets and scenic centerpieces. Some of the scenes in this film are some of the best to ever come by way of Hammer, including the scene where a servant taps on a buried coffin to show a fledgling vampire the way, the incident with Van Helsing and his wound, and the windmill finale. The cast is very good with particular honors going to Cushing, Martita Hunt as the vampire's sympathetic mother, and Freda Jackson as the demented, crazed servant-nurse. Cushing is as ever implacable from his crusade to save the world from vampirism. Just a wonderful tale!
A Hammer Dracula movie without Christopher Lee that works.
Boba_Fett113812 May 2012
A Hammer Dracula movie without Christopher Lee in it? Blashphemy! Well, that would my normal response be, also since all of the other Hammer vampire movies without Christopher Lee in it hardly work out as any great ones. This movie does however work out but it still remains a far from great movie to watch though.
Thing that prevented this movie from ever being a really great one is its pace. The movie is far too slow for my taste, which also makes this movie a bit out of tone with any of the other Dracula films, from the Hammer studios. It's more heavy on its atmosphere than ever on its story, characters or any of its other horror ingredients really. Thing that the pace does well is building up the tension for this movie but there is never a spectacular or satisfying enough payoff to be found in this movie however.
Still I'm being more positive than negative toward this movie. It's original enough in its sort, even though it follows a very familiar and standard story. It's really a movie that works out, even though I still just can't rate it very highly, mostly because there isn't really anything that stands out about it.
One of the things that truly works out well about this movie is its vampire character. The title of the movie is "The Brides of Dracula" and it gets presented as a direct sequel to the 1958 "Dracula" and it besides features a most excellent Peter Cushing in it as 'a' Van Helsing but the main villain isn't even Dracula. And I think that in this particular case that actually is a really good thing. Most of the time actors in these sort of horror movies simply do a Dracula impression, while in this movie the actor obviously plays a totally different character, with a different personality and motivation. This works out as highly refreshing and interesting as well.
Perhaps you could say that this movie suffers from too many rewrites. It seemed to have plenty of ideas but it kept changing directions and not everything ever got properly handled and developed. The first half of the movie is mostly slow and atmospheric but the second half is a bit more like a 'normal' standard Hammer Dracula movie, with Peter Cushing trying to kill the evil vampire.
Not a lot of excitement in this movie but it still has a good atmosphere to it and works out as something original.
6/10
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Thing that prevented this movie from ever being a really great one is its pace. The movie is far too slow for my taste, which also makes this movie a bit out of tone with any of the other Dracula films, from the Hammer studios. It's more heavy on its atmosphere than ever on its story, characters or any of its other horror ingredients really. Thing that the pace does well is building up the tension for this movie but there is never a spectacular or satisfying enough payoff to be found in this movie however.
Still I'm being more positive than negative toward this movie. It's original enough in its sort, even though it follows a very familiar and standard story. It's really a movie that works out, even though I still just can't rate it very highly, mostly because there isn't really anything that stands out about it.
One of the things that truly works out well about this movie is its vampire character. The title of the movie is "The Brides of Dracula" and it gets presented as a direct sequel to the 1958 "Dracula" and it besides features a most excellent Peter Cushing in it as 'a' Van Helsing but the main villain isn't even Dracula. And I think that in this particular case that actually is a really good thing. Most of the time actors in these sort of horror movies simply do a Dracula impression, while in this movie the actor obviously plays a totally different character, with a different personality and motivation. This works out as highly refreshing and interesting as well.
Perhaps you could say that this movie suffers from too many rewrites. It seemed to have plenty of ideas but it kept changing directions and not everything ever got properly handled and developed. The first half of the movie is mostly slow and atmospheric but the second half is a bit more like a 'normal' standard Hammer Dracula movie, with Peter Cushing trying to kill the evil vampire.
Not a lot of excitement in this movie but it still has a good atmosphere to it and works out as something original.
6/10
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Waste of Martita
Goingbegging28 November 2015
Christopher Lee must have turned down a fortune to star in this follow-up to Dracula's first venture into Technicolor. But it seems he knew what he was about. This is cheap fare indeed - a confused plot and a poor script, relieved only by tasteful set-design and pretty cinematography.
Despite the title, Dracula himself appears nowhere, the star-role being filled by Peter Cushing as vampire-hunter Dr. Van Helsing. Co-star (it says on the poster) is Martita Hunt, for me a big draw. But there is altogether too little of Martita, sent to her doom - twice! - before we've really had time to react to those powerful mannish features, the sort that the French, not us, celebrate as 'jolie-laide' (ugly-beautiful).
Long before there was Hammer, the Dracula stories were discreetly laced with sexually ambiguous themes, and there is no shortage of this here. But Martita does not seem to be part of the game, unless we interpret her relationship with her chained-up vampire son as incestuous.
Meanwhile the significance of the so-called brides is unclear. And we can't always tell who's who in the zoo, scrambling in and out of coffins or shallow graves at odd times of night. The lovely but vacuous Yvonne Monlaur carries no conviction whatever as the young teacher taking up a job at the local boarding-school; she sounds as though she's only just started to learn English herself. Freda Jackson is wildly miscast as the village servant-girl, quite unable to conceal her worldly sophistication. Mona Washbourne, however, startles us with her giggly effort as the head teacher, when most of us can imagine her only as that dowdy old housekeeper from 'My Fair Lady'.
Peter Cushing turns in his normal well-polished version of just being Peter Cushing. And David Peel makes an unusual impact as the first vampire with fair hair - photogenic enough, until he opens his mouth. Hell's Teeth, those vampire incisors are simply not him.
Of course we expect Hammer dialogue to creak a bit ("God bless you" - "If only he could"). But do we really have to sit through exchanges as banal as "We will have dinner in ten minutes. Will you be ready by then?"
Certainly this one will keep a hallowed place in the collections of dedicated Hammer buffs, who find reassurance in the same old carriage clattering into the inn-yard, and will no doubt cherish its imperfections for years to come. But the general viewer will find little satisfaction in 'The Brides of Dracula'.
Despite the title, Dracula himself appears nowhere, the star-role being filled by Peter Cushing as vampire-hunter Dr. Van Helsing. Co-star (it says on the poster) is Martita Hunt, for me a big draw. But there is altogether too little of Martita, sent to her doom - twice! - before we've really had time to react to those powerful mannish features, the sort that the French, not us, celebrate as 'jolie-laide' (ugly-beautiful).
Long before there was Hammer, the Dracula stories were discreetly laced with sexually ambiguous themes, and there is no shortage of this here. But Martita does not seem to be part of the game, unless we interpret her relationship with her chained-up vampire son as incestuous.
Meanwhile the significance of the so-called brides is unclear. And we can't always tell who's who in the zoo, scrambling in and out of coffins or shallow graves at odd times of night. The lovely but vacuous Yvonne Monlaur carries no conviction whatever as the young teacher taking up a job at the local boarding-school; she sounds as though she's only just started to learn English herself. Freda Jackson is wildly miscast as the village servant-girl, quite unable to conceal her worldly sophistication. Mona Washbourne, however, startles us with her giggly effort as the head teacher, when most of us can imagine her only as that dowdy old housekeeper from 'My Fair Lady'.
Peter Cushing turns in his normal well-polished version of just being Peter Cushing. And David Peel makes an unusual impact as the first vampire with fair hair - photogenic enough, until he opens his mouth. Hell's Teeth, those vampire incisors are simply not him.
Of course we expect Hammer dialogue to creak a bit ("God bless you" - "If only he could"). But do we really have to sit through exchanges as banal as "We will have dinner in ten minutes. Will you be ready by then?"
Certainly this one will keep a hallowed place in the collections of dedicated Hammer buffs, who find reassurance in the same old carriage clattering into the inn-yard, and will no doubt cherish its imperfections for years to come. But the general viewer will find little satisfaction in 'The Brides of Dracula'.
Terrific Non-Christopher Lee HAMMER Dracula
gortx8 August 2004
Warning: Spoilers
Certainly, one of the oddest successes for Hammer. Determined to make a sequel to HORROR OF Dracula, but with a lead character turned to dust and an actor refusing to be 'typecast' (Christopher Lee), the film still manages to be one of the best "Dracula" films (as well as one of Hammer's of the era).
Set up with a narrated prologue (sublimely eerie photography) that explains that Dracula has left a 'cult' legacy behind, BRIDES picks up with a gorgeous French woman (Yvonne Monlaur) who is passing thru (does one pass thru Transylvania??). From there she meets a Baroness (Martita Hunt) who takes her in for the night. That night the young woman unwittingly lets loose her son the Baron (David Peel). Peel is, of course, a Vampire. It's at this point that Dr. Van Helsing (Peter Cushing) enters the scene and so the story is set up.
BRIDES OF Dracula has two main points of interest. First, the truly creepy Oedipel relationship of the Baron and his Mother (if one thinks about it, the Mother is one of the title 'Brides' - someone call Dr.Freud!). There is also the overly protective Housekeeper (Freda Jackson) who thoroughly abets The Baron and his Brides upon his 'release'. Second, there's Peter Cushing's magnificent performance as Van Helsing. In only his second time out in the role, he thoroughly owns it - and comes to dominate the picture. What's also amazing is Cushing's physicality. While there no doubt are some stunt double shots, the majority of the action scenes are clearly handled by the actor himself. Something that too often is over-looked when commenting on the nearly always reliable character actor.
A couple of quibbles. Since Vampires can change into bats, why can't the Baron escape a human sized shackle? And, since the Housekeeper is so smitten with him, why doesn't she release him herself? One could search and ponder why the script doesn't address these issues, but I believe the simple matter of fact is that they just weren't thought through. The film works quite well, nitpicks aside.
Set up with a narrated prologue (sublimely eerie photography) that explains that Dracula has left a 'cult' legacy behind, BRIDES picks up with a gorgeous French woman (Yvonne Monlaur) who is passing thru (does one pass thru Transylvania??). From there she meets a Baroness (Martita Hunt) who takes her in for the night. That night the young woman unwittingly lets loose her son the Baron (David Peel). Peel is, of course, a Vampire. It's at this point that Dr. Van Helsing (Peter Cushing) enters the scene and so the story is set up.
BRIDES OF Dracula has two main points of interest. First, the truly creepy Oedipel relationship of the Baron and his Mother (if one thinks about it, the Mother is one of the title 'Brides' - someone call Dr.Freud!). There is also the overly protective Housekeeper (Freda Jackson) who thoroughly abets The Baron and his Brides upon his 'release'. Second, there's Peter Cushing's magnificent performance as Van Helsing. In only his second time out in the role, he thoroughly owns it - and comes to dominate the picture. What's also amazing is Cushing's physicality. While there no doubt are some stunt double shots, the majority of the action scenes are clearly handled by the actor himself. Something that too often is over-looked when commenting on the nearly always reliable character actor.
A couple of quibbles. Since Vampires can change into bats, why can't the Baron escape a human sized shackle? And, since the Housekeeper is so smitten with him, why doesn't she release him herself? One could search and ponder why the script doesn't address these issues, but I believe the simple matter of fact is that they just weren't thought through. The film works quite well, nitpicks aside.
Engaging Hammer flick for Hammer devotees
fertilecelluloid16 October 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Entertaining non-Christopher Lee vampire flick from Hammer and genre stalwart Terence Fisher. A beautiful young woman (Yvonne Monlaur) is sucked into the world of the undead by a handsome vampire (the excellent David Peel) who takes advantage of her kindness. This outing focuses on the cursed Meinster family and never mentions the word "Dracula". Peter Cushing crashes the vampire party and is in top form as he races around trying to prevent Mr. Peel from turning every pretty woman within earshot into one of his brides. In one silly scene, Peel proposes to Ms. Monlaur, whom he hardly knows, and seconds later she's accepted his offer. The climax at an old mill is rich in atmosphere and invention (note how Cushing locates a cross big enough to do in the bloodsucker), and the parade of lovely ladies is a fine sight. This is an engaging Hammer production filled with mostly great performances and classic vampire situations.
Entertaining, though flawed
sfwriter99912 April 2016
Warning: Spoilers
I enjoyed this movie, but I found several flaws which some people have posted about.
1. Incorrect vampire lore:
1a. Van Helsing able to lift the Vampire curse through branding the bite and washing it with Holy water.
1b. Moonshadow windmill (somehow missing the windmill building) able to completely kill Baron Meinster. I can see sunlight doing it, but the Baron is a creature of the night and moonlight should be in his realm.
1c. Baron Meinster entering the school teacher's bedroom without being invited -- which maybe possible if entering the whole school per se was enabled through being invited by the school administrators.
1d. Shacking the Baron. I'm not sure the shackles really works, even if it was silver with holy markings. If so, it might burn the Baron (for Werewolves definitely, Vampires normally not) in addition to holding him. If it doesn't burn him, then what prevents him from tearing it out of the wall or turning into a bat (or mist form) and escaping. From what I can tell, the Baron isn't supernaturally strong as in later Dracula movies.
2. Bad coincidences:
2a. Van Helsing somehow finds Marrianne in the middle of the forest while driving by in a coach. Very unlikely. If she was on the road, I would have bought it.
2b. Running into the con artist doctor who tells Van Helsing about the death at the Girls School.
2c. Greta escapes the priest easily and off screen.
Things unsaid: The Baroness is feeding young ladies to her son. We'll unless she is staking or burning the bodies of his victims, there should be a lot of Brides in the area. So, I assume she or Greta must be disposing of their bodies properly.
Here's what I loved about the movie:
0. Peter Cushing as Van Helsing.
1. Baroness Meinster though creepy wound up being sympathetic. But why wait until sunrise until dispatching her? Unless Van Helsing thinks that it would spare her pain, but he was wrong as she made a sound when he dispatched her. So, that makes me believe that Van Helsing isn't as experienced in Vampire lore as he says he is.
2. The Nurse Greta was sufficiently creepy especially in the scene where she wakes up one of the Baron's Brides from the grave. A very iconic and nice scene. But from Van Helsing's view point, he seems surprised and scared which tells me he's not as experienced as we've seen him in other Dracula movies.
3. Marianne actually being the instrument of her own peril by freeing the Baron. I loved how she tied the key to a handkerchief and threw it to the Baron vs just tossing it.
4. Con artist doctor. I loved how this guy is scamming everyone and is a man of science. The Anti- Van Helsing.
5. The locks dropping off Gina's coffin during the wake and the horse in distress. That was a great scene and extended sequence.
6. Van Helsing being bitten and then using the brand and holy water to un-vampire himself was a cool scene though incorrect vampire lore. Van Helsing rarely gets bitten in the Dracula movies.
7. Using the hot coals by both Van Helsing (to cure himself) and by the Baron to create a fire barrier for his escape and also inadvertently setting the windmill on fire and burning his brides.
8. The windmill shadow was also a cool scene, but I wished it only stopped the Baron long enough for Van Helsing to stake him vs killing the Baron outright.
Overall there was much more to like than to dislike with iconic scenes and a very robust 47 year old Peter Cushing doing stunts.
1. Incorrect vampire lore:
1a. Van Helsing able to lift the Vampire curse through branding the bite and washing it with Holy water.
1b. Moonshadow windmill (somehow missing the windmill building) able to completely kill Baron Meinster. I can see sunlight doing it, but the Baron is a creature of the night and moonlight should be in his realm.
1c. Baron Meinster entering the school teacher's bedroom without being invited -- which maybe possible if entering the whole school per se was enabled through being invited by the school administrators.
1d. Shacking the Baron. I'm not sure the shackles really works, even if it was silver with holy markings. If so, it might burn the Baron (for Werewolves definitely, Vampires normally not) in addition to holding him. If it doesn't burn him, then what prevents him from tearing it out of the wall or turning into a bat (or mist form) and escaping. From what I can tell, the Baron isn't supernaturally strong as in later Dracula movies.
2. Bad coincidences:
2a. Van Helsing somehow finds Marrianne in the middle of the forest while driving by in a coach. Very unlikely. If she was on the road, I would have bought it.
2b. Running into the con artist doctor who tells Van Helsing about the death at the Girls School.
2c. Greta escapes the priest easily and off screen.
Things unsaid: The Baroness is feeding young ladies to her son. We'll unless she is staking or burning the bodies of his victims, there should be a lot of Brides in the area. So, I assume she or Greta must be disposing of their bodies properly.
Here's what I loved about the movie:
0. Peter Cushing as Van Helsing.
1. Baroness Meinster though creepy wound up being sympathetic. But why wait until sunrise until dispatching her? Unless Van Helsing thinks that it would spare her pain, but he was wrong as she made a sound when he dispatched her. So, that makes me believe that Van Helsing isn't as experienced in Vampire lore as he says he is.
2. The Nurse Greta was sufficiently creepy especially in the scene where she wakes up one of the Baron's Brides from the grave. A very iconic and nice scene. But from Van Helsing's view point, he seems surprised and scared which tells me he's not as experienced as we've seen him in other Dracula movies.
3. Marianne actually being the instrument of her own peril by freeing the Baron. I loved how she tied the key to a handkerchief and threw it to the Baron vs just tossing it.
4. Con artist doctor. I loved how this guy is scamming everyone and is a man of science. The Anti- Van Helsing.
5. The locks dropping off Gina's coffin during the wake and the horse in distress. That was a great scene and extended sequence.
6. Van Helsing being bitten and then using the brand and holy water to un-vampire himself was a cool scene though incorrect vampire lore. Van Helsing rarely gets bitten in the Dracula movies.
7. Using the hot coals by both Van Helsing (to cure himself) and by the Baron to create a fire barrier for his escape and also inadvertently setting the windmill on fire and burning his brides.
8. The windmill shadow was also a cool scene, but I wished it only stopped the Baron long enough for Van Helsing to stake him vs killing the Baron outright.
Overall there was much more to like than to dislike with iconic scenes and a very robust 47 year old Peter Cushing doing stunts.
I now pronounce you vamp and wife.
BA_Harrison3 February 2011
Gorgeous French redhead Yvonne Monlaur plays teacher Marianne Danielle, who is abandoned in a remote village by her coach-driver whilst en route to her new appointment at a girl's school. When wealthy Baroness Meinster (Martita Hunt) offers Marianne a room for the night in her mountain-top château, the desperate woman gratefully accepts, unaware that the Baroness's son (David Peel), a vampire, is chained up in the castle.
Brides of Dracula is regarded by many Hammer fans to be the best of the studio's 'Dracula' movies (despite the absence of Christopher Lee in his iconic role as the Count), but I really don't understand the unequivocal acclaim: although Terence Fisher's direction is admittedly impressive, his measured camera-work making the most of the excellent set design and coloured lighting, and Peter Cushing gives another impeccable performance as Doctor Van Helsing, the film certainly isn't without its faults.
The pacing is rather slow at times (particularly before Cushing appears on the scene), the so-so script throws up a few too many unanswered questions whilst taking liberties with accepted vampire lore, and the ending is especially weak (Death by shadow? Really? Is that the best they could come up with?): all of these negative elements serve take the film down a notch or two in my opinion, although one should still be aware that even a flawed Hammer film is, more often than not, still well worth a watch (avoid Brides of Dracula, for example, and you'll miss the wonderfully atmospheric scene in which an old hag, under the control of the Baron Meinster, coaxes a recently 'turned' vampiress from her grave).
Brides of Dracula is regarded by many Hammer fans to be the best of the studio's 'Dracula' movies (despite the absence of Christopher Lee in his iconic role as the Count), but I really don't understand the unequivocal acclaim: although Terence Fisher's direction is admittedly impressive, his measured camera-work making the most of the excellent set design and coloured lighting, and Peter Cushing gives another impeccable performance as Doctor Van Helsing, the film certainly isn't without its faults.
The pacing is rather slow at times (particularly before Cushing appears on the scene), the so-so script throws up a few too many unanswered questions whilst taking liberties with accepted vampire lore, and the ending is especially weak (Death by shadow? Really? Is that the best they could come up with?): all of these negative elements serve take the film down a notch or two in my opinion, although one should still be aware that even a flawed Hammer film is, more often than not, still well worth a watch (avoid Brides of Dracula, for example, and you'll miss the wonderfully atmospheric scene in which an old hag, under the control of the Baron Meinster, coaxes a recently 'turned' vampiress from her grave).
S10 Reviews: The Brides of Dracula (1960)
suspiria1026 September 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Baron Meinster (David Peel) picks up where Christopher Lee's Dracula last left off. The Baroness Meinster (Martita Hunt) has an interesting little scheme working for her, she plays the evil little spinster while picking up to stray ladies to feed to her vampire son. The Baroness tries to keep him safe at the castle by locking him up but when he puts the moves on a lovely French school teacher passing through to her destination. Only one man can rescue the countryside and that man is Dr. Van Helsing (Peter Cushing}.
Peel is an interesting choice as the lead vampire. Handsome and charming he's basically the complete opposite of Chris Lee's Dracula. He also lacks the intensity but at least Cushing pops in to pick up the slack. The production design is on par with nearly all Hammer productions. You may say that their films are a bit stuffy but I say that is part of their charm. The company made Gothic horror and they did it well.
Peel is an interesting choice as the lead vampire. Handsome and charming he's basically the complete opposite of Chris Lee's Dracula. He also lacks the intensity but at least Cushing pops in to pick up the slack. The production design is on par with nearly all Hammer productions. You may say that their films are a bit stuffy but I say that is part of their charm. The company made Gothic horror and they did it well.
One of the best Hammer vampire flicks
neunomad20 May 2011
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.
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.
Has some effective scenes
Undead_Master20 September 2006
This is not the best Terence Fisher film but it's pretty good. There are some creepy scenes and the story is decent. Cushing is excellent but the lack of Christopher Lee hurts the movie. The main vampire in this one is not quite as compelling as usual and the female lead is weak. The pacing is a little slow in spots and it takes the movie a long time to develop but once the plot gets rolling, it's very entertaining.
Stylisticly it fits nicely with the rest of Fishers Hammer films, but it's his weakest Vampire movie. I would recommend watching Horror of Dracula and Dracula: Prince of Darkness first before viewing this one. Once you've seen those two, you'll find more to enjoy in this one.
Stylisticly it fits nicely with the rest of Fishers Hammer films, but it's his weakest Vampire movie. I would recommend watching Horror of Dracula and Dracula: Prince of Darkness first before viewing this one. Once you've seen those two, you'll find more to enjoy in this one.
Cinematic conversations
anthony-watches5 July 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Hammer Studios made money from the 1958 film Dracula. The sequel came two years later. Best of all, Terrence Fisher remained in the director's chair. Plus, Peter Cushing agreed (for the second time) to play Van Helsing.
Yes, yes, the only one left out was Dracula himself, namely Christopher Lee. I understand that many movie-goers are angry. They all wanted Christopher Lee, and they were only treated to a blond guy (David Peele) who didn't do the bloodsucker role justice.
No one promised that Dracula would appear here, after all this movie is about the so-called Brides of Dracula. The problem is something else. Hammer Studios has indeed abandoned the script (this is a particular franchise we're talking about). Since the first sequel.
Even if you take "Dracula's Daughter" (Universal's first "Dracula" sequel), for all its flaws, it makes Hammer's "Dracula's Brides" a knockout. There's so much muddy nonsense here that it becomes very frustrating for Cushing.
A Million Questions. Take the initiative. Girl goes to one place, abandoned by her coachman, goes to another with a stranger. With gritted teeth, you can forgive (although I'd rather sit in a pub than run through the woods afterwards). My complaint is specifically directed at the Baroness. What is wrong with her? What was she thinking, keeping her child in chains?
If you are on her side (taking the girls there) then don't whine, don't say anything to them. Well, if you're against it, take a stake in your hand, hee hee hee. It's all a bit over the top. Why did the main character fall in love with him so quickly (vampire charm, I guess). Again I repeat, why is she a vampire, didn't Dracula bite her when he had time. She also said it in passing, like she was dating a bad friend. Okay, find out for yourself.
And the worst part is the dialog, the stupid dialog, the endless dialog. Anyone who saw the original movie remembers that there was movement between Dracula and Harker from the very beginning. Here the vampires appear in the second half of the movie. Boring.
Yes, yes, the only one left out was Dracula himself, namely Christopher Lee. I understand that many movie-goers are angry. They all wanted Christopher Lee, and they were only treated to a blond guy (David Peele) who didn't do the bloodsucker role justice.
No one promised that Dracula would appear here, after all this movie is about the so-called Brides of Dracula. The problem is something else. Hammer Studios has indeed abandoned the script (this is a particular franchise we're talking about). Since the first sequel.
Even if you take "Dracula's Daughter" (Universal's first "Dracula" sequel), for all its flaws, it makes Hammer's "Dracula's Brides" a knockout. There's so much muddy nonsense here that it becomes very frustrating for Cushing.
A Million Questions. Take the initiative. Girl goes to one place, abandoned by her coachman, goes to another with a stranger. With gritted teeth, you can forgive (although I'd rather sit in a pub than run through the woods afterwards). My complaint is specifically directed at the Baroness. What is wrong with her? What was she thinking, keeping her child in chains?
If you are on her side (taking the girls there) then don't whine, don't say anything to them. Well, if you're against it, take a stake in your hand, hee hee hee. It's all a bit over the top. Why did the main character fall in love with him so quickly (vampire charm, I guess). Again I repeat, why is she a vampire, didn't Dracula bite her when he had time. She also said it in passing, like she was dating a bad friend. Okay, find out for yourself.
And the worst part is the dialog, the stupid dialog, the endless dialog. Anyone who saw the original movie remembers that there was movement between Dracula and Harker from the very beginning. Here the vampires appear in the second half of the movie. Boring.
Lush, vibrant, Hammer sequel
Leofwine_draca13 December 2015
An excellent slice of early Hammer, showcasing all of the Gothic atmosphere we have come to expect from the company. THE BRIDES OF Dracula has a fast pace, which is somewhat unusual compared to other films of the time, but it keeps the action moving along nicely and the tension never lets up for a second. The sets for this film are excellent and the camera-work also impressive. It is an injustice to merely say that the film looks nice; it is in fact beautiful. If one film were needed to showcase Hammer horror at it's finest, then this would be it.
Peter Cushing is once again superb in his role as the stern Doctor Van Helsing, courageous and brave, battling the vampires at every turn. Yvonne Monlaur is also very pretty in her role as the heroine, and is not the screaming girl we are used to seeing in some other Hammer films. She is more than adequate and quite memorable too. David Peel looks suitably handsome as the Baron, and there is something strange about him which makes him a very good vampire.
There are a number of substantial supporting actors and actresses, such as Martita Hunt, a suitably fearsome old woman, and Freda Jackson who gives a performance which recalls Dwight Frye in some aspects (the manic laughter being one). Miles Malleson turns up as comic relief yet again after his role in Hammer's original Dracula, and it is always a pleasure to see Michael Ripper in a role, however small.
With excellent production values, an appropriately powerful score, and some very memorable scenes, as well as a brilliant ending (truly ingenious), this film is a good, well-rounded slice of Gothic dread from Hammer. There are even some Freudian elements added into the brew. The only criticism would be that the plot is rather shallow and simple, but that doesn't detract from the film at all. A worthy sequel in every sense of the word.
Peter Cushing is once again superb in his role as the stern Doctor Van Helsing, courageous and brave, battling the vampires at every turn. Yvonne Monlaur is also very pretty in her role as the heroine, and is not the screaming girl we are used to seeing in some other Hammer films. She is more than adequate and quite memorable too. David Peel looks suitably handsome as the Baron, and there is something strange about him which makes him a very good vampire.
There are a number of substantial supporting actors and actresses, such as Martita Hunt, a suitably fearsome old woman, and Freda Jackson who gives a performance which recalls Dwight Frye in some aspects (the manic laughter being one). Miles Malleson turns up as comic relief yet again after his role in Hammer's original Dracula, and it is always a pleasure to see Michael Ripper in a role, however small.
With excellent production values, an appropriately powerful score, and some very memorable scenes, as well as a brilliant ending (truly ingenious), this film is a good, well-rounded slice of Gothic dread from Hammer. There are even some Freudian elements added into the brew. The only criticism would be that the plot is rather shallow and simple, but that doesn't detract from the film at all. A worthy sequel in every sense of the word.
Actually "The Brides of Baron Meinster"
Wuchakk19 September 2021
A beautiful French schoolteacher (Yvonne Monlaur) travels to Transylvania for a position at a school, but is forced to spend the night at the grand mansion of Baroness Meinster (Martita Hunt) where she meets the Baroness' handsome son, who is curiously kept captive in one part of the manor (David Peel). When vampirism breaks out Dr. Van Helsing offers his skills to save the locals (Peter Cushing).
"The Brides of Dracula" (1960) is the sequel to Hammer's "Horror of Dracula" (1958). It was originally supposed to be called "Disciples of Dracula" since Dracula doesn't actually appear in the story. Instead there's the unknown David Peel as Baron Meinster, who does a fine job, but he's very different from Christopher Lee and more akin to Frank Langella's take on Dracula in his 1979 film.
The set-up of the story is similar to most Dracula yarns: Sophisticates from Western Europe travel to Transylvania and end up spending the night at a diabolical chateau where vampiric horror ensues. As usual with Hammer, the atmosphere is Gothic, the colors lush and the women beautiful (particularly Yvonne Monlaur). The mother is an interesting character and formidable woman; her reasons for doing what she does are understandable.
For those interested, the nine Dracula-themed films Hammer did are: "Horror of Dracula" (1958), "The Brides of Dracula" (1960), "Dracula: Prince of Darkness" (1966), "Dracula Has Risen from the Grave" (1968), "Taste the Blood of Dracula" (1970), "Scars of Dracula" (1970), "Dracula A. D. 1972" (1972), "The Satanic Rites of Dracula" (1973) and "The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires." Christopher Lee plays Dracula in every one of these except "The Brides of Dracula" and "The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires." Meanwhile Peter Cushing plays Van Helsing in five of them (although not always the same Van Helsing, since two of the installments take place in the modern day).
The film runs 1 hour, 25 minutes, and was shot at Bray Studios, just west of London (interiors), and nearby Black Park and Oakley Court (exteriors).
GRADE: B.
"The Brides of Dracula" (1960) is the sequel to Hammer's "Horror of Dracula" (1958). It was originally supposed to be called "Disciples of Dracula" since Dracula doesn't actually appear in the story. Instead there's the unknown David Peel as Baron Meinster, who does a fine job, but he's very different from Christopher Lee and more akin to Frank Langella's take on Dracula in his 1979 film.
The set-up of the story is similar to most Dracula yarns: Sophisticates from Western Europe travel to Transylvania and end up spending the night at a diabolical chateau where vampiric horror ensues. As usual with Hammer, the atmosphere is Gothic, the colors lush and the women beautiful (particularly Yvonne Monlaur). The mother is an interesting character and formidable woman; her reasons for doing what she does are understandable.
For those interested, the nine Dracula-themed films Hammer did are: "Horror of Dracula" (1958), "The Brides of Dracula" (1960), "Dracula: Prince of Darkness" (1966), "Dracula Has Risen from the Grave" (1968), "Taste the Blood of Dracula" (1970), "Scars of Dracula" (1970), "Dracula A. D. 1972" (1972), "The Satanic Rites of Dracula" (1973) and "The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires." Christopher Lee plays Dracula in every one of these except "The Brides of Dracula" and "The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires." Meanwhile Peter Cushing plays Van Helsing in five of them (although not always the same Van Helsing, since two of the installments take place in the modern day).
The film runs 1 hour, 25 minutes, and was shot at Bray Studios, just west of London (interiors), and nearby Black Park and Oakley Court (exteriors).
GRADE: B.
Another Dull Dracula Sequel
Cineanalyst20 May 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Bram Stoker's novel "Dracula" is a rich text, which has retained interest even in a bare-bones adaptation such as Hammer's 1958 film, which succeeds largely because it cuts so much from the long book to create an exciting pacing. Plus, it had red blood and sex appeal--two things lacking from prior Dracula films. So, at least, it was a well-paced action shocker. That's not the case with this, the misnamed "The Brides of Dracula," the first of what would be eight sequels to the '58 "Dracula." Like Universal before them, which released the dull "Dracula's Daughter" (1936) after its successful 1931 adaptation, Hammer follows up its own success with a dud. In both cases, the studio writers weren't up to the task of following in the footsteps of Stoker.
There's no sex appeal here despite the hints of incest and homosexuality offered by the vampires' victims. Even "Dracula's Daughter" did better in this regard. There's little blood and, for most of the runtime, no action. There's also no Dracula, nor brides of him. It's over half an hour into the film before Peter Cushing's Van Helsing appears; in the meantime, we're left with an uninteresting, unknowing female lead. There's some mystery in the beginning as to who's a vampire. There's a man who steals a ride on a carriage whose character is never adequately explained; supposedly, he hunted victims for the vampire. We later find out the second and younger of the two mystery men is the main antagonist and vampire of the story--a boyish and entirely lackluster heir to Christopher Lee. Also unlike the '58 original, which was somewhat ambiguous as to its location, "The Brides of Dracula" is firmly set in Transylvania, which is unfortunate because most of the cast is populated with Brits, including some stupid comic relief that exemplifies that British strand of humor based on class and regional accents.
Cushing's Sherlock Holmes-type Van Helsing lacks his Watson (the Arthur character in the '58 film) this outing, which might be part of the reason his process of vampire hunting seems much duller than before. A local priest briefly fills this void, though. Plus, it's nearly 50 minutes into the thing before Van Helsing encounters any danger--a female vampire raising a hand from the grave despite an obvious continuity error where she opens her unbroken coffin afterwards and from a laughably shallow burial (it takes a very weak person, let alone a vampire, to struggle to emerge from that dust heap). There are a couple more action bits after this between Van Helsing and kid-vamp Baron Meinster. In these incidents, this sequel adds a bunch of new vampiric folklore to the series. Apparently, one can burn off the bite marks of vampires, thus avoiding turning into one themselves. Holy water is like acid to vampire faces. Vampire brides stand by mute and motionless when their master is getting his butt kicked by a vampire slayer and, presumably, helplessly burn to death in a windmill while humans have the gumption to make an exit. And, you can create a makeshift cross out of just about anything--even the shadow of a windmill turned at just the right angle can do the job. Hammer's vampires are wimps.
(Mirror Note: On the plus side, this film does have the best mirror shot in Hammer's Dracula series: an unbroken moving-camera mirror shot not revealing the Baron's entrance through the mirror due to his lack of reflection, but behind the Gina character, as the camera moves away from the mirror.)
There's no sex appeal here despite the hints of incest and homosexuality offered by the vampires' victims. Even "Dracula's Daughter" did better in this regard. There's little blood and, for most of the runtime, no action. There's also no Dracula, nor brides of him. It's over half an hour into the film before Peter Cushing's Van Helsing appears; in the meantime, we're left with an uninteresting, unknowing female lead. There's some mystery in the beginning as to who's a vampire. There's a man who steals a ride on a carriage whose character is never adequately explained; supposedly, he hunted victims for the vampire. We later find out the second and younger of the two mystery men is the main antagonist and vampire of the story--a boyish and entirely lackluster heir to Christopher Lee. Also unlike the '58 original, which was somewhat ambiguous as to its location, "The Brides of Dracula" is firmly set in Transylvania, which is unfortunate because most of the cast is populated with Brits, including some stupid comic relief that exemplifies that British strand of humor based on class and regional accents.
Cushing's Sherlock Holmes-type Van Helsing lacks his Watson (the Arthur character in the '58 film) this outing, which might be part of the reason his process of vampire hunting seems much duller than before. A local priest briefly fills this void, though. Plus, it's nearly 50 minutes into the thing before Van Helsing encounters any danger--a female vampire raising a hand from the grave despite an obvious continuity error where she opens her unbroken coffin afterwards and from a laughably shallow burial (it takes a very weak person, let alone a vampire, to struggle to emerge from that dust heap). There are a couple more action bits after this between Van Helsing and kid-vamp Baron Meinster. In these incidents, this sequel adds a bunch of new vampiric folklore to the series. Apparently, one can burn off the bite marks of vampires, thus avoiding turning into one themselves. Holy water is like acid to vampire faces. Vampire brides stand by mute and motionless when their master is getting his butt kicked by a vampire slayer and, presumably, helplessly burn to death in a windmill while humans have the gumption to make an exit. And, you can create a makeshift cross out of just about anything--even the shadow of a windmill turned at just the right angle can do the job. Hammer's vampires are wimps.
(Mirror Note: On the plus side, this film does have the best mirror shot in Hammer's Dracula series: an unbroken moving-camera mirror shot not revealing the Baron's entrance through the mirror due to his lack of reflection, but behind the Gina character, as the camera moves away from the mirror.)
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