The Kiss of the Vampire (1963)

Director:

Don Sharp

Writer:

Anthony Hinds (screenplay)

Release Date:

11 September 1963 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

Giant devil Bats...summoned from the caves of Hell to destroy the lust of the Vampires!

Plot:

When car trouble strands a honeymooning couple in a small Southern European village, an aristocratic family in the area reaches out to help them with sinister consequences.

Plot Keywords:

Castle | Vampire Cult | Cult | Vampire | Music Score Features Piano

Cast

Clifford Evans	...	Professor Zimmer
Edward de Souza	...	Gerald Harcourt
Noel Willman	...	Dr. Ravna
Jennifer Daniel	...	Marianne Harcourt
Barry Warren	...	Carl Ravna
Brian Oulton	...	1st disciple
Noel Howlett	...	Father Xavier
Jacquie Wallis	...	Sabena Ravna
Peter Madden	...	Bruno
Isobel Black	...	Tania
Vera Cook	...	Anna
John Harvey	...	Police Sergeant
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Carl Esmond	...	Anton (US TV version)
Virginia Gregg	...	Rosa Stangher (US TV version)
Sheilah Wells	...	Theresa Stangher (US TV version)
Olga Dickie	...	Woman at Graveyard (uncredited)
Horst Ebersberg	...	(uncredited)
Dolly Read	...	First Disciple (uncredited)
Stan Simmons	...	Servant (uncredited)
Elizabeth Valentine	...	2nd Disciple (uncredited)

Directed by
Don Sharp

Writing credits
Anthony Hinds		(screenplay) (as John Elder)

Produced by
Anthony Hinds	....	producer

Original Music by
James Bernard

Cinematography by
Alan Hume

Production Design by
Bernard Robinson

Art Direction by
Don Mingaye

Makeup Department
Roy Ashton	....	makeup artist
Frieda Steiger	....	hair stylist
Reginald Mills	....	assistant makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Don Weeks	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Douglas Hermes	....	assistant director
Hugh Harlow	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Arthur Banks	....	construction manager (uncredited)
Stan Banks	....	master plasterer (uncredited)
Charles Davis	....	master carpenter (uncredited)
Kenneth Ryan	....	assistant art director (uncredited)
Lawrence Wren	....	master painter (uncredited)

Sound Department
Jim Groom	....	sound editor (as James Groom)
Ken Rawkins	....	sound recordist

Special Effects by
Les Bowie	....	special effects
Ray Caple	....	special effects assistant (uncredited)
Brian Johnson	....	special effects assistant (uncredited)
Ian Scoones	....	special effects assistant (uncredited)
Kit West	....	special effects assistant (uncredited)

Stunts
Peter Diamond	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Moray Grant	....	camera operator
David Osborne	....	focus puller (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Molly Arbuthnot	....	wardrobe supervisor
Rosemary Burrows	....	wardrobe mistress

Editorial Department
James Needs	....	supervising editor

Music Department
John Hollingsworth	....	music supervisor

Other crew
Pauline Harlow	....	continuity (as Pauline Wise)
Ronald Lenoir	....	master rigger (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Universal International Pictures (UI) (presents)
• Hammer Film Productions

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1963) (USA) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1967) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• J. Arthur Rank Film Distributors (1963) (UK) (theatrical)
• Universal Film (1963) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Image Entertainment (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Studios Home Video (1998) (USA) (VHS)

Also Known As:

"Kiss of the Vampire" - USA (poster title)

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English | Latin

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Unrated | UK:X | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Black Park, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Trivia:

Double-billed with Hammer's "Paranoiac."

Goofs:

Continuity: When the newlyweds arrive at the hotel, they get caught in a sudden downpour. Water can be seen on their shoulders and on their hats, as well as on the wooden porch as they ring the doorbell. They are however bone dry when they step into the reception, despite the innkeeper remarking that they are soaked through.

Quotes:

Professor Zimmer:When the devil attacks a man or woman with this foul disease of the vampire the unfortunate human being can do one of two things. Either he can seek God through the church and pray for absolution or he can persuade himself that his filthy perversion is some kind of new and wonderful experience to be shared by the favoured few. Then he tries to persuade others to join his new cult.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Pale Blood (1990)

Ominous and entrancing

The basic plot: Gerald and Marianne Harcourt, a couple traveling through Europe for their honeymoon, break down in a small and secluded Eastern European village ,and one of the few places theyr'e welcomed is is the grand castle of the Count Ravna ,but when he turns out to be a bloodsucker and own a vampire cult and kidnap Marianne, Gerald must ally with reclusive vampire hunter Dr.Zimmer to defeat the vampires.

The praise:Ominous and entrancing. The scenes which are most effective are the ones when there is an air of unknowing and quiet terror, and a lot of creepy hypnotic feel. The masque scene is a masterpiece in structure, and Roman Polanski was definitely influenced by this in the making of his great suspenseful comedy "The fearless Vampire killers".The acting is solid , and the film is gorgeously ornate to look at, the Castle Ravna is being a place of complex architecture and decorative flourishes. The plot is pretty simple, but this small gem is all about mood.As well, the scene before Gerald and Marianne Harcourt come in is bloody good.

The flaws: The climax doesn't come together as well as the rest of the movie.