Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966)

Director:

Terence Fisher

Writers:

Anthony Hinds (story)
Jimmy Sangster (writer)

Release Date:

12 January 1966 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

The Greatest All New Fright Show In Town!

Plot:

Dracula is resurrected, preying on four unsuspecting visitors to his castle.

Plot Keywords:

Dracula | Castle | Sequel | Vampire | Tourist

Cast

Christopher Lee	...	Count Dracula
Barbara Shelley	...	Helen Kent
Andrew Keir	...	Father Sandor
Francis Matthews	...	Charles Kent
Suzan Farmer	...	Diana Kent
Charles 'Bud' Tingwell	...	Alan Kent (as Charles Tingwell)
Thorley Walters	...	Ludwig
Philip Latham	...	Klove
Walter Brown	...	Brother Mark
George Woodbridge	...	Landlord
Jack Lambert	...	Brother Peter
Philip Ray	...	Priest
Joyce Hemson	...	Frau Koenig (mother)
John Maxim	...	Coach Driver

Also Known As:

Disciple of Dracula
Dracula 3
Revenge of Dracula
The Bloody Scream of Dracula

Runtime:

90 min | Spain:86 min (DVD edition)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Norway:16 (1972) | Norway:(Banned) (1966 - 1972) | Germany:16 (DVD release) | West Germany:12 (f) (re-rating) | West Germany:16 (f) (original rating) | Australia:M | Finland:(Banned) (1966) | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (video rating) (1992) | UK:X (original rating) | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Bray Studios, Down Place, Oakley Green, Berkshire, England, UK

Company:

Hammer Film Productions

Trivia:

Christopher Lee found the lines given to this character so awful that he chose to play it silent.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Father Sandor blames the local priest for being a "superstitious frightened idiot" but later on he admits that "vampirism...an undisputed fact".

Quotes:

Charles Kent: [as Klove starts to serve dinner] What's your name?
Klove: Klove, sir.
Charles Kent: Well, uh, Kove, isn't your master joining us for dinner?
Klove: No, sir. I'm afraid not.
Charles Kent: Is he indisposed?
Klove: [matter-of-factly] He's dead.
Charles Kent: [hesitates] I'm sorry if we appear a little dense. Perhaps you could explain?
Klove: Explain, sir?
Charles Kent: Yes, you seem to have expected us. Ah, this dinner. our rooms, the carriage... everything.
Klove: You see, sir, my master is dead but instructions were left that the castle should always be ready to receive guests. I am merely carrying out his wishes.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in Dracula: A Cinematic Scrapbook (1991)

One of the very best entries in Hammer's Dracula series.

'Dracula: Prince Of Darkness' isn't technically the sequel to Hammer's 'Dracula' (a.k.a. 'Horror Of Dracula'), 'The Brides Of Dracula' is, but considering Dracula didn't even appear in the latter, this in my opinion is the REAL sequel. I actually enjoyed it a little bit more than 'Dracula' and it's one of the very best entries in the whole series, if not THE best. Dracula doesn't put in an appearance until about half way through the movie, but he's worth waiting for. Christopher Lee gives his most memorable performance as Dracula, which incidentally has no dialogue whatsoever. It's a great piece of acting, and Lee is an extremely underrated performer. Apart from Christopher Lee the rest of the cast is also first rate. Andrew "Professor Quatermass" Keir almost steals the movie as the unconventional Father Sandor, and the four English travellers who find themselves the guests of Dracula are Barbara Shelley, Francis Matthews, Suzan Farmer and veteran Aussie actor Bud Tingwell. All but the latter are familiar faces to Hammer fans. Shelley co-starred with Keir in the excellent 'Quatermass and the Pit" and she, Matthews and Farmer appeared with Christopher Lee in the wonderful 'Rasputin: The Mad Monk' released the same year as this movie. Pop culture obsessives will also remember that Francis Matthews voiced Captain Scarlet in the cult Gerry and Sylvia Anderson puppet show 'Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons' (a show that Bud Tingwell was also involved with). 'Dracula: Prince Of Darkness' is yet another wonderfully entertaining horror movie from Hammer studios. I suggest watching 'Dracula' and then following directly with 'Dracula: Prince Of Darkness' for a fantastic vampire double bill that is pretty hard to beat! Long live Christopher Lee!