Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter (1974)

Director:

Brian Clemens

Writer:

Brian Clemens (written by)

Release Date:

7 April 1974 (UK)

Genre:

Horror | Adventure

Tagline:

Evil Ends Here.

Plot:

A master swordsman and former soldier and his hunchbacked assistant hunt vampires.

Plot Keywords:

Vampire | Vampire Bat | Swashbuckler | Sword Fight | Impalement

Cast

Horst Janson	...	Kronos
John Carson	...	Dr. Marcus
Shane Briant	...	Paul Durward
Caroline Munro	...	Carla
John Cater	...	Grost
Lois Daine	...	Sara Durward
Ian Hendry	...	Kerro
Wanda Ventham	...	Lady Durward
William Hobbs	...	Hagen
Brian Tully	...	George Sorell
Robert James	...	Pointer
Perry Soblosky	...	Barlow
Paul Greenwood	...	Giles
Lisa Collings	...	Vanda Sorell
John Hollis	...	Barman
Susanna East	...	Isabella Sorell
Stafford Gordon	...	Barton Sorell
Elizabeth Dear	...	Ann Sorell
Joanna Ross	...	Myra
Neil Seiler	...	Priest
Olga Anthony	...	Lilian
Gigi Gurpinar	...	Blind Girl
Peter Davidson	...	Big Man
Terence Sewards	...	Tom
Trevor Lawrence	...	Deke
Jacqui Cook	...	Barmaid
Penny Price	...	Whore
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
B.H. Barry	...	Villager (uncredited)
Michael Buchanan	...	Villager (uncredited)
Linda Cunningham	...	Jane (uncredited)
Julian Holloway	...	Kronos (voice) (uncredited)
Steve James	...	Villager (uncredited)
Ian McKay	...	Villager (uncredited)
Barry Smith	...	Villager (uncredited)
Caroline Villiers	...	Petra (uncredited)
Roger Williams	...	Villager (uncredited)

Directed by
Brian Clemens

Writing credits
Brian Clemens		(written by)

Produced by
Brian Clemens	....	producer
Albert Fennell	....	producer

Original Music by
Laurie Johnson

Cinematography by
Ian Wilson

Film Editing by
James Needs

Casting by
James Liggat

Production Design by
Robert Jones

Makeup Department
Jimmy Evans	....	makeup artist (as Jim Evans)
Barbara Ritchie	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Richard F. Dalton	....	production manager (as Richard Dalton)
Roy Skeggs	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Nick Farnes	....	assistant director
David Tringham	....	assistant director
Terry Hodgkinson	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Kenneth McCallum Tait	....	assistant art director

Sound Department
Peter Lennard	....	sound editor
A.W. Lumkin	....	recording director
Bill Rowe	....	dubbing mixer
Jim Willis	....	sound recordist

Camera and Electrical Department
Godfrey A. Godar	....	camera operator (as Godfrey Godar)
David Wynn-Jones	....	first assistant camera

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Dulcie Midwinter	....	wardrobe supervisor
Margie Midwinter	....	wardrobe supervisor

Editorial Department
Donald Freeman	....	final colorist (uncredited)

Music Department
Laurie Johnson	....	conductor
Philip Martell	....	music supervisor

Other crew
William Hobbs	....	fight arranger
June Randall	....	continuity
Glenda Allen	....	stand-in: Caroline Munro (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Hammer Film Productions

Distributors

• Bruton Films (1974) (UK) (theatrical)
• Paramount Pictures (1974) (USA) (theatrical)
• Anolis Entertainment (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• Leisureview (2003) (UK) (DVD)
• Paradiso Home Entertainment (2003) (Netherlands) (DVD) (VHS) (rental)
• Paradiso Home Entertainment (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD) (VHS) (retail)
• Paramount Home Video (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Video (USA) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Video (USA) (laserdisc)

Other Companies

• Humphries Laboratories  processed by
• RCA  sound system

Also Known As:

"Kronos" - USA (short title)

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Netherlands:16 | USA:R | UK:15 | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Black Park, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

Hammer Film Productions

Trivia:

This was to have been the first in a series of films. The poor box office cancelled those plans. The poor returns also contributed to the decline in the box office track record of Hammer Films.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: At time 1:04:40, as the young girl puts the lamp down on the table, you can briefly see the electrical cord fall to the ground from under her arm, where it was hidden while she walked down the steps.

Quotes:

Hieronymous Grost:You see, doctor, there are as many species of vampire as there are beasts of prey. Their methods and their motive for attack can vary in a hundred different ways.
Captain Kronos:As are the methods of their destruction!

Movie Connections:

References Lust for a Vampire (1971)

Horror Meets Spaghetti Western

While few of the Hammer horror films took themselves too seriously it was in the 1970s when the cycle became almost a parody of itself and "Captain Kronos, Vampire Hunter" is perhaps the best example of this. Although it is a little known film it is certainly one of the best horrors, largely due to its original take on the vampire theme and imaginative, albeit risky, casting.

Rather than offer the audience another Christopher Lee dominated vampire flick, "Kronos" features Horst Janson in the title role and he is essentially the Clint Eastwood character from the Sergio Leone Spaghetti Westerns. This means Kronos is unstoppable with a sword and can kill several men with one quick swish of his blade, best displayed when the brilliant Ian Hendry and his mob make the mistake of picking a fight with him.

It is important not to take the film or the cast too seriously as this is essentially a comedy-horror. There are several very amusing scenes such as when Kronos and his hunchbacked helper struggle to find a way to destroy a particularly nasty vampire, making light of the many and varied ways to supposedly kill one of the undead.

Like all Hammer Horror films "Kronos" benefits from having a short 90- minute running time, concentrating more on action and bloodletting than the idle chat that typified Francis Ford Coppola's "Bram Stoker's Dracula". It is also good to see a vampire film in which the hero is dangerous and unpredictable and not entirely wholesome such as the Van Helsing character often is.

Anyone who found "Blade" to be too noisy and over-the-top (karate and vampires do not go together) should watch "Kronos" which is essentially the same film but far more subtle - like the difference between using a scalpel and a chainsaw.