Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966)

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

Director:

Terence Fisher

Writers:

Jimmy Sangster (screenplay) (as John Sansom), Anthony Hinds (from an idea by) (as John Elder)

Stars:

Christopher Lee, Barbara Shelley, Andrew Keir

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Christopher Lee	...	Dracula
Barbara Shelley	...	Helen
Andrew Keir	...	Father Sandor
Francis Matthews	...	Charles
Suzan Farmer	...	Diana
Charles 'Bud' Tingwell	...	Alan (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	...	Mother
John Maxim	...	Coach Driver

Storyline

Two couples traveling in eastern Europe decide to visit Karlsbad despite dire local warnings. Left outside the village by a coachman terrified at the approach of night, they find themselves in the local castle and are surprised at the hospitality extended by the sinister Klove. It turns out the owner, Count Dracula, dead for ten years, has been hoping for such a visit.

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Plot Keywords:

female vampire | crucifix pendant | hanging upside down | stake through the heart | count dracula character | 

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Taglines:

FIGHT BACK! DEFEND YOURSELF!

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

Unrated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Filmed back-to-back with Rasputin: The Mad Monk (1966), using many of the same cast members and sets.

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Goofs

When the carriage pulls away from the woodcutter's shed, the passengers' luggage has been loaded to an exterior luggage rack in the rear. It is missing in all subsequent wide shots and also when the carriage arrives at the castle.

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Quotes

Father Sandor: [after stopping a mob, led by a local priest, from driving a stake into the body of a girl who has died of natural causes. He orders the body be brought to a churchyard] I will bury her. Now do as I say.
[nobody moves to carry out his instructions]
Father Sandor: Do as I say!
Priest: You're out of your jurisdiction! I'll complain to the bishop!
Father Sandor: Do... and tell him that I stopped you from performing an act of blaphemy!
[indicates the body]
Father Sandor: Or would you prefer that I told him?
Priest: Well... We have to be sure.
Father Sandor: You are an idiot, Father...
[...]

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Alternate Versions

The 20th Century Fox prints that were used in the United States have been replaced with the Warner-Pathe version that was released in Great Britain.

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Connections

Featured in The World of Hammer: Dracula & the Undead (1994)

User Reviews

Fun for Hammer fans.

The first direct sequel to the studios' "Dracula" (after the Dracula-less sequel "The Brides of Dracula"), this is standard stuff for them, but typically well done. Director Terence Fisher is in fine form as always, the look of the film is perfect, James Bernards' score is thunderous and insistent, the ladies (Barbara Shelley and Suzan Farmer) are ravishing, and Sir Christopher Lee is a force of nature as the bad Count. His screen time is quite limited, but effective. He has no dialogue here - he's a feral beast who basically just hisses. Van Helsing is not to be seen here, but his stand-in, a tough, knowledgeable, and authoritative monk named Father Sandor (Andrew Keir) more than makes up for that.

The focus is on a quartet of vacationers made up of two couples: Charles (Francis Matthews) & Diana (Ms. Farmer) and Alan (Charles 'Bud' Tingwell) & Helen (Ms. Shelley). They're stranded in the wilderness by a frightened coachman who dares not venture too close to Draculas' castle. A horse and carriage pick them up and bring them to the house, where a faithful servant, Klove (a creepy Philip Latham) shows them some hospitality. Charles and Alan don't really question things (even though they should), but Helen is scared. And rightfully so. That night, Klove puts into motion the means of resurrecting Dracula from the dead. Two of the quartet must then rely on the services of Father Sandor in dispatching Dracula.

"Dracula: Prince of Darkness" moves forward very well and delivers a respectable amount of chills and thrills. The atmosphere is potent, in the Hammer tradition, and the story leads to a fairly action-packed climax and a novel means of "killing" Dracula, which Hammer would do with each entry in their series. The very engaging cast also includes delightful Thorley Walters as Renfield-like, easily manipulated character Ludwig. This sequel is unique for Hammers' Dracula franchise for its 2.35:1 aspect ratio; the excellent widescreen cinematography is courtesy of Michael Reed. The highlight has to be the commanding performance by Keir, who proves to be just as worthy a Dracula opponent as Peter Cushings' Van Helsing is.

Followed by "Dracula Has Risen from the Grave".

Seven out of 10.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 January 1966 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dracula: Prince of Darkness

Filming Locations:

Black Park Lake, Black Park, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

GBP100,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Associated British Productions (ABP), Hammer Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min 86 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1