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:

DEAD for Ten Years DRACULA, Prince of Darkness, LIVES AGAIN!

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

Unrated

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

In an interview conducted several years after this movie was made, Francis Matthews (Charles Kent) bemoaned the fact that he wasn't allowed to exhibit a far greater emotional outburst when he declared that he would destroy Dracula.

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Goofs

Two monks lead Ludwig back to his room in the monastery. One of them accidentally calls him Heinrich by mistake: "come along now, Heinrich."

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Quotes

Alan Kent: You forget about all of this in the morning, you'll see.
Helen Kent: There'll be no morning for us.

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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 Play for Today: Vampires (1979)

User Reviews

Enjoyable albeit shallow revisit to Transylvania.

Dracula (Christopher Lee) rides again in yet another Hammer entry in the Dracula franchise. This film is enjoyable horror hokum, but it has an awfully shallow story, fleshed out with a slow opening stretch and some amusing vampire lore in between the sporadic vampire attacks.

Four British travellers are journeying through the Carpathian Alps in the 1800s. They are repeatedly cautioned to steer clear of Carlsbad Castle but, being typically stuffy and stubborn, they end up going there anyway. The castle is deserted apart from a rather zombified manservant. During the night, one of the travellers is slain by the manservant, and his blood is used to resurrect the long-dead Count Dracula. Time for another bout of blood-sucking mayhem....

Christopher Lee has a small role this time around, but gets across a good performance due to his commanding presence in the title role. Andrew Keir is also good as a priest-cum-vampire-slayer, though he has to overcome some dumb dialogue. The slow build-up is rather damaging, as it generates more tedium than chills. The opportunities for real terror are somewhat fudged too, since most would-be "shock" moments are telegraphed too far in advance. However, Hammer buffs and vampire addicts will doubtless feel more than satisfied.