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IMDbPro

Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter

  • 19741974
  • RR
  • 1h 31m
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
5.2K
YOUR RATING
Horst Janson and Caroline Munro in Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1974)
A master swordsman and former soldier and his hunchbacked assistant hunt vampires.
Play trailer2:44
1 Video
45 Photos
  • Adventure
  • Horror
  • Mystery
A master swordsman and former soldier and his hunchbacked assistant hunt vampires.A master swordsman and former soldier and his hunchbacked assistant hunt vampires.A master swordsman and former soldier and his hunchbacked assistant hunt vampires.
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
5.2K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Brian Clemens
  • Writer
    • Brian Clemens
  • Stars
    • Horst Janson
    • John Carson
    • Shane Briant
Top credits
  • Director
    • Brian Clemens
  • Writer
    • Brian Clemens
  • Stars
    • Horst Janson
    • John Carson
    • Shane Briant
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 93User reviews
    • 96Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:44
    Official Trailer

    Photos45

    John Carson in Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1974)
    Horst Janson and Caroline Munro in Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1974)
    Elizabeth Dear in Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1974)
    Olga Anthony in Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1974)
    Penny Price in Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1974)
    Joanna Ross in Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1974)
    Shane Briant in Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1974)
    John Cater in Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1974)
    Susanna East and Stafford Gordon in Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1974)
    Lisa Collings and Elizabeth Dear in Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1974)
    Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1974)
    Caroline Munro in Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1974)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Horst Janson
    Horst Janson
    • Kronosas Kronos
    John Carson
    John Carson
    • Dr. Marcusas Dr. Marcus
    Shane Briant
    Shane Briant
    • Paul Durwardas Paul Durward
    Caroline Munro
    Caroline Munro
    • Carlaas Carla
    John Cater
    John Cater
    • Grostas Grost
    Lois Daine
    Lois Daine
    • Sara Durwardas Sara Durward
    Ian Hendry
    Ian Hendry
    • Kerroas Kerro
    Wanda Ventham
    Wanda Ventham
    • Lady Durwardas Lady Durward
    William Hobbs
    William Hobbs
    • Hagenas Hagen
    Brian Tully
    • George Sorellas George Sorell
    Robert James
    Robert James
    • Pointeras Pointer
    Perry Soblosky
    • Barlowas Barlow
    Paul Greenwood
    • Gilesas Giles
    Lisa Collings
    • Vanda Sorellas Vanda Sorell
    John Hollis
    John Hollis
    • Barmanas Barman
    Susanna East
    Susanna East
    • Isabella Sorellas Isabella Sorell
    Stafford Gordon
    • Barton Sorellas Barton Sorell
    Elizabeth Dear
    Elizabeth Dear
    • Ann Sorellas Ann Sorell
    • Director
      • Brian Clemens
    • Writer
      • Brian Clemens
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • 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
      Grost suggests that the vampire may be using 'mesmerism' or 'hypnotism' to subdue its victims, but neither term was in use until the early 19th century.
    • Quotes

      Kronos: What he doesn't know about vampirism wouldn't fill a flea's codpiece.

    • Connections
      Featured in Cinemacabre TV Trailers (1993)

    User reviews93

    Review
    Top review
    Underrated Hammer horror that deserves to be rediscovered.
    Now I'm a big horror fan, but ironically enough I finally decided to give this one a go because of the western and swordfighting angle it has (I'm a big fan of both spaghetti westerns and chambaras). And therein lies the power of Captain Kronos: it's more than your typical Hammer vampire entry. It manages to be both serious and tongue-in-cheek, both atmospheric and visceral, and thus operates on a whole other level than earlier Hammer vampire flicks which I find very formulaic.

    Captain Kronos is a swashbuckling vampire hunter, a mixture of the spaghetti western cool anti-hero and the antagonist of evil that is usually the Van Helsing character. In true Clint Eastwood fashion, he smokes a stump, swaps the poncho for an 18th century army jacket and the six shooter for various swords (including a katana). His sidekick is the witty vampire expert Professor Grost and along with Carla, a gypsy girl they pick along the way (played by Caroline Munro), they're called upon to solve a case of vampirism in rural England.

    What strikes me about Captain Kronos is the exceptional cinematography. Director Brian Clemens employs some very inventive angles to photograph the action, leaving more to the mind's eye through use of shadows and eliptical editing. Highlights include the shadow of a cross coming to life and the shadow of a man being hanged seen through a window. The exterior shots are all well composed, with the thick black soil, the trees and the bleak weather all coming together as the perfect setting for the vampires to wreak havoc. There are also some very chillng moments (like the hooded vampires in the forest and a very creepy old lady), so don't be mistaken: Captain Kronos might take its cue from action movies, but it's still essentially a horror flick at heart.

    Of course it's not without its flaws. Horst Janson (Captain Kronos) is by no means a physical actor so the action scenes leave a lot to be desired. His swordfighting as seen in the cemetery scene is lamentably bad. It's no wonder that the best scene of him using a sword is in the tavern where he teaches three bullies a lesson. His slashing there is composed in the editing room. OK this is Hammer, not Toho or Daei, and Janson couldn't possibly dream of equalling a Mifune or Nakadai, but still a couple of swordfighting lessons wouldn't have been such a bad idea. What's worse is that Janson is not a good actor period. His range involves little more than trying to look cool. Even at that, his boyish face and blonde hair don't help at all. He's more stiff and wooden than "badass" cool. A more charismatic lead would have done wonders for Captain Kronos.

    Anyways, this is a movie that deserves to be rediscovered by all sorts of 70's b-movie fans. I'm not a vampire fan by any means, so it's very refreshing to see a movie playing with the conventions and clichés of the sub-genre (which I find tiresome for the most part) in entertaining ways.
    helpful•20
    5
    • chaos-rampant
    • Apr 12, 2008

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 14, 1974 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Kronos
    • Filming locations
      • Black Park, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK
    • Production company
      • Hammer Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • £160,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 31 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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