Rating: 3.5/5
Hoop-Tober | 14/31 | Terence Fisher 4/5
A flashback takes us two movies back, to the end of Hammer’s Dracula, where we witness the showdown between Van Helsing and Dracula. Van Helsing uses a cross to push Dracula into the sunlight, and Dracula collapses into dust.
In this film, four British tourists come to Transylvania to visit Karlsbad, but a series of misfortunes forces them to take shelter in the castle of the late Count Dracula.
Klove, a servant who oversees the castle, welcomes them, but he has a plot up his sleeve. He intends to resurrect the Count.
Van Helsing does not appear in this film, leaving the heroism to Charles Kent, one of the British tourists. They receive advice from Father Sandor, including a warning not to go to Karlsbad.
There exists an apocryphal story of Christopher Lee refusing to read any of the lines he had in the script because the script sucked so badly. Jimmy Sangster, the screenwriter, claims otherwise, and the script had no lines for Dracula. Sangster wrote the screenplay under a pseudonym, so take that for what you will.
I love Barbara Shelley. She’s the only reasonable person alive on Earth, and bless her for it.
This film has so many little moments that heighten the experience. Watch how the filmmakers use red in scenes where a character is in danger. Also, this movie has plenty of that Gothic dread I crave.
The special effects for Dracula’s rematerializing look so good!
Good stuff!