Hammer Time: Count Dracula Edition, Pt. 1—The First Three Films

Well over a decade ago, I had the idea to blog my way through viewing a bunch of movies from Hammer Films, starting with their Dracula series featuring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. After I finished those, I moved on to their Frankenstein series, also starring Cushing (Lee only appeared in the first one). By the time I started the Frankenstein movies (which I’ve yet to finish, I’m sorry to say), I’d moved my blog here to Word Press from Live Journal. I only recently realized that I never migrated the Dracula posts to Word Press, though they were among the posts I downloaded before deleting Live Journal. So now, though I really need to get back to those Frankenstein movies, I think it’s time to resurrect (see what I did there) Dracula. Unfortunately, back in the day I didn’t have the idea to blog about the films until I’d already watched the first three, so my comments were rather cursory. I briefly considered rewatching those movies and giving each of them their own post, or even just expanding my comments from memory, but then I got realistic about my schedule—I’m behind on so many personal projects that devoting time to these repostings beyond this new intro (and the occasional tweaks and updates) didn’t make sense. Without further ado, then, here is the first post (from way back on August 9, 2010):

I’ve started working my way through the classic Hammer Films Dracula movies starring Christopher Lee as Dracula and Peter Cushing as Van Helsing. I’ve seen most of them before, here and there, but now, as the proud owner of them all on DVD, I’m watching them in chronological order. 

There are nine films that can be considered part of this continuity, although some are only loosely connected; they all feature either Lee or Cushing or both of them (as indicated) and are listed here in order of their internal chronology, not real-world production:

Dracula, aka Horror of Dracula (L & C)
Brides of Dracula (C)
Dracula: Prince of Darkness (L)
Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (L)
Taste the Blood of Dracula (L)
Scars of Dracula (L)
The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires (C)
Dracula A.D. 1972 (L & C)
The Satanic Rites of Dracula (L & C)

I’ve watched the first three so far. It all starts with Dracula, a very liberal adaption of Bram Stoker’s original novel. Some of the character names are the same, but their roles and fates differ from the book. The differences keep the plot moving and readers of Stoker guessing. I love the brilliant 1958 color, and Cushing and Lee attack their roles—and each other—with gusto and seriousness. Although tame by today’s standards, Hammer pushed the boundaries for bloodletting, especially Technicolor red blood instead of dark black & white blood. Of course, Van Helsing wins in the end, and Dracula is rendered to dust by sunlight.

Next up is the named-by-the-marketing-department Brides of Dracula, released in 1960. Not only is Dracula not in this movie, still being dead from the first, but the female vampires were not even bitten by Dracula. Baron Meinster is the vampire of this film, and Van Helsing is called in to stamp out a growing pocket of the undead. Although the “brides” are underutilized, it’s an enjoyable film, with hints of Hammer’s growing use of sexuality. It also has some truly creepy and sad scenes with Meinster’s mother and his nanny, each in their own way deeply affected by his vampirism.

Finally, in 1966, we have the return of Christopher Lee in Dracula: Prince of Darkness. Some odd choices made it less of a triumphant return than it might have been; first off, it’s just over forty-five minutes into the film before Dracula is resurrected. The scene itself is great. It turns out Klove, Dracula’s faithful servant, had gathered up the ashes of his master after the events of the first film, to which he now adds the blood of an unfortunate guest of the castle. After a creepy effects sequence reconstitutes his body, Dracula is back. But now we run up against the other odd thing about Lee’s role: Dracula speaks not a single word throughout the film. Lee does as much as he can, and is surprisingly effective, but it’s still strange. Dracula isn’t just a monster, he’s a count, cultured and intelligent, which makes him all the more evil. Still, this animalistic version is certainly menacing. The film establishes that running water will kill a vampire, and Dracula meets his newest end falling through some ice after it’s shot by the good guys. The scene is stretched out a little too long, almost becoming Lynchesque slapstick, but the shot of his cape disappearing into the water, followed by his face sinking into the darkness, is well done.

Next up, when I get time to watch it, we move on to the fourth film, 1968’s Dracula Has Risen from the Grave.