DRACULA, PRINCE OF DARKNESS
Director - Terence Fisher, Screenplay - John Sansom, Story - John Elder
[Anthony Hinds], Producer - Anthony Nelson-Keys, Photography - Michael
Reed, Music - James Bernard, Music Supervisor - Philip Martell, Special
Effects - Bowie Films Ltd, Makeup - Roy Ashton, Production Design -
Bernard Robinson, Art Direction - Don Mingaye. Production Company -
Hammer/Seven Arts. 1966.
Cast: Andrew Keir (Father Shandor), Christopher Lee (Count Dracula),
Francis Matthews (Charles Kent), Barbara Shelley (Helen Kent), Suzan
Farmer (Diana Kent), Charles Tingwell (Alan Kent), Philip Latham (Klove),
Thorley Walters (Ludwig)
Four travelers in Eastern Europe: Charles Kent, his wife Diana, his
brother Alan and Alan’s wife, Helen, are warned by Father Shandor not
to journey near Carlsbad, but does not divulge the reason why. They
hire a coach, but as they approach Carlsbad, their driver forces them out.
As they wait alone on the road, a driverless carriage arrives and stops
before them. Throwing caution to the wind, they mount the carriage, and
the horses drive away.
They are taken to a castle, and enter to find a table set for four.
Klove appears and introduces himself as the manservent, and apologies
for the absence of his master. During the night, Alan is awakened by
noise in the cellars. While on his way to investigate he is stopped and
hacked to death by Klove, who hangs Alan’s bleeding body over the crypt
of his dead master, Count Dracula. As Alan’s blood mingles with Dracula’s
remains, it provides a life-giving force, and Dracula slowly rising from
the crypt.
To nourish himself, Dracula sinks his fangs into the throat of Helen,
transforming this prim Victorian lady into an evil vampire. After
Dracula attacks Diana, she and Charles escape to Father Shandor’s
monastery.
They return with Father Shandor and two monks to the castle, where
they succeed in killing Helen by driving a stake through her heart.
But Dracula kidnaps Diana, throws her in the back of his carriage,
and together with Klove, try to make their escape. Charles shoots Klove,
and the carriage careens off the road onto the ice-covered moat. As
Charles grapples with Dracula on the ice, Father Shandor remembers that
vampires can be stopped only by the sight of the cross, the sun, or the
touch of running water. Shandor continually fires his gun at the ice
around Dracula’s feet, and when the ice gives way, Dracula slips, clawing
helplessly, into the frozen water.
Disclaimer: Dracula, Prince of Darkness was copyrighted 1966 by Hammer
Film Productions Ltd. and presented by Associated British Pathe Distrib.
Ltd. and released by Warners-Pathe Ltd. in the UK and 20th Century Fox
in the US. Renewed by Elite Entertainment. Used for non-commercial
purposes; All rights reserved. DO not use without permission.
