The Brides of Dracula

[countchocula]

http://www.hammerfilms.com/vaults/images/films/horror/dracula_films/bride_of_dracula/bod_poster.jpg

I finally obtained this extolled sequel to Horror of Dracula, and I was slightly disappointed. In its defense, it crawled out of the womb at a disadvantage since Christopher Lee didn't reprise his role as the Count. His replacement is inadequate, a blonde pretty boy who never comes across as barbaric or malignant. As per usual, Cushing anchors it all. He doesn't have much to work with, but he cauterizes his co-stars. There are plenty of shapely vamp vixens to gape at. These "brides" are simply the slinky slaves that appear in every one of Hammer's Drac pics, so the title isn't germane to the plot. The sets are atypically shoddy, the first act is a trying bore, and the effects are substandard (the bat that blitzes Van Helsing is uproarious).

There's fun to be had if you're a Hammer fan, and needless to say, if you're into Gothic horror, any and all bloodsucker bashes divvied up by Hammer should be sought out. The Brides of Dracula wasn't a total loss, but it's vitally inferior to its predecessor.

[killuminati003]

i saw this on either TCM or AMC some time back n september, and i thought it was an ok film......but i never got to see the last because i fell asleep.

[spacemonkey]

I havent seen this one yet, but Ill take your word on it being slow and boring. Im sort of getting the trick on most Hammer films. The all have a great opening sequence and a great climax, the rest of the stuff in the middle is just blah.

After Horror was released, Hammer did two vampire films, the afformentioned Brides of Dracula and then Kiss of the Vampire wich had to deal with a vampire cult. None of these two films starred Lee as Dracula wich many consider to be a let down.

Then came Dracula: Prince of Darkness wich is the one thats considered to be the true sequel to Horror of Dracula, simply because Lee reprises his role as the count.

Most of Hammer films were really low budget. I mean think about it. All they did was build an interior and shoot the movie there. Nothing really impressive. And most of Hammer films just go from a scene in the woods, to a scene inside a castle/set and thats about it. And hey, sometimes they went as far as using the same sets for a few movies! Like using Draculas castle on Prince of Darkness on Rasputin the Mad Monk.

Some of them are great though. So far the most interesting Hammer vampire films Ive seen have been Horror of Dracula wich to me is still the best so far, Vampire Circus wich I love because of its ambience and freakishness and great opening/closing sequences! And Scars of Dracula wich impressed me with its visciousness and actually kept me interested all through out. Scars had a faster paced and Dracula was a bit more violent on that one.

Im really, really looking forward to checking out Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires it looks like it has the same no-holds barred, freaky, outlandish feel that Vampire Circus had and Im all for that. Hey, Dracula inhabiting the body of an evil Chines Monk sounds preatty freaky to me!

[countchocula]

Hammer's scripts can usually supplant the paltry budgets, but not in this case. Despite your negative take on Prince of Darkness, it still intrigues me.

I actually saw Brides of Dracula on AMC during Monsterfest roughly three years ago, but I don't consider that to be an official viewing. It was on mute, and I was plagued with influenza.

[Cushing]

I know I'm going to sound like a stuck record here but I love Brides Of Dracula. Yes it's true that I love most Hammer films but I feel you're being a bit unfair here
A lot of the early Hammers may be considered slow by todays standards but I never find them boring or uninvolving . The sets on this film are as good as any you'll find in a Hammer movie and the story , which hints at sexual disease as a reason for vampirism , is quite unique . All that and Peter Cushing as Van Helsing makes it a classic in my book . I'm particularly fond of the finale at the windmill ..... great stuff .
I may be biased as I've been in the castle Meinster which is actually a hotel named Oakly Court . There I met the writer , Jimmy Sangster and two of the stars , Yvonne Monleur ( ooh baby ) and Andre Melle. They're all very proud of the film and I , for one can't wait till it's on dvd .

[countchocula]

I was waiting to hear your thoughts on this one, Cushing. I figured that you would exculpate it, and I wanted to consider a contrasting viewpoint. You say that the sets are as good as on any other Hammer film, but I felt that the exteriors were lousy. They looked like...sets. I wasn't able to lose myself in the storyline because I was never convinced that I wasn't watching a low-budget film. Horror of Dracula's art direction never struck me as trumpery, and the same applies to most Hammer films that I've been fortunate enough to see. I agree that the finale is well-staged, though. The genre has taught us that you can't go wrong with a climax that involves a windmill.

[Cushing]

Well Count I guess we'll have to agree to differ . I'm always glad to see Hammer films discussed on these forums . I grew up with them and will be championing their importance to the horror genre as long as anyone will listen .
Hopefully discussions like this will encourage others to seek out hammer horror . I don't know what it's like across the pond but " Brides " has never been released in Britain on video or dvd . Thankfully it turns up on t.v now and again .

ps. The exteriors of the castle Meinster were'nt sets . It's a real place . that's me standing on the lawn outside .

[Cushing]

OOOPs ! Don't know what happened there . Here's me at the castle .......... I hope !

[countchocula]

Originally posted by Cushing
ps. The exteriors of the castle Meinster were'nt sets . It's a real place . that's me standing on the lawn outside .

I was referring to the pub, not the castle. But yeah, Brides is a rarity stateside as well. It cost me twenty bucks for a used, out-of-print VHS.

[spacemonkey]

Originally posted by countchocula
Hammer's scripts can usually supplant the paltry budgets, but not in this case. Despite your negative take on Prince of Darkness, it still intrigues me.


Hey dont get me wrong Prince of Darkness is still watchable and a must see for anyone who wants to check out Hammers library of Dracula films, but after having seen a few of Hammers Dracula movies, Prince just felt very unoriginal. It felt like a rehash.

It does have some stand out scenes, but in the story department it just fell short for me.

[Antonio]

THE BRIDES OF DRACULA is the best Hammer flick out there! Peter Cushing and buxom British babes! Loved it!

[miceland1]

Although this movie isn't as good as a Cushing/ Lee effort. However it is a beautiful Hammer Vampire film and is worth watching. And hell, you still got Cushing as Van Helsing, and that's not bad.

I'm dissapointed that this is only available on VHS. This really would be a nice movie to have as a part of one's DVD collection.

Also, for those of you that watched the Matrix Reloaded. The Merovingian's henchmen are watching this film. Persephone shoots one with a silver bullet. This really means that they are vampires watching a movie about vampires.

I'm not a vampire. But if I was, I don't know that I would be watching a movie about vampires (probably made by humans). How could they possibly get it right?

[miceland1]

Does anyone have any info as to when this might be released on DVD?

-mice

[countchocula]

A DVD isn't in the cards, I'm afraid. Or at least I haven't heard anything about a pending DVD release. This film could certainly benefit from a clean transfer.

[miceland1]

Very sad. This would be great if I could have it. Somehow.

[Cushing]

Try E-Bay . There's a dvd that's been mastered from the Japanese laser disc . It's widely available on e-bay and is in pretty good condition . Certainly better than any video I've seen .

[miceland1]

I saw that but assumed that it was dubbed from the vhs.

Its in english right? I saw it for 41$ Whew! I might just tivo it when its on TV again. at that price.

-mice

[Cushing]

Yes it's in English and there's a few on e-bay right now at about $19.00 .......... that's how much mine was .

[miceland1]

Thanks, I'm looking again and there are more than just the one. I appreciate your help.

This movie deserves to be seen. Its not the best but it is sentimental favorite of mine.

[miceland1]

I was able to get a copy for around 5 bucks.

The movie is as great as I remember.

Yvonne Monlaur is very hot in this. One of the hotter Hammer girls IMHO.

Thanks for the help my fellow shmoes. You make this forum great! I always know where to turn with my horror questions.

-mice

[Ratlehed]

I really enjoyed Brides of Dracula. No Christopher Lee. But the story and the sets are pretty good. The "brides" are nice to look at. Cushing gets alot of screen time and does a great job. I think this is PG rated too. Shows you can make a solid non-R rated flick without cheap scares and a WB cast.

[Nightmare_Dreaming]

Of the Hammer Dracula series I have only seen this and Horror of Dracula. I have Dracula Has Risen From The Grave, Taste the Blood of Dracula, and Dracula AD 1972, but I'm not going to watch them until I obtain the third in the series, Dracula: Prince of Darkness so I can watch the series in order. It'll be cheaper to get the region 2 DVD of it, so that's what I'm going to do.

Anywho, I didn't enjoy the second one too much. However, the ending was pretty interesting with the windmill cross shadow and all...

Anyone mind telling me what to expect with the next three sequels?

[Ratlehed]

Of the Hammer Dracula series I have only seen this and Horror of Dracula. I have Dracula Has Risen From The Grave, Taste the Blood of Dracula, and Dracula AD 1972, but I'm not going to watch them until I obtain the third in the series, Dracula: Prince of Darkness so I can watch the series in order. It'll be cheaper to get the region 2 DVD of it, so that's what I'm going to do.


Anyone mind telling me what to expect with the next three sequels?


Dracula: Prince of Darkness has the return of Lee as Drac. But no Cushing. Insted there is a Preist and 2 young couples that battle the vampire. Lee thought the dialogue in the script was so bad he chose not to speak. So Dracula is quite in this one. My least favorite besides Satanic Rites of Dracula. More blood starts being used in this entry.

Dracula Has Risen From The Grave is my favorite of the series. The sets are really good. The opening is great and the finale is pretty good. Decent story. Has Lee but no Cushing.

Scars of Dracula. It gets pretty hammy in this one. Its a fun old style horror movie. It has more action than the others. Dracula controls a giant bat to attack people. Lee is good again.

Taste the Blood of Dracula was much better than I expected. I dont remember much because I only saw it once. Drac isnt in it much. The story was interesting though. I think this one was the first to have nudity.

Dracula A.D. 1972 is so bad its good. Set in London during the days of Austin Powers. Lee doesnt do much here. Insted there is a younger disciple that wants to ressurect Dracula. Caroline Munroe is in it but unfortunatley is wasted. Cushing returns. There is a great opening sequence.

Satanic Rites of Dracula is pretty awful. Strictly late night drive-in fare. There is a good amount of karate, shoot outs, motorcycle chases and young vampire girls. Its like a bad James Bond rip-off with Dracula added as an after thought. Lee is in it a little but doesnt do much. Cushing looks bored. Horrible, horrible demise for Dracula.

All the Hammer Dracula movies have nice looking ladies in them. I give them credit for that.

There is also Jess Franco's Dracula that has Lee as Drac again. Not as good as Horror of Dracula or most of the sequels but it has a Hammer feel to the film.