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GB 1935, Color, 90 min
Director	Terence Fisher
Screen Play	John Sansom
Photography	Michael Reed
Music	James Bernard
Christopher Lee	Dracula
Barbara Shelley	Hellen Kent
Andrew Keir	Shandor
Francis Matthews	Charles Kent
Suzan Farmer	Diana Kent
Charles Tingwell	Alan Kent
Thorley Walters	Ludwig
Philip Latham	Gabor

"Dracula - Prince of Darkness" 1965 is the continuation of "Horror of Dracula" from seven years earlier, this being the reason thy the death scene of Dracula from the first film serves as opening scene. We remember: van Helsing keeps Dracula in check with a crucifix while ripping the curtains from the window and the sunlight burns the blood sucker.

10 years have passed and the brothers Charles and Alan Kent, together with their wives Diana and Helen pass their vacation in the Carpathian mountains. Unfortunately they are left in a far-off forest by their superstitious coach-man who refuses to drive any further. With a guideless (!) coach they reach Castle Dracula, where they are welcomed by a sinister fellow. It's Draculas servant who ,just like his deceased master, is always willing to accommodate guests. Later at night Allen is allured into the vaults of the castle and murdered by the servant. His blood is used to reanimate Dracula. After 10 years of abstinence the count is enormously thirsty and the first thing he does is to empty Helen from her blood. Charles and Diana can flee and find shelter in the monastery of the abbot Shandar. Dracula follows them, but a vampire shouldn't challenge an abbot having good connection to heaven. And this is why the poor Count has to "die" again, the sole reason being to be reincarnated again and again and again.... That's a real curse....

"Dracula - Prince of Darkness" brought in a lot of criticism, but at the same time a lot of revenues, which led to the numerous sequels. Even if this movie was put on stage by the leading Hammer-Director Terence Fisher, the style is quite different from "Horror of Dracula". On one hand, violence is shown in a more explicit way, on the other hand, the uncanny atmosphere of the predecessor is reached at no time. And - what is a small sensation - there's no Peter "van Helsing" Cushing in this movie. Well, he had the chance to play this role a second time in "Draculas brides" in 1960 with Fisher as Director and eliminate another vampire clan. Well...

The most stupid idea in "Dracula - Prince of Darkness" is, that the protagonist doesn't utter a single word during the whole movie, what was surely meant to make the count appear even more uncanny, but actually is rather ridiculous. This way Christopher Lee didn't have to learn his dialogues.

It is funny to know that Hammer put on stage three further movies in exactly the same scenery, which are: "The Plague of the Zombies", "Rasputin the mad Monk" and "The Reptile", all from 1966. Pay attention to this if one of these movies is shown on TV one of these days.