The Brides of Dracula (1960)

Country of Origin: UK
Year of Production: 1960
Running Times: 85 mins 24 sec (UK - theatrical)
Length: 7674 ft (UK)
Format: 35mm
Colour Format: Technicolor
Ratio:
Sound: mono

DIRECTION

Directed by: Terence Fisher

PRODUCTION
Copyright: © MCMLX [1960] by Hotspur Films Ltd.
Production Company: A Hammer Film production
Executive Producer: Michael Carreras
Produced by: Anthony Hinds
Associate Producer: Anthony Nelson-Keys
Production Manager: Don Weeks

SCRIPT
Screenplay by: Jimmy Sangster, Peter Bryan, Edward Percy; Anthony Hinds (uncredited)
Characters: Bram Stoker (uncredited)

DIRECTION
Assistant Director: John Peverall
Continuity: Tilly Day

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Jack Asher
Camera Operator: Len Harris

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Supervising Editor: James Needs
Editor: Alfred Cox

MUSIC
Music Composed by: Malcolm Williamson
Musical Supervisor: John Hollingsworth

SOUND
Sound Recordist: Jock May
Sound Editor: James Groom
RCA Sound Recording

COSTUMES AND MAKE-UP
Wardrobe Mistress: Molly Arbuthnot
Make-up Artist: Roy Ashton
Hair Stylist: Freda Steiger

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects: Sydney Pearson

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Production Designer: Bernard Robinson

LOCATIONS
Produced at: Bray Studios, Berkshire, England, UK
Locations: Black Park, England, UK; Oakley Court, England, UK

CAST

Peter Cushing (Van Helsing)

also starring
Freda Jackson (Greta)
Martita Hunt (Baroness Meinster)

and
Yvonne Monlaur (Marianne)

with
Miles Malleson (Dr Tobler)
Henry Oscar (Lang)
David Peel (Baron Meinster)
Victor Brooks (Hans)
Mona Washbourne (Frau Lang)
Michael Ripper (coachman)

and
Andree Melly (Gina)

Fred Johnson (Curé)
Norman Pierce (landlord)
Vera Cook (landlord's wife)
Marie Deveruex (real name: Marie Devereaux) (village girl)

UNCREDITED CAST

Susan Castle (maid)
Michael Mulcaster (man in black (Latour))
Harry Pringle (Jacques)
Harold Scott (Severin)

PLOT SUMMARY

Naive young teacher Marianne is on her way to a new position when she takes pity on a young man she finds manacled to the wall in an old castle. But she doesn't realise that the man, Baron Meinster, has been chained up by his mother because he's a vampire. Before long, Meinster is on the prowl, targeting the nearby girl's school - but vampire hunter Dr Van Helsing is on his trail...

CAPSULE REVIEW

A fabulous follow-up to Dracula (1958) that's so well directed by Fisher and acted by Cushing that the lack of Christopher Lee barely registers. The film looks gorgeous (it's one of the best looking of all Hammer films) and is acted to perfection by one of the most extraordinary casts ever to grace one of the company's films. If you're new to the world of Hammer, this would be as good a place as any to start.

UK
Theatrical Distributor: Rank Film Distributors
Video Distributor: Warner

USA
Theatrical Distributor: Universal-International
Video Distributor: Universal; MCA
Laserdisc Distributor: MCA Home Video (40606)

Finland
Rating: banned in 1960

Sweden
Rating: 15

UK
Rating: X (with unspecified cuts)

USA
MPAA: 19563

1960
January
26: UK - Principal photography begins

March
18: UK - Principal photography ends

May
1: UK - rated X by the BBFC (for theatrical release)
12: USA - press screening in New York

July
7: UK - theatrical premiere (at the Marble Arch Odeon, London)

August
27: UK - theatrical release

September
Day Unknown: USA - theatrical release

1968
July
29: Sweden - theatrical release

1975
December
10: UK - television broadcast (on ITV)

1982
November
6: UK - television broadcast (on BBC2)

1987
August
8: UK - television broadcast (on Channel 4)

1989
June
4: UK - television broadcast (on Channel 4)

1993
April
21: USA - laserdisc release (MCA Home Video (40606))

1996
July
1: UK - television broadcast (on ITV)

August
5: UK - shown at the Barbican, London as part of the Hammer at the Barbican season

He feeds his unearthly desires on youth and beauty... As he turns a girls' school into a Chamber of Horrors!

The most evil, blood-lusting Dracula of all!

In the privacy of a girls' school he sought his prey - turning innocent beauty into a thing of unspeakable horror!

Dracula - blodtörstig vampyr - Swedish title
Dracula und seine Bräute - West German title
Ekdikisis tou Drakoula, I - Greek title
Exorkistis tou Drakoula, O - Greek re-release title
Maitresses de Dracula, Les - Belgian/French title
De minnaressen van Dracula - Belgian title
Noivas de Drácula, As - Brazilian/Portugese title
Novias De Dracula, Las - Argentine/Spanish title
Spose di Dracula, Le - Italian title

LINKS

SEQUEL TO
Dracula (1958)

SEQUELS
Dracula Prince of Darkness (1965)
Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968)
Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970)
Scars of Dracula (1970)
Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972)
Satanic Rites of Dracula, The (1974)

FOOTAGE INCLUDED IN
Coming Soon (1982)
Matrix Reloaded, The (2003)
Peter Cushing  A One-Way Ticket to Hollywood (1989)

PERIODICALS

Daily Cinema no.8327 (4 July 1960) p.4
review

Dark Terrors No.10 (June 1995) pp.26-43 (UK)
illustrated credits, interview, article

Dark Terrors no.11 p.47 (UK)
article

Flesh and Blood no.2 pp.4-5 (UK)
credits, review

Hollywood Reporter vol.160 no.30 (13 June 1960) p.3 (USA)
credits, review

The House That Hammer Built no.3 (June 1997) pp.119-130
illustrated credits, transcript, review

Kine Weekly no.2753 (7 July 1960) p.19 (UK)
review

Midi-Minuit Fantastique no.4/5 (January 1963) p.157 (French)
review

Monthly Film Bulletin vol.27 no.319 (August 1960) p.111 (UK)
credits, synopsis, review

Motion Picture Herald vol.219 no.8 (21 May 1960) p.700 (USA)
credits, review

Necronomicon no.1 p.7 (UK)
review

Shivers no.52 p.6 (UK)
note

Shivers no.53 p.54 (UK)
review

Variety 18 May 1960 (USA)
review (by Holl)

Video Watchdog no.14 p.8 (USA)
review

BOOKS

Aurum Encyclopedia of Film: Horror (2nd edition) p.129
credits, review

The Hammer Story pp.176-177
credits

Hoffman's Guide to SF, Horror and Fantasy Movies 1991 - 1992 p.57
credits, review

Illustrated Vampire Movie Guide p.44
credits, review (by Stephen Jones)

Reference Guide to Fantastic Films p.48
credits

OTHER SOURCES

screen
credits

vampires, castles, families, bats, sequels, boarding schools, crosses

Last Updated: 11 April, 2010