Dracula Prince of Darkness (1966)

Country of Origin: UK
Year of Production: 1965
Running Times: 86 mins 6 sec (UK - video)     90 mins
Length: 8087 ft
Format: Technicolor     35mm     Techniscope
Ratio: 2.35:1
Sound: mono

PRODUCTION
Production Companies: Hammer Films / Associated British Productions Limited
Producer: Anthony Nelson Keys
Production Manager: Ross Mackenzie

SCRIPT
Script: John Sansom (real name: Jimmy Sangster)
Idea: John Elder (real name: Anthony Hinds)
Characters: Bram Stoker

DIRECTION
Director: Terence Fisher
Assistant Director: Bert Batt

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Michael Reed
Camera Operator: Cece Cooney (real name: Cecil R. Cooney)

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Supervising Editor: James Needs
Editor: Chris Barnes

MUSIC
Musical Supervisor: Philip Martell
Music: James Bernard

SOUND
Sound Recording: Ken Rawkins
Sound Editor: Roy Baker
Sound System: RCA Sound Recording

COSTUMES AND MAKE-UP
Make Up: Roy Ashton
Hair: Frieda Steiger
Wardrobe: Rosemary Burrows

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects: Bowie Films Ltd

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Production Designer: Bernard Robinson
Art Director: Don Mingaye

MISCELLANEOUS
Continuity: Lorna Selwyn

LOCATIONS
Locations: Bray Studios, Berkshire, England, UK

STUNTS
Stunts: Peter Diamond (uncredited), Eddie Powell (uncredited)

CAST
Christopher Lee (Count Dracula)
Barbara Shelley (Helen)
Andrew Keir (Father Sandor)
Francis Matthews (Charles Kent)
Suzan Farmer (Diana)
Charles Tingwell (Alan Kent)
Thorley Walters (Ludwig)
Philip Latham (Klove)
Walter Brown (Brother Mark)
George Woodbridge (landlord)
Jack Lambert (Brother Peter)
Philip Ray (priest)
Joyce Hemson (mother)
John Maxim (coach driver)
Peter Cushing (Van Helsing (in archive footage - uncredited))

PLOT SUMMARY

A group of English tourists in the Carpathian mountains meet Father Sandor, an abbot who is trying to get the locals to let go of the past and forget Count Dracula, destroyed by Van Helsing many years before. But they are taken in by Klove, Dracula's manservant, who sacrifices one of the travelers, using his blood to bring Dracula back from the dead...

Disappointing only by the very high standards of the first two Hammer Dracula films, Dracula Prince of Darkness is a solid and entertaining effort, enlivened by Christopher Lee's masterly performance and by a great supporting cast. Fisher's direction is as assured as ever and Michael Reed's widescreen photography is stunning.

UK
Theatrical Release: Warner-Pathe Distributors Limited
Video Distributor: Warner Home Video

USA
Theatrical Release: 20th Century Fox Film Corporation
DVD Distributor: Anchor Bay (DV 10502 - includes a commentary by Christopher Lee, Barbara Shelley, Francis Matthews and Suzan Farmer; behind-the-scenes home movies; theatrical trailer with Plague of the Zombies (1966); World of Hammer episode Dracula and the Undead)

Finland
Rating: banned in 1966

Norway
Rating: 16

Sweden
Rating: 15

UK
Rating: X

USA
Rating: unrated

1965
April
26: UK - principal photography begins

June
4: UK - principal photography ends

1966
January
9: UK - theatrical release
12: USA - theatrical release

May
27: Sweden - theatrical release

1972
April
17: Norway - theatrical re-release

1987
June
27: UK - television broadcast (on BBC1)

1997
December
25: UK - television broadcast (on Channel 4)

1998
October
20: USA - DVD release (Anchor Bay (DV 10502))

1999
April
1: UK - rated 15 by the BBFC (for video release)

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

2001
July
29: UK - television broadcast (on Channel 4)

December
24: UK - television broadcast (on Film Four)

The Bloody Scream of Dracula - early title
Blut für Dracula - German title
Disciple of Dracula - early title
Dracula - Swedish title
Dracula 3 - early title
Dracula, prince des ténèbres - French title
Drácula, príncipe de las tinieblas - Spanish title
Dracula principe delle tenebre - Italian title
Revenge of Dracula - early title

SEQUEL TO
Dracula (1958)
The Brides of Dracula (1960)

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

FOOTAGE INCLUDED IN
The Many Faces of Christopher Lee (1996)

MAGAZINES

Amateur Cine World vol.10 no.1 (1 July 1965) p.10 (UK)
review

British National Film Catalogue vol.4 (1966) (UK)
credits, synopsis

Daily Cinema no.9159 (29 December 1965) p.8 (UK)
review

Dark Terrors 3 p.16 (UK)
note

Dark Terrors no.4 (July / August 1992) pp.13-21 (UK)
illustrated credits, production notes, synopsis

Empire June 1999 p.152 (UK)
review (by Kim Newman)

Films and Filming vol.11 no.11 (August 1965) p.55 (UK)
credits, review

Flesh and Blood no.4 p.18 (UK)
review (by Harvey Fenton)

Hammer Horror no.2 (April 1995) pp.16-33 (UK)
illustrated credits, synopsis, production notes, review

The House That Hammer Built no.10 (October 1998) p.102 (UK)
note

Kine Weekly no.3039 (30 December 1965) p.13 (UK)
review

Monthly Film Bulletin vol.33 no.385 (February 1966) p.22 (UK)
credits, synopsis, review

Photon no.19 p.42
review

Shivers no.16 p.38
review

Sight and Sound vol.5 no.4 (April 1995) pp.61-62 (UK)
video review

Variety 19 January 1966 (USA)
credits, review

Video Watchdog no.42 pp.24-25
review

BOOKS

The Hammer Story pp.96-97
illustrated article, review (by Marcus Hearn and Alan Barnes)

Hoffman's Guide to SF, Horror and Fantasy Movies 1991 - 1992 p.112
credits, review

The Illustrated Vampire Movie Guide p.47
credits, review (by Stephen Jones)

Reference Guide to Fantastic Films p.113
credits

dracula, vampires, butlers, castles, monks, sequels, tourists