The Brides of Dracula (1960)

August 30, 2023 Kevin Lyons Film, Horror 0

UK,
85m 24s (UK – theatrical), 7674 ft (UK)
35mm, Technicolor
mono (RCA Sound Recording), English

A British films directed by Terence Fisher. It was conceived as a sequel to Dracula (1958) though neither nor Christopher Lee appear in the film.

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 is on his trail…

Credits

* = uncredited

Crew
Directed by: Terence Fisher
© MCMLX [1960] by Hotspur Films Ltd.
A Hammer Film production
Executive Producer: Michael Carreras
Produced by: Anthony Hinds
Associate Producer: Anthony Nelson Keys
Screenplay by: Jimmy Sangster, Peter Bryan, Edward Percy; Anthony Hinds *
Characters: Bram Stoker *
Director of Photography: Jack Asher
Supervising Editor: James Needs
Editor: Alfred Cox
Music Composed by: Malcolm Williamson
Sound Recordist: Jock May
Wardrobe Mistress: Molly Arbuthnot
Make-up Artist: Roy Ashton
Hair Stylist: Freda Steiger
Special Effects: Sydney Pearson
Production Designer: Bernard Robinson
Produced at: Bray Studios, Berkshire, England, UK
Locations: Black Park, England, UK; Oakley Court, England, UK

Cast
Peter Cushing (Van Helsing)
Freda Jackson (Greta)
Martita Hunt (Baroness Meinster)
Yvonne Monlaur (Marianne)
Miles Malleson (Dr Tobler)
Henry Oscar (Lang)
David Peel (Baron Meinster)
Victor Brooks (Hans)
Mona Washbourne (Frau Lang)
Michael Ripper (coachman)
Andree Melly (Gina)
Fred Johnson (curé [Father Stepnik])
Norman Pierce (landlord)
Vera Cook (landlord's wife)
Marie Deveruex (village girl)
Susan Castle [maid] *
Michael Mulcaster [man in black (Latour)] *
Harry Pringle [Jacques] *
Harold Scott [Severin] *

Cast Gallery

Peter Cushing as Van Helsing
Freda Jackson as Greta
Martita Hunt as Baroness Meinster
Yvonne Monlaur as Marianne
Miles Malleson as Dr Tobler
Henry Oscar as Lang
David Peel as Baron Meinster
Victor Brooks as Hans
Mona Washbourne as Frau Lang
Michael Ripper as coachman
Andree Melly as Gina
Fred Johnson as curé [Father Stepnik]
Norman Pierce as landlord
Vera Cook as landlord's wife
Marie Deveruex (real name: Marie Devereux) as village girl

Alternative Titles

Dracula – blodtörstig vampyr – Sweden
Dracula und seine Bräute – West Germany
I ekdikisis tou Drakoula – Greece
O exorkistis tou Drakoula – Greece (re-release)
Les Maitresses de Dracula – Belgium, France
De minnaressen van Dracula – Belgium
As Noivas de Drácula – Brazil, Portugal
Las novias de Dracula – Argentina, Spain
Le spose di Dracula – Italy

Links

Sequel to
Dracula (1958)


Dracula Prince of Darkness (1966)
Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968)
Taste the Blood of Dracula (1969)
Scars of Dracula (1970)
Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972)
The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973)
The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires (1974)

Extracts included in
Coming Soon (1982)
The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
Peter Cushing: A One-Way Ticket to Hollywood (1989)
The World of Hammer: Dracula & the Undead (1994)
The World of Hammer: Hammer Stars: Peter Cushing (1994)
The World of Hammer: Vamp (1994)

Press

Josh Billings of Kine Weekly 1Kine Weekly vol.518 no.2753 (7 July 1960) p.19 praised the film's “intriguing and meaty plot” and has special praise for Martita Hunt who “dies too much too soon [and] is easily the most impressive as the Baroness. She definitely has the grand manner.” He also noted that “the sentimental touches are agreeable and the humour welcome, but nothing is permitted to detract from its morally sound pyrotechnic finale.”

References

Periodicals

  • The Aurum Film Encyclopedia: Horror by Phil Hardy (ed.) p.129 – illustrated credits, review
  • The Daily Cinema no.8327 (4 July 1960) p.4 – review
  • Dark Terrors No.10 (June 1995) pp.26-43 – illustrated credits, interview, article
  • Dark Terrors no.11 p.47 – article
  • Euro Gothic: Classics of Continental Horror Cinema by Jonathan Rigby pp.88, 96, 101, 105, 109, 111, 191, 339, 340, 354
  • Flesh and Blood no.2 pp.4-5 – credits, review
  • Gothique no.9 (October 1969) pp.4-8 – illustrated article (Back to Nosferatu! by John Ramsey Campbell)
  • The Hollywood Reporter vol.160 no.30 (13 June 1960) p.3 – credits, review
  • The House That Hammer Built no.3 (June 1997) pp.119-130 – illustrated credits, transcript, review
  • Kine Weekly vol.517 no.2752 (30 June 1960) p.26 – note (Trade shows)
  • Kine Weekly vol.518 no.2753 (7 July 1960) pp.17; 19 – note (Hammer planning nine off-beat films a year); review (by Josh Billings)
  • Midi-Minuit Fantastique no.4/5 (January 1963) p.157 – review
  • Monthly Film Bulletin vol.27 no.319 (August 1960) p.111 – credits, synopsis, review
  • Motion Picture Herald vol.219 no.8 (21 May 1960) p.700 – credits, review
  • Necronomicon no.1 p.7 – review
  • Shivers no.52 p.6 – note
  • Shivers no.53 p.54 – review
  • Variety 18 May 1960 – review (by Holl)
  • Video Watchdog no.14 p.8 – review

Books

  • The Aurum Film Encyclopedia: Horror (2nd edition) by Phil Hardy (ed.) p.129 – credits, review
  • The Charm of Evil: The Life and Films of Terence Fisher by Wheeler Winston Dixon pp.46, 220, 325-332; 523-525 – notes; credits
  • Count Dracula Goes to the Movies: Stoker's Novel Adapted (3rd Edition) by Lyndon W. Joslin pp.191-200
  • A Critical Guide to Horror Film Series by Ken Hanke pp.198-199; 204
  • Dracula in Visual Media: Film, Television, Comic Book and Electronic Game Appearances, 1921-2010 by John Edgar Browning and Caroline Joan (Kay) Picart pp.39-41
  • English Gothic by Jonathan Rigby pp.64, 77, 80-82, 83, 87, 96, 101, 145, 151, 167 – illustrated notes, review
  • Feature Films, 1960-1969: A Filmography of English-language and Major Foreign-language United States Releases by Harris M. Lentz III p.49
  • Hammer Complete: The Films, the Personnel, the Company by Howard Maxford pp.75-79 – illustrated credits, synopsis, review
  • The Hammer Story by Marcus Hearn and Alan Barnes pp.176-177 – credits
  • Hoffman's Guide to SF, Horror and Fantasy Movies 1991-1992 p.57 – credits, review
  • Horrorshows: The A-Z of Horror in Film, TV, Radio and Theatre by Gene Wright p.171 – credits, review
  • The Illustrated Vampire Movie Guide by Stephen Jones p.44 – credits, review
  • by Walt Lee p.48 – credits
  • Peter Cushing: The Gentle Man of Horror and His 91 Films by Deborah Del Vecchio and Tom Johnson pp.130-136
  • Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Film Sequels, Series, and by Kim R. Holston and Tom Winchester p.139-140
  • The Shrieking Sixties by Darrel Buxton (ed.) pp.11-12 – illustrated review
  • Sixties Shockers by Mark Clark and Bryan Senn pp.84-85
  • Terence Fisher by Peter Hutchings pp.82, 83, 110-113, 115, 125, 130, 134, 135, 139, 140 – notes
  • Terence Fisher: Horror, Myth and Religion by Paul Leggett pp.56-64, 118, 174, 177, 185 – notes
  • Terror Tracks: Music, Sound and Horror Cinema by Philip Hayward (ed) p.61
  • Uneasy Dreams: The Golden Age of British Horror Films, 1956-1976 by Gary A. Smith pp.43

Related posts:

Dracula (1958) The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972)