This review is for
the Blu-Ray version of the Collector's Edition of 'Dracula: Prince of
Darkness' released by Shout! Factory in December, 2018.
I'm giving this release 4 stars. I'm not penalizing this edition a star for anything negative. I'm not giving it 5 stars simply because I have seen better Collector's editions released. Therefore it is possible to do better.
BLU-RAY: The picture is quite good as would be expected from a 4K scan. It has no visible imperfections and looks excellent on my 50 inch television but does not look quite as good on my 65 inch television. On the larger screen the picture looks a bit soft at times and the colors aren't as vibrant. But overall I am pleased with the picture.
There are two versions of the movie, the U.S. version and the U.K. version. The two versions are very similar. I believe the U.K. version cuts out the scene with blood squirting after Barbara Shelley is staked.
The movie is shown in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio.
EXTRA'S: The extra's are plentiful as would be expected from a 'Collector's Edition' Blu-Ray release.
You get: -A reversible sleeve for your Blu-Ray case. I prefer the default one shown. The reverse sleeve is black and white with orange tinting. -'Back to Black' The Making of Dracula Prince of Darkness - This is 30 minutes long and is pretty good. It is a more recent documentary and you get interviews with Barbara Shelley and Francis Matthews among others. They give their thoughts on the movie and it's influence up till the current day. -World of Hammer episode 'Dracula and the Undead' - This is an episode from the series that has also appeared on previous releases of 'Hammer Productions'. -Audio Commentary with Author Troy Howarth. I listened to most of this commentary track. -Audio Commentary with Christopher Lee, Suzan Farmer, Francis Matthews and Barbara Shelley. I did not listen to this commentary as of the time of this review. I intend to do so in the future. -Behind the Scenes footage - This is about 6 minutes of home video footage shot by Francis Matthews' brother. -Theatrical Trailers - You get 3 different versions of Dracula: Prince of Darkness trailers. -Poster Gallery -Stills Gallery
PLOT/SUMMARY: The movie opens with a funeral service for a woman who has been accused of being a vampire. Father Sandor stops the funeral and orders the locals to bury the woman in consecrated ground. The locals still fear vampires despite the fact that Dracula was killed years before. The Kents are travelling on vacation through Europe and encounter Father Sandor in an inn. The Kents are on the way visit Karlsbad and Father Sandor warns them to stay away from there, especially the castle. The castle does not appear on any map.
While travelling, the coachmen for the Kents leave them alone on a road near Karlsbad because he refuses to travel there in the evening. Shortly thereafter, a driverless carriage suddenly appears and stops near the group. They decide to hop on and not look a gift horse in the mouth. The carriage, will not let them take control and brings them to a castle. They enter and find dinner waiting for them. Shortly thereafter Klove, a manservant, appears and tells them that the owner left orders for the castle to welcome all strangers.
During the evening, Alan Kent, goes exploring after his wife, Helen(Barbar Shelley), asks him to go find the source of a disturbance. Alan comes across a coffin and is killed by Klove. Klove mixes his blood with Dracula's ashes and Dracula is reborn. Later that evening, Klove tricks Helen into coming to Dracula's crypt. Helen becomes a vampire.
In the morning, Charles (Francis Matthews) and Diana can find nobody. It appears as ifeveryone has left. The two leave the castle and Charles leaves Diana alone by an abandoned hut while he returns to the castle. Klove appears at the hut and tells her that Charles has sent for her.
Meanwhile, Charles finds the remains of Alan at the castle. Diana returns to the castle where she encounters Helen. Helen attacks Diana but Dracula intervenes. Diana is wearing a crucifix and Charles, who has entered the room makes a makeshift cross to keep the vampires at bay. They escape in a carriage but the carriage crashes. Fortunately for them, Father Sandor finds them and brings them to his monastery.
Dracula is unrelenting in his pursuit of Diana. It's up to Father Sandor and Charles to stop Dracula, Helen and Klove.
PRODUCTION: Dracula: Prince of Darkness was released in 1966 (filmed in 1965). It was the second of 7 Dracula movies featuring Christopher Lee in the feature role. The first movie, 'Horror of Dracula' had been released in 1958. -This movies was released as part of a double featuer with 'Plague of Zombies' in most markets. -The great Terence Fisher would direct. Jimmy Sangster, the writer, was unsatisfied with this movie and was credited as Jimmy Sansom. -The main sets of this movie were also used by 'Plague of Zombies', 'Rasputin, The Mad Monk', and 'The Reptile'. -Dracula: Prince of Darkness was shot back to back with the same sets as 'Rasputin, the Mad Monk'. At this time 'Hammer' had decided to use the same sets for multiple movies as a cost cutting measure. They would then combine movies which used different sets for double features for the obvious reason that audiences would recognize the sets if movies using the same sets were combined on a double bill. -Andrew Keir, who plays Father Sandor, would go on to play his most memorable role for 'Hammer' in the sci-fi classic 'Quatermass and the Pit'. -Francis Matthews thought his acting was terrible in the scene where he is told of Alan's death. He felt that saying nothing at the time would have been much more preferable to his spoken lines. In contrast, Barbara Shelley loves her acting when she is about to be staked. -In the origal script (then called 'The Revenge of Dracula') Alan's head is placed on the trunk of his body. His face would have been fixed in a gruesome smile.
WHY DOESN'T DRACULA SPEAK IN THIS MOVIE?: Christopher Lee as Dracula, famously has no lines of dialogue in this movie. This has been the subject of much debate. Lee claims he disliked the movie so much that he refused to speak any lines. Jimmy Sangster, the writer, says that he did not write any dialogue for Dracula in this movie. Sangster said that you can take your pick as to why Lee has no lines of dialogue. He said that you can take his word for it or believe Lee. Lee had been known for mis-remembering certain details of his life.
Sangster said that vampires aren't 'chatty'. I think a better reason was that Dracula had just died and had been effectively reborn. Therefore he may not have had all of his wits and perhaps had lost some if not all of his memories. It might be reasonable to assume that he had not quite 'learned' to speak yet.
Hammer claimed that no dialogue was necessary as Dracula was 'the embodiment of evil'.
COMMENTS: -In the extra's, this movie is called the most defining 'Hammer Horror' movie. It has many of the elements of a typical 'Hammer' movie. It has English characters in a central European location, a coachman who abandons the protagonists, a hint of lesbianism, a castle on the hill, a manservant who is loyal and not least of all, Christopher Lee as Dracula. -The weather outside was inconsistent. At times the weather was depicted as below freezing and at other times the weather appeared very mild. For instance, the lake is shown as unfrozen but then later on we see water that is completely frozen around Dracula's castle. I suppose this is possible but it is a minor quibble in any event. -As I've stated in other Dracula reviews, we need some rules for crosses. I don't like the ease in which crosses are made and image of a cross appears virtually everywhere. -I absolutely hate the 'running water' device as a method to kill Dracula. I mean really, water! Is Dracula related to the 'Wicked Witch of the West'? I'm still confused as to whether the water is actually running or does any water kill Dracula. It appears as if the water used in this movie is in a moat. But I can be mistaken. If it is in a moat then it is not 'running'. -Charles and Diana, a married couple, are amazingly enough, the names of the two main protagonists! -The scene with Alan Kent being cut open must have been pretty shocking it it's day.
CONCLUSIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS: Overall I'm giving this release 4 stars. The plot gets 4 stars. It is good but not excellent. I don't like the fact that Dracula does not speak. Peter Cushing's absence as Van Helsing is noticeable but does not make this a much less desirable movie. Andrew Keir as Father Sandor is decent enough. Collector's edition's tend to give you a lot of extra's. This release has a nice assortment of extra's but is a bit light on the 'meaty' extra's that you normally get. If this were a standard edition the extra's would be 5 stars but on an extra cost special edition I'm going to give them 4 stars. If this release had been priced at $20 or under at the time of release, I would have given it 5 stars.
This is the best release for this movie to date in the United States.
Highly Recommended for fans of this movie and 'Hammer' Dracula movies. Recommended for fans of 1960's horror movies
I'm giving this release 4 stars. I'm not penalizing this edition a star for anything negative. I'm not giving it 5 stars simply because I have seen better Collector's editions released. Therefore it is possible to do better.
BLU-RAY: The picture is quite good as would be expected from a 4K scan. It has no visible imperfections and looks excellent on my 50 inch television but does not look quite as good on my 65 inch television. On the larger screen the picture looks a bit soft at times and the colors aren't as vibrant. But overall I am pleased with the picture.
There are two versions of the movie, the U.S. version and the U.K. version. The two versions are very similar. I believe the U.K. version cuts out the scene with blood squirting after Barbara Shelley is staked.
The movie is shown in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio.
EXTRA'S: The extra's are plentiful as would be expected from a 'Collector's Edition' Blu-Ray release.
You get: -A reversible sleeve for your Blu-Ray case. I prefer the default one shown. The reverse sleeve is black and white with orange tinting. -'Back to Black' The Making of Dracula Prince of Darkness - This is 30 minutes long and is pretty good. It is a more recent documentary and you get interviews with Barbara Shelley and Francis Matthews among others. They give their thoughts on the movie and it's influence up till the current day. -World of Hammer episode 'Dracula and the Undead' - This is an episode from the series that has also appeared on previous releases of 'Hammer Productions'. -Audio Commentary with Author Troy Howarth. I listened to most of this commentary track. -Audio Commentary with Christopher Lee, Suzan Farmer, Francis Matthews and Barbara Shelley. I did not listen to this commentary as of the time of this review. I intend to do so in the future. -Behind the Scenes footage - This is about 6 minutes of home video footage shot by Francis Matthews' brother. -Theatrical Trailers - You get 3 different versions of Dracula: Prince of Darkness trailers. -Poster Gallery -Stills Gallery
PLOT/SUMMARY: The movie opens with a funeral service for a woman who has been accused of being a vampire. Father Sandor stops the funeral and orders the locals to bury the woman in consecrated ground. The locals still fear vampires despite the fact that Dracula was killed years before. The Kents are travelling on vacation through Europe and encounter Father Sandor in an inn. The Kents are on the way visit Karlsbad and Father Sandor warns them to stay away from there, especially the castle. The castle does not appear on any map.
While travelling, the coachmen for the Kents leave them alone on a road near Karlsbad because he refuses to travel there in the evening. Shortly thereafter, a driverless carriage suddenly appears and stops near the group. They decide to hop on and not look a gift horse in the mouth. The carriage, will not let them take control and brings them to a castle. They enter and find dinner waiting for them. Shortly thereafter Klove, a manservant, appears and tells them that the owner left orders for the castle to welcome all strangers.
During the evening, Alan Kent, goes exploring after his wife, Helen(Barbar Shelley), asks him to go find the source of a disturbance. Alan comes across a coffin and is killed by Klove. Klove mixes his blood with Dracula's ashes and Dracula is reborn. Later that evening, Klove tricks Helen into coming to Dracula's crypt. Helen becomes a vampire.
In the morning, Charles (Francis Matthews) and Diana can find nobody. It appears as ifeveryone has left. The two leave the castle and Charles leaves Diana alone by an abandoned hut while he returns to the castle. Klove appears at the hut and tells her that Charles has sent for her.
Meanwhile, Charles finds the remains of Alan at the castle. Diana returns to the castle where she encounters Helen. Helen attacks Diana but Dracula intervenes. Diana is wearing a crucifix and Charles, who has entered the room makes a makeshift cross to keep the vampires at bay. They escape in a carriage but the carriage crashes. Fortunately for them, Father Sandor finds them and brings them to his monastery.
Dracula is unrelenting in his pursuit of Diana. It's up to Father Sandor and Charles to stop Dracula, Helen and Klove.
PRODUCTION: Dracula: Prince of Darkness was released in 1966 (filmed in 1965). It was the second of 7 Dracula movies featuring Christopher Lee in the feature role. The first movie, 'Horror of Dracula' had been released in 1958. -This movies was released as part of a double featuer with 'Plague of Zombies' in most markets. -The great Terence Fisher would direct. Jimmy Sangster, the writer, was unsatisfied with this movie and was credited as Jimmy Sansom. -The main sets of this movie were also used by 'Plague of Zombies', 'Rasputin, The Mad Monk', and 'The Reptile'. -Dracula: Prince of Darkness was shot back to back with the same sets as 'Rasputin, the Mad Monk'. At this time 'Hammer' had decided to use the same sets for multiple movies as a cost cutting measure. They would then combine movies which used different sets for double features for the obvious reason that audiences would recognize the sets if movies using the same sets were combined on a double bill. -Andrew Keir, who plays Father Sandor, would go on to play his most memorable role for 'Hammer' in the sci-fi classic 'Quatermass and the Pit'. -Francis Matthews thought his acting was terrible in the scene where he is told of Alan's death. He felt that saying nothing at the time would have been much more preferable to his spoken lines. In contrast, Barbara Shelley loves her acting when she is about to be staked. -In the origal script (then called 'The Revenge of Dracula') Alan's head is placed on the trunk of his body. His face would have been fixed in a gruesome smile.
WHY DOESN'T DRACULA SPEAK IN THIS MOVIE?: Christopher Lee as Dracula, famously has no lines of dialogue in this movie. This has been the subject of much debate. Lee claims he disliked the movie so much that he refused to speak any lines. Jimmy Sangster, the writer, says that he did not write any dialogue for Dracula in this movie. Sangster said that you can take your pick as to why Lee has no lines of dialogue. He said that you can take his word for it or believe Lee. Lee had been known for mis-remembering certain details of his life.
Sangster said that vampires aren't 'chatty'. I think a better reason was that Dracula had just died and had been effectively reborn. Therefore he may not have had all of his wits and perhaps had lost some if not all of his memories. It might be reasonable to assume that he had not quite 'learned' to speak yet.
Hammer claimed that no dialogue was necessary as Dracula was 'the embodiment of evil'.
COMMENTS: -In the extra's, this movie is called the most defining 'Hammer Horror' movie. It has many of the elements of a typical 'Hammer' movie. It has English characters in a central European location, a coachman who abandons the protagonists, a hint of lesbianism, a castle on the hill, a manservant who is loyal and not least of all, Christopher Lee as Dracula. -The weather outside was inconsistent. At times the weather was depicted as below freezing and at other times the weather appeared very mild. For instance, the lake is shown as unfrozen but then later on we see water that is completely frozen around Dracula's castle. I suppose this is possible but it is a minor quibble in any event. -As I've stated in other Dracula reviews, we need some rules for crosses. I don't like the ease in which crosses are made and image of a cross appears virtually everywhere. -I absolutely hate the 'running water' device as a method to kill Dracula. I mean really, water! Is Dracula related to the 'Wicked Witch of the West'? I'm still confused as to whether the water is actually running or does any water kill Dracula. It appears as if the water used in this movie is in a moat. But I can be mistaken. If it is in a moat then it is not 'running'. -Charles and Diana, a married couple, are amazingly enough, the names of the two main protagonists! -The scene with Alan Kent being cut open must have been pretty shocking it it's day.
CONCLUSIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS: Overall I'm giving this release 4 stars. The plot gets 4 stars. It is good but not excellent. I don't like the fact that Dracula does not speak. Peter Cushing's absence as Van Helsing is noticeable but does not make this a much less desirable movie. Andrew Keir as Father Sandor is decent enough. Collector's edition's tend to give you a lot of extra's. This release has a nice assortment of extra's but is a bit light on the 'meaty' extra's that you normally get. If this were a standard edition the extra's would be 5 stars but on an extra cost special edition I'm going to give them 4 stars. If this release had been priced at $20 or under at the time of release, I would have given it 5 stars.
This is the best release for this movie to date in the United States.
Highly Recommended for fans of this movie and 'Hammer' Dracula movies. Recommended for fans of 1960's horror movies
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