Customer Reviews

Brides of Dracula [VHS]

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4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Transylvania. Land of dark forests and fathomless lakes. Dracula, monarch of the vampires, is dead. Yeah, right. Around Castle Meinster villagers fear that the undead walk among them. In this first sequel to "Horror of Dracula," both Dracula and Christopher Lee are conspicuous by their absence. The action centers on Van Helsing (Peter Cushing) as he battles the effeminate Baron Meinster (David Peel) and his minions. Freda Jackson steals the show as Greta, the insane familiar of the vampire. Picture a female Renfield. She screechingly implores a recently buried victim to rise from the grave. This resurrection scene is a definite high point as the pale hand gropes upward through the dirt. Van Helsing stakes the old Baroness Meinster to a couch after the young Baron corrupts her with the vampire's kiss. Mother love, indeed. Van Helsing is more physical than intellectual in this flick. At one point, he jumps into thin air and catches the handhold of a giant windmill blade. Using his body weight, he drags the great blades into just the right position, and the full moon casts a giant, cross-shaped shadow. In addition, after Meinster bites Van Helsing on the neck, one of the the greatest scenes in vampire cinema ensues. Van Helsing's self-cure is of searing heat and cooling holy water. The viewer can only stay silent before this powerful visual image. The usual Hammer lush color photography, plunging necklines, and diaphanous gowns are present. David Peel lacks Christopher Lee's towering image of unholy lust, but there is enough to like about the movie to make ownership worthwhile. A must for classic horror fans. ;-)

Despite the fact that "Dracula" doesn't actually appear in "Brides of Dracula", this film is still one of the best of Hammer's vampire movies.

It's got everything that one falls in love with when it comes to Hammer horror: Great gothic atmosphere, wonderful period sets and costumes, and of course a great story to complement it all.

The plot is fairly simple in this one: The countess has her son chained up in his bedroom. A fair maiden visiting the castle see him and unwittingly sets him loose. He wreaks havoc in the village, turning maidens into vampires. Naturally, when vampires attack Dr. Van Helsing can't be far behind-and Peter Cushing plays him to utter perfection.

"Brides of Dracula" is definitly the most unusual of the Hammer "Dracula" series-but it certainly stands out as one of their best. Fans of gothic horror will no doubt be pleased. END

Although the plot has holes in it (three credited writers, including Jimmy Sangers-who wrote the original script-Peter Bryan, Edward Percy, and uncredited Anthony Hinds as well as some rewriting by Fisher and Cushing), "Brides of Dracula" still has marvelous acting from Peter Cushing and most of the cast and a number of strong set pieces created by Terry Fisher. It's a worthy sequel to "Horror of Dracula" and probably should have been called "Van Helsing: Vampire Killer" vs. "Brides of Dracula" since Dracula is no where to be found. A young French school teacher inadvertantly releases Baron Meinster (David Peel) from his castle prison when she stays at the Meinster home. The Baron proceeds to wreck havoc on the local village. Dr. Van Helsing (Cushing) shows up just in time to do battle with Meinster and is, himself, bit by a vampire. Van Helsing must cleanse himself in one of the most harrowing and brilliant sequences in the film.

The DVD won't feature any extras nor will you find it under it's title here at amazon.com. Instead, you'll find it under "Phantom of the Opera" as it is being bundled with that film (as well as the classic Fisher film "Curse of the Werewolf", "Paranoic", Cushing's marvelous "Captain Clegg" and "Kiss of the Vampire"). I've listed the ASIN code as well as the website address for the title below.

I can only hope that Universal does a solid job in the transfer as this is being released as a two disc dual sided dual layered budget release (it lists for $29.99). Evidently it's also being released in the UK although I don't know if it is going to be released as part of a pack of Hammer movies like the US release.


ASIN:B0009X770O

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0009X770O/ref=cm_aya_asin.title/103-7994494-6895042?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance

Peter Cushing's performace as the very serious, but incredibly brave Dr. Van Helsing has never been surpassed by any other actor. Indeed, this Hammer Horror seems to be more centered on him and his Church sanctioned quest to find and destroy the vampires, than the vampires themselves. And yet-it works. And works well. He keeps cool in the face of danger, and his character finds an excellent balance between a factual scientist and a believer in God. Such a sight is both refreashing and an inspiration. See anytime. But I recommend that you wait till October when that Halloween atmosphere is ideal for such a movie.

Note: Don't be fooled by the title; this has nothing to do with Hammer's first Dracula outing (or any other for that matter), besides the presense of Van Helsing.

This is one of the most incredibly (and surprisingly) entertaining vampire movies I've ever seen. While not really scary, it does have some pretty exciting sequences, especially the ending! The plot has a young student accidentally releasing a vampire from its imprisonment, despite warnings from the vampire's mother to not go anywhere near it. Now, it's up to Abraham Van Helsing, vampire killer expert, to stop the fiend from turning all of England into the undead!

The center vampire is certainly no Christopher Lee (who is the ultimate screen vampire), but he's good enough. Peter Cushing more than makes up for Lee's absense; he once again totally lights up the screen as the dashing Van Helsing, and once again defines himself as THE vampire hunter. Excellent direction by Terence Fisher (my personal favorite of the Hammer directors), who captures both an eery atmosphere and a rollicking sense of fun. These two things, some awesome sets, and lots of sexy vampire babes make this Hammer flick one helluva good time!

Be sure to check out these other fantastic Terence Fisher films:
- "The Curse of Frankenstein"
- "Horror of Dracula"
- "The Mummy"
- "The Curse of the Werewolf"
- "Dracula-Prince of Darkness"
- "The Hound of the Baskervilles"
- "The Phantom of the Opera"
- "Revenge of Frankenstein"

As well as these other great Hammer flicks:
- "The Abominable Snowman"
- "The Plague of the Zombies"

Despite the title, there is no Dracula in this film, but instead we have a vampire named Baron Meinster. The Baron gets a young French girl to release him from the shackles his mother has put him in. The Baron begins taking young women and has plans to take the French girl, but Professor Van Helsing arrives and begins to realize what is going on and he tries to stop Meinster. The film is solid all the way through, good story and credible acting. David Peel does a fine job as the slick, but evil vampire and whoever did his make-up should be commended. Peter Cushing delivers a grand performance as Van Helsing, Horror of Dracula is a better film, but I think this is Cushing's best portrayl as the vampire hunter. This is also a beautiful film with all the lush, vibrant sets and costumes that Hammer often had. Unlike some of the Hammer Dracula films, this one does have a satisfying ending that seems more planned than rushed. This one is certainly worth buying.

Director Terence Fisher and screenwriters Jimmy Sangster, Edward Percy, and Peter Bryan have created a nifty Dracula film - without Dracula! It seems like the destruction of Count Dracula at the finale of "Horror of Dracula" (1958) was TOO destructive. The Count wouldn't be revived until "Dracula, Prince of Darkness" in 1965. However, he left behind some very nasty disciples. David Peel plays Baron Meinster, a handsome young man who is chained to wall in an isolated section of the castle by his mother, the Baroness (Martita Hunt). A young French girl (Yvonne Monlaur) is taken to the castle by the Baroness who says she longs for the company of intelligent young ladies. It is up to the stalwart and resourceful Dr. Van Helsing (Peter Cushing) to destroy the vampire colony before it spreads to all of Europe. Not quite the classic that was "Horror of Dracula," but a tidy mystery thriller helped by many of the same talented filmmakers who started Hammer's horror cycle starting in 1957. A must-see for all vampire fans.

This is one of the best vampire movies I have ever seen. It is so well written, directed, and acted that the absence of Christopher Lee as Dracula doesn't detract from the film at all! Peter Cushing is nothing short of magnificent in his role as Van Helsing. In fact, I think this movie may have been his greatest performance ever. The actress who plays the servant at the castle is also great. Her scenes as the insane servant of the vampire are so good that I can only compare them to Dwight Frye's performance as Renfeld in the original Dracula starring Bela Lugosi. The sets in this movie are breathtaking, and the action scenes are riveting. There is not a dull moment in this one! This is Hammer at its best. See it now!

Update: If you haven't gotten it yet, you must get Univeral's boxset The Hammer Collection, which includes a beautiful, anamorphic widescreen transfer of Brides of Dracula. It also include five other Hammer horror/thriller movies.

I'm disapointed when a movie that I consider a gem like this one takes a beating about script development. Yes, there are problems with the script. But somehow it all works on the screen, due no doubt to the direction of Terrance Fisher and Peter Cushing's superb performance.

I'm still mesmerized by the sheer fun and beauty of this movie. It is a fast-pasted vampire-hunter film, with the best vampire hunter ever in the top role as Van Helsing. Peter Cushing makes this role his own, giving it the athletic energy and grace, as well as the heroic mania and intelectualism it had needed for years. This is no tired, stodgy bookworm fighting vampires. This is a guy who can think on his feet and act under the most dire circumstances.

Yes, it's a shame that Christopher Lee chose not to partake in this movie, but the story still holds up with David Peel in the lead vampire role. He is not the darkly masculine image that Lee portrayed in "The Horror of Dracula", but a fair-haired insidious "sneak", that sweet talks his female victims until they are caught off guard and devoured.

The photography is breathtaking. This film really deserves a dvd release, for those of us who love it. It is a tribute to Terrance Fisher that he was able to wrangle it all together, bad script or not, into one fun horror film.

A young Parisian girl on her way to a girls' school in Transylvania falls in love at first sight with the Byronic Baron Meinster. Releasing him from his mother's bondage (literally), young Marianne learns too late her newfound Prince Charming is one of Count Dracula's undead apostles. Soon bloody terror reigns in Transylvania, and only Dr. Van Helsing can put an end to the nightmare and free Marianne from the vampire's curse.

After Horror of Dracula, Brides of Dracula is probably Hammer's most renowned vampire opus, and rightly so. Though often justly maligned for an undeniably muddled script, Brides of Dracula maintains just enough of a script to give life to its nightmarish fairy tale. Indeed, Brides of Dracula is in many ways even better than its monumental predecessor. The sets are sumptuous, the cinematography gorgeous, the music eerie, the actors and acresses well-adapted to Hammer's gothic formula. The only thing that keeps Bride of Dracula from being the definitive vampire film is the absence of Christopher Lee, who might as well have signed on for the picture since he ended up being typecast as Dracula later on anyway.

But if David Peel isn't Christopher Lee, he's still a solid master vampire in his own right. Titian-haired Yvonne Monlaur is a typically ravishing Hammer heroine, and Martia Hunt is a gloriously haughty, wicked, yet sympathetic Baroness Meinster. Naturally, Peter Cushing dominates all as the unsurpassed Van Helsing, still the gallant vampire hunter and perhaps even better realized here than in Horror of Dracula.

A captivating movie from beginning to end, Brides of Dracula is a highly original entry in the vampire sub-genre that delivers many of the formula's most memorable moments: the Baron's crazed old nurse calling up one of Meinster's "girlfriends" from her freshly-dug grave; the Baron's Mother, newly vampirized, fighting in vain to disguise her new fangs from the intrepid Van Helsing; and of course Van Helsing's thrilling fight to the finish with the wicked Baron, even more exciting than the climax of Horror of Dracula...and this time Van Helsing can't escape the vampire's bite.

Despite the confused script, Brides of Dracula is a classic horror movie and perhaps the best of Hammer's glorious stable. It might not be the most polished movie, but it is good scary fun.