Product Details

• Actors: Horst Janson, John Carson, Shane Briant, Caroline Munro, John Cater
• Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Paramount
• DVD Release Date: October 21, 2003
• Run Time: 91 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0000AUHOK
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #34,865 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Forget Van Helsing. "Captain Kronos" is the great swashbuckling vampire hunter. Hard-faced Horst Janson is the brooding Kronos, a rangy, sword-wielding soldier who hunts the vampire scourge with his jovial hunchbacked partner, Grost (John Cater), and his earthy peasant girl lover, hazelnut eyed beauty Caroline Munro. Director-writer Brian Clemens, who so entertainingly put genres in the blender on the TV series "The Avengers", imaginatively rewrites vampire lore from the film's haunting first scene: a shrouded, shadowy predator (looking more like death incarnate than a traditional vampire) drains a comely maiden of her very youth, leaving the girl an aged, wizened husk. Clemens lacks the budget and the cinematic snap to bring his visual ideas to full fruition, but his well-wrought characters, inspired ideas, and swashbuckling swordfights make this entertaining reinterpretation of the vampire movie a cult classic. "--Sean Axmaker"

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Begs for a sequel, January 8, 2001

By 

skytwo "skytwo" (Boston) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is certainly one of the most unorthodox and best of the Hammer films. While the title screams "cheese," it is in fact a well-plotted, confidently-directed film that was well ahead of its time (in light of the subsequent appearance of such films as "Vampire Hunter D" and "Blade"). It is also refreshingly low-key, making the most of atmosphere and an unusual premise, rather than cheap shocks. It may not be gory, and some of the effects certainly expose its low budget origins, but the sheer inventiveness of the film makes it worth seeking out. It's the little touches that make the film great, from the inspired score to the novel twists on vampire lore. And of course the unmistakable colors and sights of Hammer films. "Kronos" also stands up nicely to repeat viewings, something that can't be said for a lot of horror films. I suspect that the solidness of the character-- part Sabatini hero, part Peckinpah anti-hero-- has something to do with that. It's a shame that a sequel never materialised, but then again that means that we're spared the agony of seeing a brilliant character reduced to a one-liner spouting fast food tie-in.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A rather progressive undertaking..., December 30, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter (DVD)

Having already swam in rather innovative waters with DR. JEKYLL AND SISTER HYDE, the team of Brian Clemens and producer Albert Fennell (of TV's The Avengers fame) were again recruited by Hammer Films for a rather progressive undertaking. Clemens' creation of the character Captain Kronos was hoping to revitalize the company's vampire genre and at the same time generate a new series of films (rumors of a TV series also surfaced). But nothing could prevent the decline of Hammer, and CAPTAIN KRONOS: VAMPIRE HUNTER was box office doom due to poor distribution in the U.K. and lack of attention on its U.S. double-billing with FRANKENSTEIN AND THE MONSTER FROM HELL. It didn't help that the film sat on the shelf for a full two years after it was made.

Captain Kronos (played smoothly by German actor Horst Janson) is a 19th century war hero traveling across Europe with his brainy hunchback sidekick Professor Grost (John Cater from the "Dr. Phibes" films). Self-proclaimed vampire hunters, the duo befriend the wayward gypsy girl Carla (the stunning Caroline Munro) as they travel to the town of Kronos' old army pal Dr. Marcus (John Carson). The recent deaths of young girls--bitten on the lips by a hooded stranger and dying suddenly as aged women--are the reason for the visit, as Kronos confronts evil with sword in hand and Grost uses his vast knowledge of the subject to find answers. All evidence leans towards the Durwards, an aristocratic family amid a peasant village. The arrogant children (Shane Briant and Lois Daine) and their ambiguous mother (Wanda Ventham) prove mysterious indeed, but Kronos and his companions have their homework cut out for them before they discovery the true vampiric culprit(s).

Filmed mostly outdoors (the perpetually scenic Black Park location) with the usual budget constraints, CAPTAIN KRONOS: VAMPIRE HUNTER is by far Hammer's most unconventional and original vampire film. Directing for the first and only time to date, Brian Clemens' adds new twists and folklore to the proceedings, and the concept of a suave, swashbuckling vampire hunter allows for themes reminiscent of Westerns and even Japanese Samurai cinema. Don't let the R-rating (probably only given it to balance its gory co-feature) and the early 70s production date fool you: KRONOS ignores the bare bosoms and excessive bloodshed in favor of comic-style story telling, quirky dialog and eccentric characters. A very good cast nourishes these traits, and there's a memorable "guest star" shot by the late Ian Hendry as the lecherous Kerro. Although Captain Kronos never returned to the big or small screens, he did make a few illustrated appearances in the House of Hammer magazine in the late 70s.

A title that has been on demand (even by non Hammer diehards) for some time, Paramount has released CAPTAIN KRONOS on DVD in an anamorphically enhanced widescreen transfer, preserving the film's original 1.85:1 aspect ratio. Newly struck from the original materials, image detail is fairly sharp, with colors (although drab in some scenes) usually coming across as bright and vibrant. Black levels are deep and well defined, and fleshtones appear natural. Nothing drastic in the form of excessive grain or blemishes: this is an excellent, fresh-looking transfer of a 30-year-old film. The English mono audio is sufficient. Dialogue is clear and Laurie Johnson's vigorous score sounds full. Optional English subtitles are also included.

Although there's no trailer or other standard supplements, Paramount has thankfully included a commentary with director/co-producer/writer Clemens and star Munro, moderated by journalist Jonathan Sothcott. Recorded in England, the commentary benefits from Clemens' obvious enthusiasm for the project and the lead character he created (he still holds the rights to it). Clemens (who still owns the original Kronos "K" finger ring) is obviously proud of his accomplishment here, as he relays the kind of film he wanted to make as opposed to the usual Hammer outing, how he came to cast Horst Janson, the locations and sets, etc. The always charming Munro fondly recalls her first leading lady role, and obvious holds great affection for the film as well. Sothcott chimes in with good questions that will satiate Hammer fans, and the running conversation makes for a worthy look back at one of the company's later day glories.

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Only Man Alive Feared by the Walking Dead!, March 24, 2004

By 

cookieman108 "cookieman108®" (Inside the jar...) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter (DVD)

Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1974) aka Kronos is one of the better films to come from Hammer Studios in the 70's. It's basically a horror movie with a heaping helping of adventure thrown in and just a whole lot of fun.

Written and directed by Brian Clemens, the film stars German actor Horst Janson as Captain Kronos, a master of the sword and ex-solider, a freelance vampire killer, accompanied by the hunchbacked Professor Hieronymos Grost (John Cater), an authority on vampirism and good friend to Kronos. The film also stars the lovely and infinitely easy on the eyes Caroline Munro who appeared in others films like Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972), The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1974), and The Spy Who Loved Me (1977).

The film wastes no time on the horror aspect as we witness a young, comely woman in the woods attacked by a mysterious, cloaked stranger. The once young woman is now old and withered, due to having her youth literally drained from her person. A couple more attacks occur within the small English village, and this prompts Dr. Marcus (John Carson), the local physician, to contact his old friend, Captain Kronos. On the way to the village, Kronos and Grost meet Carla (Monroe), an errant peasant girl, whom they allow to tag along, probably because she's so hot. On arriving in the small village, Grost utilizes a unique vampire detection device to try and track the vile creature terrorizing the village, while Kronos has mad monkey love with Carla and rests for the upcoming battle. Meanwhile, the village loses a couple more young women, decreasing the overall population greatly as I didn't see a whole lot of townsfolk to begin with...The hunt is on as Kronos and Grost search for clues as to the identity and location of the vampire. Dr. Marcus may already have the answer to the mystery, but is not forthcoming due to personal reasons. Also, forces have begun to conspire against Kronos and his group, and our hero seems to be threatened from a number of sides. What drives the man to do what he does? His motivations are spelled out later in the film, and while pretty simple, they satisfy nicely. Will Captain Kronos discover the identity of the evil that plagues the village before he succumbs to it himself? What secret does Dr. Marcus harbor? Do we get to see Caroline Munro in the raw? Watch the movie and find out...

I really enjoyed a number of elements within this film. The notion that there are actually different types of vampires, and different methods of dispatch for each was a nice touch. Also, Janson really provided a wonderful performance as the sort of swashbuckling hero, one with no fear, and an eagerness to perform his self define task of ridding the lands of the scourge of vampirism. I also liked that his friend and maybe even mentor, the hunchbacked Professor Grost was actually presented as a highly intelligent individual, capable of assisting his friend in their exploits with the undead. The swordplay within the movie was a whole lot of fun, but I was a bit perplexed with scenes where Kronos would jam his swords into the ground, or use them to dig in the dirt. I know little of swords, but I would have thought a master swordsman would take more care with his weapons, not using them in such fashion for fear of dulling or nicking the blades. Oh well, a minor nuance that struck me as strange. The whole mystery element as to who is the vampire is played for all it's worth, and there are obtuse clues sprinkled throughout the story that may help the viewer uncover this on their own.

The print provided by Paramount looks excellent and there is a commentary track available including genre historian Jonathan Sothcott, filmmaker Brian Clemens and actress Caroline Munro. Kronos is swashbuckling action, Hammer style, and well worth looking into whether you're a fan of horror, action, or both.

Cookieman108