The Brides of Dracula (1960)

Director:

Terence Fisher

Writers:

Peter Bryan (screenplay)
Edward Percy (screenplay)

Release Date:

5 septiembre 1960 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Frase comercial:

He Turned Innocent Beauty Into Unspeakable Horror.

Plot:

Vampire hunter Van Helsing returns to Transylvania to destroy handsome bloodsucker Baron Meinster, who has designs on beautiful young schoolteacher Marianne.

Plot Keywords:

Sequel | Vampire | Castle | Vampire Bat | Boarding School

Comentarios de los usuarios:

Terrific Non-Christopher Lee HAMMER Dracula

Cast

Peter Cushing	...	Dr. J. Van Helsing
Martita Hunt	...	Baroness Meinster
Yvonne Monlaur	...	Marianne Danielle
Freda Jackson	...	Greta
David Peel	...	Baron Meinster
Miles Malleson	...	Dr. Tobler
Henry Oscar	...	Herr Otto Lang
Mona Washbourne	...	Frau Helga Lang
Andree Melly	...	Gina
Victor Brooks	...	Hans, a Villager
Fred Johnson	...	The Cure, Father Stepnik
Michael Ripper	...	Coachman
Norman Pierce	...	Johann, Landlord
Vera Cook	...	Landlord's Wife
Marie Devereux	...	Village Girl (as Marie Deveruex)

También conocida como:

Novias de Drácula, Las (Argentina) (Spain) [es]

Duración:

85 min

País:

UK

Idioma:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sonido:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Clasificación:

Netherlands:12 | Norway:16 (1960) | Argentina:16 | Australia:PG | Finland:(Banned) (1960) | Portugal:17 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Black Park, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

Hammer Film Productions

Trivialidades:

The ending was to have originally had the vampires destroyed by a swarm of bats. This ending proved too expensive to stage and shoot. The concept of this ending was recycled three years later for the climax of Hammer's _Kiss of the Vampire (1963)_ .

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: In many scenes involving Baron Meinster in bat form, the strings holding up the prop bat are clearly visible.

Quotes:

Baroness Meinster: Who is it that is not afraid?
Dr. J. Van Helsing: Only God has no fear?
Baroness Meinster: Why have you come here?
Dr. J. Van Helsing: To find your son.
Baroness Meinster: Then you know who I am?
Dr. J. Van Helsing: I know who you were.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Follow Me! (1972)

Terrific Non-Christopher Lee HAMMER Dracula

Certainly, one of the oddest successes for Hammer. Determined to make a sequel to HORROR OF Dracula, but with a lead character turned to dust and an actor refusing to be 'typecast' (Christopher Lee), the film still manages to be one of the best "Dracula" films (as well as one of Hammer's of the era).

Set up with a narrated prologue (sublimely eerie photography) that explains that Dracula has left a 'cult' legacy behind, BRIDES picks up with a gorgeous French woman (Yvonne Monlaur) who is passing thru (does one pass thru Transylvania??). From there she meets a Baroness (Martita Hunt) who takes her in for the night. That night the young woman unwittingly lets loose her son the Baron (David Peel). Peel is, of course, a Vampire. It's at this point that Dr. Van Helsing (Peter Cushing) enters the scene and so the story is set up.

BRIDES OF Dracula has two main points of interest. First, the truly creepy Oedipel relationship of the Baron and his Mother (if one thinks about it, the Mother is one of the title 'Brides' - someone call Dr.Freud!). There is also the overly protective Housekeeper (Freda Jackson) who thoroughly abets The Baron and his Brides upon his 'release'. Second, there's Peter Cushing's magnificent performance as Van Helsing. In only his second time out in the role, he thoroughly owns it - and comes to dominate the picture. What's also amazing is Cushing's physicality. While there no doubt are some stunt double shots, the majority of the action scenes are clearly handled by the actor himself. Something that too often is over-looked when commenting on the nearly always reliable character actor.

A couple of quibbles. Since Vampires can change into bats, why can't the Baron escape a human sized shackle? And, since the Housekeeper is so smitten with him, why doesn't she release him herself? One could search and ponder why the script doesn't address these issues, but I believe the simple matter of fact is that they just weren't thought through. The film works quite well, nitpicks aside.