Hammer Studios’ Dracula: Prince of Darkness is one of those sequels that defines both the studio’s style and its limitations. It marked Christopher Lee’s triumphant return to the cape after sitting out The Brides of Dracula, and his presence alone gives the film a weight it might otherwise lack. What results is a moody, atmospheric…
Tag: vampires
The Brides of Dracula (1960) – Review
Hammer’s The Brides of Dracula is a curious beast. It’s a direct sequel to 1958’s Dracula, yet it lacks the very thing the title promises: Dracula himself. What it does have is Peter Cushing returning as Van Helsing, and that alone keeps the film afloat, even as Hammer serves us a Dracula substitute with a…
Dracula (1958) – Review
Forget the cobwebs and stagey theatrics of old, Hammer’s Dracula kicks down the crypt door with blood-red Technicolor, erotic menace, and two titans of horror: Christopher Lee as the most dangerous Count yet, and Peter Cushing as the steely Van Helsing determined to stop him. This was the film that made Dracula frightening—and sexy—again.
The Batman vs. Dracula (2005) – Review
In the crowded world of Batman adaptations, The Batman vs. Dracula stakes (pun intended) its claim as one of the more bizarre, yet surprisingly effective, entries. Released in 2005 and spun off from The Batman animated series, this direct-to-video movie takes the Dark Knight into full-on horror territory — and it works way better than…
The Last Man on Earth (1964) – Review
One of the most influential post-apocalyptic stories out there is that of Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend, a novel that pitted the last remaining human on Earth against a world populated by vampires, and while many other authors have since tackled similar subject matter it’s Matheson’s iconic story that has stood the test of time,…