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Sunday, December 30, 2018

DRACULA: PRINCE OF DARKNESS (1966) Blu-ray review



Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966) d. Terence Fisher (UK) (90 min)

Following the triumph of Horror of Dracula, Christopher Lee avoided donning the fangs again for fear of typecasting (witness Bela Lugosi). He was eventually lured back into the cowl eight years (and a pile of guilt and cash) later for this rather predictable tale of two vacationing English couples (Francis Matthews, Suzan Farmer, Charles Tingwell, Barbara Shelley) who wander into the Count’s almost-but-not-quite deserted castle in search of a good stake dinner.


Andrew Kier’s gruff Father Sandor respectably takes up the vampire hunting duties in place of the absent Cushing, and Shelley’s vivid character arc from priggish prude to prowling predator is a distinct highlight. However, Jimmy Sangster’s dialogue for the Count was reputedly so clumsy that Lee refused to utter a word of it, reducing his performance to a series of hisses, stares, and gestures. (Sangster says that there was never any dialogue written.) Even so, Lee’s substantial screen presence resonated with audiences, the film was another gigantic hit, and he eventually returned to the role four more times under the Hammer banner.

BONUS FEATURES

Both UK and U.S. Versions

NEW 4K Scan of the Interpositive of the US Version from the 20th Century Fox vaults

NEW Audio Commentary with author Troy Howarth

NEW Audio Commentary with filmmaker Constantine Nasr and writer/producer Steve Haberman

Audio Commentary with Cast Members Christopher Lee, Suzan Farmer, Francis Matthews, and Barbara Shelley

World of Hammer Episode “Dracula and the Undead”

"Back To Black – The Making of Dracula: Prince of Darkness"

Super 8mm Behind-The-Scenes Footage

Theatrical Trailers

Still Gallery



















Dracula: Prince of Darkness is available now on blu-ray from Shout! Factory and can be ordered HERE:

https://www.shoutfactory.com/product/dracula-prince-of-darkness-collector-s-edition?product_id=6916


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