My take: There aren’t as many brides as I was expecting, given the title, but it is still a good follow-up to the Horror of Dracula.
Rating: 2.5 out of 4 stars
The same year that Hitchcock was releasing his movie Psycho, Hammer Films released Brides of Dracula. It’s a natural followup to the success of their version of Dracula from two years earlier.
This movie follows a young woman named Marianne, who is traveling through the countryside on her way to a new job. Her driver ditches her in a small village, where the townsfolk are all spooked and scared for her. Before they can convince her to leave, the Baroness from the nearby castle whisks her way into the scene and invites naive Marianne to stay with her until morning.
I am starting to believe that Peter Cushing is utterly badass. He makes a good Van Helsing.
Of course, Marianne does not know what horrors lie at the castle. The baroness has her vampire locked up in his rooms and she brings young, unsuspecting girls so he can feed. But what happens when Marianne releases the captive vampire? Trouble. Lots of trouble.
From the title, I had expected many busty young brides all over the film drinking the blood of men. The film went an entirely different direction, however. And it was not an entirely bad direction.
Peter Cushing ties this movie to it’s predecessor by reprising his role as Van Helsing. Coupled with the unique story and lush gothic set design, the film is a fun followup to Hammer’s Dracula. I would recommend this to people who enjoy a solid, old-school vampire film, Hammer films and classic horror.
I ordered a copy of the movie from Amazon on DVD. Here is the original trailer:
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