"Rasputin: The Mad Monk" and "The Reptile" Released 50 Years Ago Today

50 years ago today...
Hammer Films released the horror double feature Rasputin: The Mad Monk and The Reptile.

Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966)

Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966)

50 years ago today...
"Dracula: Prince of Darkness" was released to the theaters on a double bill with "The Plague of the Zombies."

Drac Attack!

Dracula: Prince of Darkness is the third film in Hammer's "Dracula" series.  The first film had Dracula, played by Christopher Lee, squaring off against Professor Van Helsing, played by Peter Cushing, and ended in Dracula's death.  In the second film, Dracula remained dead, and the the film starred Cushing's Van Helsing fighting a new vampire threat. In the third film, Cushing is out, but Christopher Lee returns, as Dracula is resurrected to bite innocent necks once again.

Dracula Awakes!

Christopher Lee's performance in this film is unusual because he doesn't have a single line of dialogue.  Lee claimed that the dialogue in the script was so bad that he refused to speak it, although the screenwriter disputes this.  The screenwriter says the part was written with no dialogue.  Either way, it actually works really well in the film, and gives Dracula a mysterious, unknowable presence.  He seems more like some sort of evil force of nature than a human being.

"Pull my finger."

Dracula "dies" again at the end of this one, trapped under ice and drowning in a frozen-over lake.  However, after coming back to life once, it seems a safe bet he'll be back again in time for the next sequel.

More sreencaps after the break...

The Brides of Dracula (1960)

The Brides of Dracula (1960)

The Brides of Dracula is not the most accurately titled movie, as neither Dracula nor his brides appear in it.  Rather, it follows the adventures of Doctor Van Helsing, who killed Dracula in the previous film in this series, "The Horror of Dracula."

Van Helsing and the Baroness

Dracula is still dead, and now Van Helsing has set his sights on another group of vampires, led by the evil Baron Meinster.  This is where the film falters a bit.  David Peel, who plays the Baron, has absolutely none of the menace or charisma that Christopher Lee had as Dracula.  When ever the Baron appears on screen flapping his cape or making bloodshot googly eyes at his victims, the effect is comical rather than scary.

Baron Meinster

Still, Peter Cushing is excellent as Van Helsing, and the rest of the cast is solid.  Over all it is still an effective horror picture, even without Christopher Lee, although his absence does prevent "Brides" from being a classic on the level of it's predecessor.

The Corpse Opens Her Eyes

MORE SCREENCAPS AFTER THE BREAK...

Horror of Dracula (1958)

After the commercial success of "The Curse of Frankenstein" In 1957, Hammer Films decided to try their hand at remaking another classic Universal Horror picture: Dracula.  Titled "Dracula" internationally, and "Horror of Dracula" in the United States, the film, like "The Curse of Frankenstein," once again pairs stars Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing.  Cushing plays vampire hunter Abraham Van Helsing, and Lee plays Count Dracula.  Cushing and Lee both became major horror stars from these films, essentially their generation's versions of Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff, and starred in a total of 22 films together.

Christopher Lee as Count Dracula

Horror of Dracula is a great film.  It' s colorful, violent, and stylish, and cemented Hammer's position as the new home of cinematic horror.  It was also the most successful film SERIES from Hammer, spawning a total of 9 films.  Like The Curse of Frankenstein before it, Horror of Dracula is a must-see for any fan of classic horror films.

Peter Cushing as Abraham Van Helsing

MORE SCREENCAPS AFTER THE BREAK...