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Widescreen dracula resurrection2/22/2023 And what a resurrection! The script is a bit slight and centers on two couples who are exploring the region where Dracula's castle lies. It's the second Dracula film from the studio and Lee's reappearance in the film doesn't happen for 40 minutes and when it does it's set up by the most gruesome of scenes where a suspended victim has their throat cut so that their blood runs into Dracula's grave to resurrect him. Interestingly, despite its seemingly high production value, it was one of four budget films produced almost simultaneously by Hammer, re-utilising locations and studio sets, costumes, actors and crew, to get the Hammer finances in good order. A remote castle, frightened villagers, a vampiric Count, an Igor styled sidekick, visitors lost in woods having to stay overnight, plenty of blood-sucking eroticism, hints of lesbianism and on the list goes. 'Dracula - Prince of Darkness' is the quintessential Hammer horror, ticking off each and every defining feature of what was to become a genre in its own right. Which simply leaves me to start deconstructing the parts that culminated in one of Hammer's most popular and, in my view, most exciting outings. Unlike many other Hammers from the era, it's actually pretty creepy too with some quite extreme (implied) violence and genuine thrills. It's a compelling and creepy watch and though Christopher Lee utters not a single word, his screen presence as the Count is immense. So by way of saving me from myself I'll start by saying that, as films go, this is actually a very fine one. Because Hammer is something of a British institution, and because of my own experiences at Bray Studios, it's easy to start discussing a Hammer release by specifying the parts of which it is a sum, rather than simply as a film.
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