Genre:
Horror
Release Date: 09/08/1998
Dubbed: English/French
Sound: 1/5.1
Run Time: 90 min
Distributor/Studio: Anchor Bay
Christopher Lee dons the evil Count's cloak once again after an 8-year hiatus for this first "authentic" sequel to
Hammer Studios'
Horror of Dracula (the literal 1960 follow-up
Brides of Dracula did not feature Lee). The story begins when two stuffy vacationing couples make an ill-fated stopover at Castle Karlsbad in the Carpathian mountains -- despite the warnings of the mysterious Fr. Sandor (
Andrew Keir) and the near-destruction of their coach when the terrified driver runs for his life. After a slightly tedious stretch, one of the men (
Charles Tingwell) is sacrificed in a bloody Satanic ritual, orchestrated by the Count's loyal manservant Klove (
Philip Latham) to bring the legendary vampire back to life. The revived Count immediately sets his sights on the man's wife (
Barbara Shelley), making her his undead bride; the surviving pair seek refuge in Fr. Sandor's abbey, with the undead bloodsuckers in hot pursuit. This stylish and chilling production is imbued with Gothic atmosphere by director
Terence Fisher (one of his last films for the studio) and remains one of the classier entries from
Hammer's heyday. Also known as
Revenge of Dracula.
~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide