Review of The Brides of Dracula (1960) by Alex S — 17 Oct 2010
The first Dracula sequel from the esteemed Hammer studios, minus Christopher Lee, but it's so bang-on in every other respect that he's hardly even missed, and David Peel is a very acceptable substitute as Baron Meinster.
Very clever in the way that it plays with the genre's cliches and conventions, with two scenes standing out: 1) The Baron's follower (Greta, a great performance by Freda Jackson - like a demented Mrs Overall) pounds her fists on top of a grave and exhorts the latest "undead" to rise up out of her coffin; and 2) Van Helsing cauterizes himself after being bitten, then lines up the sails of the mill so they cast the shadow of a cross which vanquishes his evil foe.
The two doctors are the stars of the show: Peter Cushing as Dr Van Helsing and the evergreen Miles Malleson as the wine-drinking, pill-popping Dr Tobler. And it all looks very sumptuous too, which is partly due to the impressively uncardboardy sets and great cinematography, and partly due to Marianne (Yvonne Monlaur) who is very pleasant on the eye.
This review of The Brides of Dracula (1960) was written by Alex S on 17 Oct 2010.
The Brides of Dracula has generally received positive reviews.
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