The Kiss of the Vampire

This entertaining horror film sees a bright young couple break down in a sinister Eastern European Village during their honeymoon, a nasty surprise awaits as they discover it's more than just the local claret that's full of bite.

I can't say it's the best offering from the legendary Hammer, but it's a very good offering nonetheless. The most striking thing initially, is just how good it looks, I picked up the blu ray, and wasn't expecting a huge deal, however it looks incredible, it's bright and sharp.

The story is the usual affair, think of the attractive blond at the mercy of the local, shadowy figure, however there is a lot more going on than just that.

The acting is really nice also, Edward de Souza is very good, and cuts a dashing figure.

If you're expecting a caped Dracula, you may just be disappointed, however there's enough here to keep you entertained.

Special effects are what you'd expect and perhaps hope for, the pink paint blood and Halloween store bats, it all adds to the magic though.

The ending is still pretty impactful, overall it's a must for fans of classic horror, 7/10.

As I lay watching this film, I was reminded all over again why Horror is my favorite cinematic genre: despite the absence in the cast of any major stars from the Hammer stable, this well-directed shocker is arguably one of their best efforts. The film is bracketed by two bravura sequences: the opening scene at the graveyard where an obviously drunk and distraught Professor Zimmer (the Van Helsing figure here vividly essayed by Clifford Evans as a boorish and cynical man) unceremoniously plunges a spade into the wooden coffin of his dead daughter thus releasing her soul from the curse of the undead; and the startling climactic destruction of the vampiric cult at the hands of (irony of ironies) some admittedly fake-looking vampire bats! As usual with this type of film, the young leads (Edward De Souza and Jennifer Daniel) are merely adequate but the film benefits immensely from a deliciously villainous turn by Noel Willman as Dr. Ravna, a worthy Dracula stand-in, whose soothing, calm composure and tonality starkly contrast with the more energetic antics of a Christopher Lee, but exude just as much evil. Although judging from the IMDb synopsis, the added-for-TV scenes (for an alternate version of the film entitled KISS OF EVIL) are nothing to write home about, I would still like to have seen them included as a supplement to the DVD - although apparently that would have been too much to expect from Universal...

Exquisite-looking vampire outing from Hammer Films, quite beautifully photographed by Alan Hume and scored by James Bernard, was the studio's attempt to keep the genre going without the services of their star, Christopher Lee. Plot concerns newlywed couple in early 1900s Bavaria lost on the roadway and running out of petrol near the castle of one Dr. Ravna (Noel Willman). He invites them to dinner, where he checks out the Mrs. A few days later, the couple is invited to a masquerade ball, where the husband is drugged and the wife taken away into the clutches of Ravna, the vampire prince among a throng of devoted bloodsuckers. Marvelous tale comes complete with its very own Van Helsing in the guise of Clifford Evans' Professor Zimmer, who has been waiting to exterminate Ravna for many moons. Director Don Sharp doesn't rush through this narrative; he takes his time to set the stage, though buffs may find his pacing a bit slow. Sharp certainly doesn't skimp on the bloodletting, particularly at the rousing finish. Good show! *** from ****

In the beginning of the Twentieth Century, the just-married couple Gerald Harcourt (Edward de Souza) and Marianne Harcourt (Jennifer Daniel) run out of gas while driving in Germany in a honeymoon trip. They have to stop for the night at a bed and breakfast and they are invited to dinner at the castle of the prominent Dr. Ravna (Noel Willman), where they are introduced to his family. They are invited to go to a party in the castle in the weekend and they accept the invitation. Gerard and Marianne go to the party and Marianne vanishes. Gerard asks for help to the local Professor Zimmer (Clifford Evans) and learns that Dr. Ravna is the leader of a vampire cult that had abducted his wife. What will they do?

"The Kiss of the Vampire" is a different but attractive vampire movie where there is no reference to Dracula. The vampires fear the cross and garlic as usual, but they can walk during the cloudy day and can eat and drink wine. Indeed they are a cult led by the notorious Dr. Ravna. The sets and costumes are very beautiful and the vintage car is a piece of art. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Beijo do Vampiro" ("The Kiss of the Vampire)

Kiss of the Vampire (AKA: Kiss of Evil in a truncated TV version) is directed by Don Sharp and written by John Elder. it stars Clifford Evans, Noel Willman, Edward de Souza, Jennifer Daniel, Barry Warren, Brian Oulton and Jacquie Wallis. Out of Hammer Film Productions in Eastmancolour, cinematography is by Alan Hume and music by James Bernard.

Honeymooners Gerald (de Souza) and Marianne Harcourt (Daniel) stop over in a remote Bavarian village and fall prey to a suspicious family headed by Dr. Ravna (Willman).

Planned as a Dracula sequel by Hammer Films, Kiss of the Vampire eventually followed in the vein of Brides of Dracula by bringing vampires into a social situation without the famous Count as the figurehead. With no Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Terence Fisher or Freddie Francis involved, it does on the outside seem it should be a lesser Hammer Horror picture. Thankfully that isn't the case at all.

There's some wooden acting, less than great effects work in the finale and a lack of blood for the gore hounds, but this is still a wonderful Hammer picture. Ripe with atmosphere, beaming with glorious Gothic set design and beautifully photographed, it's a film begging to be discovered by the vampire faithful.

Essentially a reworking of Edward G. Ulmer's The Black Cat (1934), the narrative follows the familiar vampiric formula so beloved by horror film makers, especially the house of Hammer, which is no bad thing really since they do it so well. In fact it should be noted that the finale to this one is a departure from the norm and is rather exciting, if just a little abrupt in the context of plotting.

A bevy of beauties adorn the frames while suave aristocrat type gentlemen glide around the Ravna abode, this is very much a film rich in that Hammer style. Ignore claims of it being slow, for this is considerate to setting up the characters, and ignore the butchered American TV version, for Kiss of the Vampire is a treat for like minded Hammerphiles. 7.5/10