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Van Helsing (Peter Cushing) returns to Transylvania to battle evil Baron Meinster (David Peel), a Dracula wannabe freed from captivity by a young schoolteacher (Yvonne Monlaur). Despite the title, Dracula is nowhere to be seen in this one. Still, it works as a sequel of sorts to Hammer's 1958 Dracula because of Van Helsing being in it. Christopher Lee wouldn't return for the sequel so it had to be written with Baron Meinster in place of the Count. David Peel is a poor substitute for Christopher Lee, but thankfully the film had Peter Cushing to pick up the slack. Cushing's performance is wonderful, as are those of Martita Hunt and Freda Jackson. Terence Fisher's expert direction and the great Gothic sets make this a very enjoyable Hammer horror film that fans will love.

This is an excellent entry in the Hammer studios series of vampire flicks. Almost everything that fans love about this particular vein of horror is here; the great Peter Cushing as Van Helsing, atmospheric sets and lighting, a creepy baroness, direction from the celebrated Terence Fisher... damsels in danger and the various tropes of the genre. What could be considered missing is Dracula. This is potentially confusing since the film is titled 'The Brides of Dracula', but is clearly set after Dracula's first demise in the series time-line.

What sets this apart as a relatively very good film is the amount of events they managed to squeeze in - which allows actors such as Cushing to flex their ability in a few interesting scenarios. What hasn't aged so well is the writing/portrayal of the young 'heroine', who seems to spend most of her time stupidly wandering into dangerous situations - acceptable in some cases, but in this film it just makes you question what level of intelligence they were trying to impart to her character.

If you're a fan of 'modern' horror, which is more to do with exploitation, you will undoubtedly view this film as very dated with not much to frighten. If you like Hammer horror and understand what it's "all about", or have an interest in Gothic horror films from the 50s and 60s, this film will be a very enjoyable screening.

The Brides of Dracula is not as good as 1958's Dracula(or Horror of Dracula), but it is almost as good and a very good follow-up, a near classic in fact. Yvonne Monlaur is rather wooden in the female lead role, the bat effects are truly laughable and the film drags a tad at the halfway mark but that's it for the flaws personally.

Hammer horrors are always at least visually good, and The Brides of Dracula certainly looks good. In fact it looks fantastic, to me it's one of the best-looking Hammer films. The photography is smooth, rich in colour and enhances the atmosphere rather than detracting and the sets are some of the most sumptuous and atmospheric of any Hammer horror. The music in its most haunting parts positively induces tingles down the spine and while there are a couple of clumsy loose ends the script is one of Hammer's most nuanced. The story is filled with marvellous atmosphere and Gothic ghoulishness and is always compelling and easy to follow, the standout scene is the ending which is like a fairy-tale nightmare come to life.

Terrence Fisher's direction is unflinching and the performances on the whole are very good, especially from a classy and typically impeccable Peter Cushing as one of the best screen Van Helsings and Martita Hunt as a sometimes sympathetic but genuinely scary Baroness, especially in the scene when she's standing behind Monlaur. Freda Jackson is chilling also and chews the scenery with glee(and not in a negative way despite how it sounds) and Miles Malleson brings some amusing comedy that doesn't feel out of place at all. David Peel is nowhere near in the same league as Christopher Lee- then again it's really difficult to follow Lee in any role really- but while a little fey in places he is a worthy and charismatic substitute.

Overall, a near classic if with its weak spots. 8/10 Bethany Cox

As in the tradition of the B western Dracula makes no appearance in this Hammer horror film The Brides Of Dracula. But there are brides aplenty for the Count Meinster and there's also Dr. Van Helsing making house calls as it were.

Peter Cushing is the intrepid vampire hunter who knows well that Dracula is not the only undead creature out there. The Count Meinster has been terrorizing the population of his area of Germany for some time now and he's collected a bevy of beauties to do his bidding.

The Dowager Countess Meinster is played by Martita Hunt and for her kid's own good she has him chained up. Never mind that though, a passing woman takes pity and frees him. That brings in Van Helsing.

Cushing is always good and David Peel is the matinée idol vampire who was a trendsetter without knowing it. It would be another thirty years before Frank Langella, Tom Cruise and folks like that would start playing undead creatures let alone the whole Twilight Saga.

You'll have a few frights before this one is over.

Charming though they are, the Hammer horror films usually lack a certain something for me. Not quite enough 'edge', hampered, I guess by censorship at the time, they are often lack the exotic and the 'strange' present in many that followed from Spain say or Mexico or Italy. 'Brides' is perfectly well made with an excellent performance by Marita Hunt as the governess, perhaps she should have had a larger part. The young foreign student was convincingly played by a pretty Yvonne Monlaur but I felt Cushing seemed ill at ease. He didn't have the gravitas he usually brings to the smallest of parts and David Peel seemed most bland in the central role although neither he nor the rest of the cast were helped by such rudimentary 'vampire' teeth. What, I must say, though is just how wonderful the film looks. Fantastic sets and costumes all photographed perfectly and if some of the dialogue fell a little awkwardly or the acting a little flat, the lush and colourful Gothic look still prevailed.

In Transylvania, the teacher Marianne Danielle (Yvonne Monlaur) is heading to a small village where she will teach French and etiquette for teenage girls. The stagecoach stops at a village and when Marianne is preparing to eat dinner, the coachman goes away and leaves her in the inn. Out of the blue, Baroness Meinster (Martita Hunt) comes to the place and invites Marianne to spend the night in her castle, where she lives with her servant Greta (Freda Jackson). During the night, Marianne sees a man in a balcony and she learns that he is Baron Meinster (David Peel), the insane son of the Baroness. Later Marianne believes that he will jump off the balcony and she goes to his room and finds that he is chained by his mother. Marianne decides to help him to escape and steals the key from the Baroness' room. Then she leaves the castle and is found by Dr. J. Van Helsing (Peter Cushing), who has been invited by the local priest to treat a disease. Soon Van Helsing learns that Marianne has unleashed a vampire that is murdering the dwellers of the village.

"The Brides of Dracula" is a typical vampire movie by Hammer, highly entertaining, with beautiful actresses but also with many flaws. Marianne is a silly woman that makes the movie happens with her stupid attitudes. The ham David Peel is awfully ridiculous in the role of the blonde vampire. It is not explained why the Baron Meinster does not turn into a bat to release from the chains. Who is the creepy man in the beginning of the movie that leaves a log on the road? Why people are so scared of the Baroness if they believe that her son is dead? Why the vampire did not kill Van Helsing and how a red-hot iron together with holy water avoids the victim to turn into a vampire? And the mysterious luggage of Marianne that is never seen? But the secret for enjoying movies from Hammer is to ignore the plot holes and have a good time with the silliness of the story. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "As Noivas do Vampiro" ("The Brides of the Vampire")

This lush, hypnotic horror extravaganza from Hammer Studios improves steadily with age. The magnificent color design, the sets and the all-out performances of the superb cast makes this a classic right along with "Bride of Frankenstein." Each scene is filmed like a work of art, with purple and azure lighting in the backgrounds, marvelous set pieces and a knockout finale. One cannot say enough about the extraordinary cast. Two Shakespearian pros, Martita Hunt (the wizened Baroness Meinster) and her crazed maid, Freda Jackson (Greta)knock everyone else off the screen. Both also performed in the classic, "Great Expectations" and Martita had a stellar career in films. David Peele is stunning as the vampire. Beautiful, evil, arrogant, it's like watching Dorian Gray (which he performed on radio)at his peak. Yvonne Molnaur as the beautiful heroine is perfect. The vampire girls are all superb. I would put this superb classic at the top of any great horror films. You watch it today and see how modern horror films have degenerated. "Brides" was made by masters at their peak. Now, if we can only get this on DVD, maybe as a double feature with "Horror of Dracula." Bravo Martita, Freda and David Peele! If you never did anything else, you did yourself proud with this glimmering jewel of evil,incest and sex.

A Hammer Dracula movie without Christopher Lee in it? Blashphemy! Well, that would my normal response be, also since all of the other Hammer vampire movies without Christopher Lee in it hardly work out as any great ones. This movie does however work out but it still remains a far from great movie to watch though.

Thing that prevented this movie from ever being a really great one is its pace. The movie is far too slow for my taste, which also makes this movie a bit out of tone with any of the other Dracula films, from the Hammer studios. It's more heavy on its atmosphere than ever on its story, characters or any of its other horror ingredients really. Thing that the pace does well is building up the tension for this movie but there is never a spectacular or satisfying enough payoff to be found in this movie however.

Still I'm being more positive than negative toward this movie. It's original enough in its sort, even though it follows a very familiar and standard story. It's really a movie that works out, even though I still just can't rate it very highly, mostly because there isn't really anything that stands out about it.

One of the things that truly works out well about this movie is its vampire character. The title of the movie is "The Brides of Dracula" and it gets presented as a direct sequel to the 1958 "Dracula" and it besides features a most excellent Peter Cushing in it as 'a' Van Helsing but the main villain isn't even Dracula. And I think that in this particular case that actually is a really good thing. Most of the time actors in these sort of horror movies simply do a Dracula impression, while in this movie the actor obviously plays a totally different character, with a different personality and motivation. This works out as highly refreshing and interesting as well.

Perhaps you could say that this movie suffers from too many rewrites. It seemed to have plenty of ideas but it kept changing directions and not everything ever got properly handled and developed. The first half of the movie is mostly slow and atmospheric but the second half is a bit more like a 'normal' standard Hammer Dracula movie, with Peter Cushing trying to kill the evil vampire.

Not a lot of excitement in this movie but it still has a good atmosphere to it and works out as something original.

6/10

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This movie is beautiful for the eye and ear. I really like the old hammer films atmosphere. Sadly they often lack a good, convincing story. Just like this one. If only I could ignore how silly the story and characters are, I could totally enjoy this movie. Sadly I can't. The story barely makes any sense, and at the same time, it's quite uninteresting and predictable.

There are way better Hammer Films vampire flicks out there. This one is totally uninspired, and would have been a waste of time if it wouldn't have been so beautiful. Yes, OK, the effects are cheap, the set often obviously looks like a set, yet, Hammer Films have been able to create an amazing atmosphere that no other B-Movie studio ever came close to again. Hammer Films are probably the only reason why I keep giving all that Vampire trash movies out there one chance after another. I have been disappointed by every B-Movie Vampire flick but Subspecies and Hammer Films.

Dracula is dead, and one of his disciples carries on his wicked ways in Eastern Europe. This time around it is the young Baron Meinster(played with credibility by David Peel). A young woman is invited to the Castle Meinster and unleashes the Baron from his shackles to allow him to slake his thirst through the living. This film lacks the star power of Christopher Lee in Hammer's second vampire outing, yet does not suffer greatly due to the wonderful performance of Peter Cushing reprising his role as Dr. Van Helsing and the incredible direction of Terrence Fisher. Fisher's ability to tell a story through film is not to be overlooked, nor is his use of subtle and bright colours to create wonderfully atmospheric sets and scenic centerpieces. Some of the scenes in this film are some of the best to ever come by way of Hammer, including the scene where a servant taps on a buried coffin to show a fledgling vampire the way, the incident with Van Helsing and his wound, and the windmill finale. The cast is very good with particular honors going to Cushing, Martita Hunt as the vampire's sympathetic mother, and Freda Jackson as the demented, crazed servant-nurse. Cushing is as ever implacable from his crusade to save the world from vampirism. Just a wonderful tale!

This was another movie that I remember watching fresh out of college. I'll be honest though; I didn't necessarily love it the first viewing. I could see that it was solid, but not one that really stuck with me all that much. I decided to give it a rewatch as part of my Journey through the Aughts segment for Journey with a Cinephile: A Horror Movie Podcast. The synopsis here is vampire hunter Van Helsing (Peter Cushing) returns to Transylvania to destroy handsome bloodsucker Baron Meinster (David Peel), who has designs on beautiful young schoolteacher Marianne (Yvonne Monlaur).

We begin this movie with a bit of voice-over letting us know that despite Dracula being dead, there is still his plague that is going through the Transylvanian countryside. We then see a young, beautiful woman of Marianne. She is on her way to a school for a position of a student/teacher. On her way there, her coach stops in the middle of the woods when there's a log in the road. Her coachman, Michael Ripper, moves it out of the road and we see someone jump onto the back of the coach as it continues on its journey. It comes to the next village, the last before Marianne's destination. She goes into the inn/pub to wait. While inside, the man who stowed away pays the coachman and he leaves her there. She is upset because she feels she will be late, but the people around her are upset for a different reason. They all leave the pub.

Another coach arrives, this time with the Baroness Meinster (Martita Hunt). She sits with Marianne and invites her to her castle as well as offering her a ride in the morning. The young woman agrees to this. At the castle, Marianne finds a man on a balcony below her. When she questions the baroness, we learn it is her son. Marianne can't sleep and goes out on to the balcony. She sees the young baron on his balcony, looking like he will commit suicide. She goes down there to stop him, but learns that his mother claims he's insane. He is showing to her that he's not and she agrees helps him escape. It begins a nightmare by doing so as the baron kills his mother and then leaves the castle. The servant of Greta (Freda Jackson) informs her that she made a horrible mistake.

The following morning Doctor Van Helsing finds Marianne asleep in the woods. He wakes and inquires about how she got there. She remembers most of the night to a certain point. Van Helsing agrees to take her the rest of the way to the school and even helps out to calm Herr Lang (Henry Oscar) who is upset that she is late. Van Helsing takes his leave and goes back to the inn where Marianne first arrived. It appears that he was requested to come here by the local priest. There was a mysterious death of a young stable girl. Van Helsing believes it is a vampire that is living in the area. He goes about proving it.

All the way, Baron Meinster meets Marianne at the school she works with. He proposes and we know that he's the creature that Van Helsing is after. Can he stop him from turning the young Marianne and others at this finishing school?

That's where I'm going to leave my recap for this movie. It is interesting to me for the fact that this movie is a sequel to Horror of Dracula, making it the second vampire film in the line of Dracula films from Hammer. On top of this, it also looks to be a co-production with Universal International for theatrical release in some countries. Just something that I wanted to establish here.

Going from what I have shared, Dracula has been destroyed, but vampires are still in the area. They did bring back Cushing to reprise his role of Van Helsing. There is some interesting trivia I found that this movie changes the rules that were established in the previous one. They stated that vampires cannot become bats, but they are able to in this one. I don't like Van Helsing stated one thing in the previous and now saying they can as it feels like they weren't planning on a sequel. I'm not going to hold much against the movie though as during research, he may have some different information and this is a different line of vampires from Dracula.

This movie is also quite interesting with what it sets up in the beginning of the movie. It makes us think that Baroness Meinster is going to be the vampire. She brings Marianne to the castle, much like what we get in Dracula. I like that the movie has a bit of swerve. Taking this a bit deeper, the baroness seems like a villain by having her son chained up. What we learn the truth, it is hard to fault her. She doesn't want to destroy her son and is also protecting him from running wild. She is making some horrible decisions though.

The last aspect of the story I want to bring up here is that I like that Marianne is going to a finishing school and that is where the vampire attacks. They know that Van Helsing knows how to destroy him and the casket is moved to a different location, which is reminiscent to Dracula as well. I just like the idea that we have all these young women that the vampire can feed on. They don't really utilize it as much as I would have liked, but they do a bit. I will also say that this movie is a bit boring despite its 85 minute runtime for whatever reason.

Where I want to go next is the acting of the movie. We have the legendary Cushing in this movie and there's not a lot for me to say. He does an amazing job here as Van Helsing. He's probably the one that I think of when it comes to this character in film. Hunt is solid as this creepy baroness. As I said, I like how she's established at first and the truth of her position. Monlaur is gorgeous. I also think that she plays this role very well. Peel is good as our villain. I just like how he is established, much like his mother and the reveal of their roles to the truth. The rest of the cast rounded this out for what was needed as well in my opinion.

For the last thing to go over would be the effects. Being that this is a Hammer film, we don't really get a lot. There is a bit of a blood. It is orange and I really enjoy it for nostalgia. There isn't a lot though. I like the look of the vampires and the fangs that are used. The bat effects we get you can tell are rubber. I'll be honest, I've seen some movies after this that don't do it as well though. It isn't great, but I'll take it. The cinematography is well done and I come to expect that when I see Terence Fisher's name in the credits.

So now with that said, this movie is better than I remember it. It is a good sequel to Horrors of Dracula. I like that they establish early that Dracula is dead, but that vampires aren't necessarily dead though. The acting is probably the best part here with Cushing, Monlaur and Peel. There is a bit of changes to the vampire lore, but I won't' hold it against the movie too much. The effects for the most part are pretty solid. It would really be the effects with the bat that doesn't. The soundtrack fit for what was needed without not really standing out. I'd rate this movie as above average. Lacking a bit to go into the good range, but still solid Hammer film.

My Rating: 6.5 out of 10

Christopher Lee must have turned down a fortune to star in this follow-up to Dracula's first venture into Technicolor. But it seems he knew what he was about. This is cheap fare indeed - a confused plot and a poor script, relieved only by tasteful set-design and pretty cinematography.

Despite the title, Dracula himself appears nowhere, the star-role being filled by Peter Cushing as vampire-hunter Dr. Van Helsing. Co-star (it says on the poster) is Martita Hunt, for me a big draw. But there is altogether too little of Martita, sent to her doom - twice! - before we've really had time to react to those powerful mannish features, the sort that the French, not us, celebrate as 'jolie-laide' (ugly-beautiful).

Long before there was Hammer, the Dracula stories were discreetly laced with sexually ambiguous themes, and there is no shortage of this here. But Martita does not seem to be part of the game, unless we interpret her relationship with her chained-up vampire son as incestuous.

Meanwhile the significance of the so-called brides is unclear. And we can't always tell who's who in the zoo, scrambling in and out of coffins or shallow graves at odd times of night. The lovely but vacuous Yvonne Monlaur carries no conviction whatever as the young teacher taking up a job at the local boarding-school; she sounds as though she's only just started to learn English herself. Freda Jackson is wildly miscast as the village servant-girl, quite unable to conceal her worldly sophistication. Mona Washbourne, however, startles us with her giggly effort as the head teacher, when most of us can imagine her only as that dowdy old housekeeper from 'My Fair Lady'.

Peter Cushing turns in his normal well-polished version of just being Peter Cushing. And David Peel makes an unusual impact as the first vampire with fair hair - photogenic enough, until he opens his mouth. Hell's Teeth, those vampire incisors are simply not him.

Of course we expect Hammer dialogue to creak a bit ("God bless you" - "If only he could"). But do we really have to sit through exchanges as banal as "We will have dinner in ten minutes. Will you be ready by then?"

Certainly this one will keep a hallowed place in the collections of dedicated Hammer buffs, who find reassurance in the same old carriage clattering into the inn-yard, and will no doubt cherish its imperfections for years to come. But the general viewer will find little satisfaction in 'The Brides of Dracula'.

A young french woman (Yvonne Monlaur) unknowingly frees a vampire, on her way to a a school in Transylvania. So she helps a young man (David Peel) escape the shackles his mother (Martita Hunt) has put on him. He wreaks havoc, sucking blood and creating more of the undead to carry out his evil deeds. Vampire hunter Dr. Van Helsing (Peter Cushing) goes back to Transylvania to destroy scheming bloodsucker Baron Meinster, who has designs on a beautiful young schoolteacher. In so doing she innocently unleashes the horrors of the undead once again on the populace, including those at her school for ladies. Luckily for some, Dr Van Helsing is already on his way. Later on , things go wrong , forcing Dr. Van Helsing : Peter Cushing to hunt the predatory villain when he targets young students. He Turned Innocent Beauty Into Unspeakable Horror !. A school for girls falls prey to his fiendish desires!. He feeds his unearthly desires on youth and beauty... as he turns a girls' school into a Chamber or Horrors!. Don't Dare See It...Alone! Important Note!! Don't Confuse. This Picture With the Other Dracula Movies! This is the Newest and Bert One and the Only One in Technicolor ! ...now she's one of the dead-alive brides of Dracula! . Every night he rises from his coffin-bed silently to seek the soft flesh, the warm blood he needs to keep himself alive! The chill of the tomb won't leave your blood for hours... after you come face-to-face with Dracula! The terrifying lover who died - yet lived! . Who Will Be His Bride Tonight?

One of the better Hammer vampire movies, this is the most evil, blood-lusting dracula of all. A sequel to the highly sucessful remake of Bram Stoker's classic vampire story. The first part of Dracula series is ¨Terence Fisher's Horror of Dracula¨ (1958) , the second ¨Brides of Dracula¨(1960) by Fisher, the third is ¨Dracula , prince of darkness¨ (1966) by Fisher himself , and being followed by ¨Taste blood of Dracula¨ by Peter Sasdy , ¨Dracula has risen from the grave¨ by Freddie Francis , continuing with two low budgeted , TV sequels , directed by Alan Gibson : ¨The satanic rites of Dracula¨ and ¨Dracula A. D. 72¨ , most of them starring the great Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing . In this entry Baron Meinster -no Count Dracula- has sought his prey at girls' privacy school and he turned innocent beauty into a thing of unspeakable horror. In this second Hammer Dracula movie the infamous vampire is given a new, elegant and cruel persona, as it begins with a young student arrives in Baron Meinster's castle, where he's freed by the innocent young woman . Peter Cushing is again Van Helsing and David Peel (replacing Christopher Lee) as handsome a villain as one could wish. The finale is wonderfully staged against the flapping sails of a windmill.

A sensational and classical terror movie with plenty of chills , thrills , shocks and showing horrifying and creepy scenes that will have you on the edge of the seat . This ¨Terence Fisher's Brides of Dracula¨ is an exciting and stylish reworking of Bram Stoker's macabre story of a bloodthirsty vampire on the prowl from Transylvania. Possibly the finest , most inspired rendition of Bram Stoker's sinister chesnut and one that single-handedly revived the horror genre, along with ¨Horror of Dracula¨(1958) . Genuinely scary movie with a hell of an ending , as well ; in which takes place an impressive and breathtaking confrontation between Van Helsing and Baron Meinster. This is the one that launched Hammer Films' popular Dracula series , featuring the unknown David Peel who replaces the best Dracula that has never existed: Christopher Lee, but repeating Peter Cushing as his arch-enemy Van Helsing. Christopher Lee's first and best of his many appearances as the Count was¨Horror of Dracula¨ . Christopher Lee will follow playing Dracula role in Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970) by Peter Sasdy , Scars of Dracula (1970) by Roy Ward Baker , Count Dracula (1970) by Jess Frank , Dracula A. D. 1972 by Alan Bridges and a comedy titled Dracula and son (1976) by Édouard Molinaro . Due to Christopher Lee becoming increasingly reluctant to reprise the role and the producers not expecting to be able to convince him to play so , being at times played by other actors , such as: David Peel in this ¨Brides of Dracula¨ or John Forbes-Robertson in ¨Legend of 7 golden vampires¨ (1974).

Brides of Dracula 1960 contains an interesting and twisted screenplay by Jimmy Sangster . Here stands out the colorful and gaudy cinematography by Jack Asher , being really excellent , as well as tense and thrilling musical score by Malcolm Williamson, replacing usual James Bernard . Being shot in the famous Bray Studios, Down Place, Oakley Green, Berkshire, England. The motion picture was competently directed by Terence Fisher . Rating : 7.5/10 , better than average . Essential and indispensable watching for Horror enthusiasts . The flick will appeal to Peter Cushing fans.

Gorgeous French redhead Yvonne Monlaur plays teacher Marianne Danielle, who is abandoned in a remote village by her coach-driver whilst en route to her new appointment at a girl's school. When wealthy Baroness Meinster (Martita Hunt) offers Marianne a room for the night in her mountain-top château, the desperate woman gratefully accepts, unaware that the Baroness's son (David Peel), a vampire, is chained up in the castle.

Brides of Dracula is regarded by many Hammer fans to be the best of the studio's 'Dracula' movies (despite the absence of Christopher Lee in his iconic role as the Count), but I really don't understand the unequivocal acclaim: although Terence Fisher's direction is admittedly impressive, his measured camera-work making the most of the excellent set design and coloured lighting, and Peter Cushing gives another impeccable performance as Doctor Van Helsing, the film certainly isn't without its faults.

The pacing is rather slow at times (particularly before Cushing appears on the scene), the so-so script throws up a few too many unanswered questions whilst taking liberties with accepted vampire lore, and the ending is especially weak (Death by shadow? Really? Is that the best they could come up with?): all of these negative elements serve take the film down a notch or two in my opinion, although one should still be aware that even a flawed Hammer film is, more often than not, still well worth a watch (avoid Brides of Dracula, for example, and you'll miss the wonderfully atmospheric scene in which an old hag, under the control of the Baron Meinster, coaxes a recently 'turned' vampiress from her grave).

A beautiful French schoolteacher (Yvonne Monlaur) travels to Transylvania for a position at a school, but is forced to spend the night at the grand mansion of Baroness Meinster (Martita Hunt) where she meets the Baroness' handsome son, who is curiously kept captive in one part of the manor (David Peel). When vampirism breaks out Dr. Van Helsing offers his skills to save the locals (Peter Cushing).

"The Brides of Dracula" (1960) is the sequel to Hammer's "Horror of Dracula" (1958). It was originally supposed to be called "Disciples of Dracula" since Dracula doesn't actually appear in the story. Instead there's the unknown David Peel as Baron Meinster, who does a fine job, but he's very different from Christopher Lee and more akin to Frank Langella's take on Dracula in his 1979 film.

The set-up of the story is similar to most Dracula yarns: Sophisticates from Western Europe travel to Transylvania and end up spending the night at a diabolical chateau where vampiric horror ensues. As usual with Hammer, the atmosphere is Gothic, the colors lush and the women beautiful (particularly Yvonne Monlaur). The mother is an interesting character and formidable woman; her reasons for doing what she does are understandable.

For those interested, the nine Dracula-themed films Hammer did are: "Horror of Dracula" (1958), "The Brides of Dracula" (1960), "Dracula: Prince of Darkness" (1966), "Dracula Has Risen from the Grave" (1968), "Taste the Blood of Dracula" (1970), "Scars of Dracula" (1970), "Dracula A. D. 1972" (1972), "The Satanic Rites of Dracula" (1973) and "The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires." Christopher Lee plays Dracula in every one of these except "The Brides of Dracula" and "The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires." Meanwhile Peter Cushing plays Van Helsing in five of them (although not always the same Van Helsing, since two of the installments take place in the modern day).

The film runs 1 hour, 25 minutes, and was shot at Bray Studios, just west of London (interiors), and nearby Black Park and Oakley Court (exteriors).

GRADE: B.

An excellent slice of early Hammer, showcasing all of the Gothic atmosphere we have come to expect from the company. THE BRIDES OF Dracula has a fast pace, which is somewhat unusual compared to other films of the time, but it keeps the action moving along nicely and the tension never lets up for a second. The sets for this film are excellent and the camera-work also impressive. It is an injustice to merely say that the film looks nice; it is in fact beautiful. If one film were needed to showcase Hammer horror at it's finest, then this would be it.

Peter Cushing is once again superb in his role as the stern Doctor Van Helsing, courageous and brave, battling the vampires at every turn. Yvonne Monlaur is also very pretty in her role as the heroine, and is not the screaming girl we are used to seeing in some other Hammer films. She is more than adequate and quite memorable too. David Peel looks suitably handsome as the Baron, and there is something strange about him which makes him a very good vampire.

There are a number of substantial supporting actors and actresses, such as Martita Hunt, a suitably fearsome old woman, and Freda Jackson who gives a performance which recalls Dwight Frye in some aspects (the manic laughter being one). Miles Malleson turns up as comic relief yet again after his role in Hammer's original Dracula, and it is always a pleasure to see Michael Ripper in a role, however small.

With excellent production values, an appropriately powerful score, and some very memorable scenes, as well as a brilliant ending (truly ingenious), this film is a good, well-rounded slice of Gothic dread from Hammer. There are even some Freudian elements added into the brew. The only criticism would be that the plot is rather shallow and simple, but that doesn't detract from the film at all. A worthy sequel in every sense of the word.

Oedipus complex transposed to the vampire myth yielding two unforgettable performances given by David Peel and Martita Hunt. A true pity Peel preferred stage to screen acting (he also interpreted the role of DORIAN GRAY on vinyl), he embodied a Victorian persona yet was handsome, fetching and Wildeian. The classic status of this Hammer Film is yet another of the Cushing/Fisher collaborations though Peel's groundbreaking performance is rarely singled out. His most unusual portrayal of the vampiric disciple Baron Meinster is one of the finest in Hammer's canon. Breathtaking set design, atmosphere and mood place this film the rationale for Hammer's reputation, the equal of HORROR OF DRACULA. The homoerotic cycle of vampirism beginning with DRACULA'S DAUGHTER is made complete here which perhaps influenced Anne Rice and her body of work.

This movie begins with the short explanation that Count Dracula is dead--but his disciples live on. The film then shows a stagecoach being driven extremely fast over a dirt road and eventually coming to a stop at a nearby village where the lone passenger named "Mdm Danielle" (Yvonne Monlaur) is dropped off before the carriage speeds off again. It's at this time that an elderly woman walks into the inn and offers Mdm Danielle a place to stay for the night. She is then driven to a castle on the outskirts of the village. That night she meets a strange man by the name of "Baron Manster" who has been shackled inside a room within the castle, and he convinces her to get the key and let him loose. Upon doing that what she doesn't realize is this particular person is no ordinary man--but a vampire who has now been set free to wreak havoc on the nearby countryside. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this particular film managed to continue the fine Hammer tradition of establishing a good, solid Gothic setting necessary for a movie of this type. Yet even though it had a good story and more than adequate performances for the most part, I didn't particularly care for the ending or the selection of David Peel (as "Baron Meinster") for the role of the vampire. He just didn't seem to have the same sinister quality that actors like Bela Lugosi or Christopher Lee manage to convey on screen. But that's just my opinion. In any case, I liked this film in spite of the previously mentioned criticisms, and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.