Prince of Darkness

Prince of Darkness; that's me (excuse the pun!) sitting in the dark at the 'Classic', Weymouth, watching a cavalcade of late-night monsters in the shape of Karloff, Lugosi, Lee and Lon Chaney... but more of that later!

How did I get started? Well, having gorged myself on Famous Monsters of Filmland for several issues, and listened to my father recollecting his boyhood picture-palace memories of watching early Karloff, Rathbone, Lugosi and crew, - an opportunity to go see the newly released Hammer film 'Dracula - Prince of Darkness' at our local cinema was one not to be missed!

Dad would have been pleased enough to yield to the pressure I may well have put upon him during the week leading up to the film's "for-one-week-only" presentation, having seen the first Hammer 'Dracula' seven years earlier.

Convincing him we should go, go we did, - partners in crime indeed, for the law of the land clearly forbade young teenagers (I was thirteen!) the adult content of 'X' certificate movies (more on that later, too).

For my part, to get a taste of what was restricted to "Adults-Only" was a natural enough desire. And at 13, the choice of film genre was without doubt, a leap into independence, individuality and self-determination!
Once at the box-office father stood me to one side whilst he purchased the tickets (having bulked me up first by having me wear an overcoat with heavy scarf). The plan went like a dream and we were in! - And what could I now expect? - What was I letting myself in for? - Could I face up to whatever horrors might constitute an 'X' certificate 'horror movie'? - How horrible would it be? - What possible visually horrific nastiness was I about to witness???
My fears, of course, were unfounded. To say that the experience was a disappointment would be unfair, and yet not wholly inaccurate. "Melodrama" was the closest descriptive word I could find later in the school dictionary, and one I used in my classroom "Show & Tell".
Yes, this was high melodrama, - all rushings around in opera cloaks, accompanied by the sound of crashing thunder and lightning, or racing soundtrack violins, interrupted by moments of unease and anticipation, or surprises guaranteed to make you  jump out of your seat!
Wow, what a recipe! And I was made ready for the feast.
Disappointment not withstanding, the realisation that 'horror' was at its best high flying melodrama, did nothing to deter me from my course. My obsession was already fully formed. All I had to do was look forward to a subsequent diet of Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Boris Karloff, Vincent Price, and more of James Bernard's racing violins, or orchestrated D--R--A--C--U--L--A ...
Depending upon your point of view, or your knowledge of Hammer film history, you could say I arrived at a particular point in time lucky enough to appreciate either the pinnacle of Hammer Films' success, or witness their sad decline, fall and ultimate failure. But with Rasputin, The Devil Rides Out, SHE, One Million Years BC, and Frankenstein Created Woman all on the horizon, how could I not go with the first sentiment.
Sitting in the dark would be, for sure, never  quite the same again!



Dracula: Prince of Darkness was a 1966 British horror film directed by Terence Fisher for Hammer Studios. The film was photographed in Techniscope by  Michael Reed, designed by Bernard Robinson and scored by James Bernard.

The film was released as a double feature with The Plague of the Zombies and made back-to-back with Rasputin, the Mad Monk, using many of the same sets and cast.
Note: Hammer marches on... Just a month ago saw the re-issue of Dracula Prince of Darkness on DVD/Blu-ray, a crisp digital restoration delivered by StudioCanal. Sight & Sound reported, "Hovering somewhere on the fringes of eternity, like rubber bats on wires, these films thankfully seem as impervious to the ravages of time and critical opinion as the vampires they entomb."

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