THE KISS OF THE VAMPIRE (1963)

 HIGH HAMMER! 

Well, it's about time I had a Hammer Horror rewatch during this Countdown to Halloween and for this I went with one I hadn't seen for wuite a few years.  KISS OF THE VAMPIRE has that absolutely stunning look (especially on blu ray) and I have to point out the gorgeous cinematography of Alan Hume here.  This film is still in the period when all Hammer Horrors looked like this with sumptuous Eastmancolor that really was never equalled before or since Hammer's heyday.  Beside which, the masterful/almost miraculous production design by wizard Bernard Robinson (with next to no budget) and art director Don Mingaye are the highest of high quality on display here.  While BRIDES OF DRACULA probably looks the most stunningly beautiful of all Hammer Horrors, KISS OF THE VAMPIRE ain't too far behind it.  Occasional Hammer director Don Sharp gives the film a stately, stoic majesty and lets the story unfold in its own time; some may find it a little dull going at the beginning but I found it almost unfolding like a dream.  All the familiar Hammer faces are missing but the cast still manages to hold their own with Isobel Black particularly memorable (from countless movie stills of her fanged face in monster mags and horror movie books aplenty) as the vampiric Tania. 

Our heroes Edward De Souza and Jennifer Daniel as newlyweds Gerald and Marianne Harcourt are just the typical stodgy, 'received pronunciation' Brits that these type of things happen to.  The Harcourts run out of petrol in their motorcar and end up at a local inn.  Immediately they are invited to din-dins at the castle of Dr. Ravna.  I particularly love the scene in which Marianne is left to sit in the motorcar while Gerald goes for petrol.  A couple scene fades show the passing of time as Marianne continues to sit there until eventually an almost supernatural wind swirls up and the dark clouds roll in.  This is what Hammer Horror is all about and what the studio did so well!  Gorgeous atmosphere!  Noel Willman as the vampiric cult leader Dr. Ravna plays it with no real menace or power (as did Christopher Lee as Dracula) but instead as a slightly effete dandy reeking of upper-class debauchery.  You can't watch the ballroom dancing scene without thinking of Polanski's later THE FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS aka DANCE OF THE VAMPIRES

being certainly influences by this film.  Besides that, there's also the ending of the film and the defeat of the vampires which originally was the ending for BRIDES OF DRACULA before being changed; at least the idea was memorably used as the climax for KISS OF THE VAMPIRE.  But really, the gorgeousness of the film is the paramount grace of KISS OF THE VAMPIRE; ever single shot and every single frame looks so breathtakingly stunning that even slow-going scenes are filled with such eye candy that it keeps your eyeballs rivetted to the screen!  Not the best of Hammer Horror but well up there in quality.  I'm glad I rewatched this.