source: The Kiss of the Vampire

The Kiss of the Vampire

Noel Willman proves a formidable unholy from the undead underground in this masterpiece from Britain's Hammer Films. A superior script, first-rate performances and the haunting melody of James Bernard's "Vampire Rhapsody" are as immortal as the studio that gave us Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. Lavish set design, rich color photography, a climax unlike anything that had ever been tried before it make KOTV a towering, unfogettable achievement. Required viewing for all horror aficionados and those who love vampires in particular. Barry Warren is also especially wonderful as Carl, the cold, handsome son of Willman's Dr. Ravna.

Don Sharp directed this entertaining vampire tale(not connected with the Dracula series) that sees honeymooning Gerald and Marianne Harcourt(played by Edward De Souza & Jennifer Daniel) develop car trouble on their driving trip in Europe, but are aided by a Count Ravna(played by Noel Willman) who invites them to his castle for a costume party after they check into a local inn. The party takes a dark turn after Gerald is drugged, and told that he has no wife! Confused and outraged, he seeks the help of Professor Zimmer(played by Clifford Evans) who is also staying at the inn, and informs him that Ravna leads a vampire cult that turned his own daughter, and now wants Marianne... Another atmospheric horror from Hammer with a fine score and direction. A pity it couldn't have brought back Peter Cushing as Van Helsing, but performances are still good, and leads to an exciting finale.