The first time I saw “Dracula: Prince of Darkness” was at a midnight show at the Mann Fox Oxnard. It was 1973. The other film was “The Gruesome Twosome.” The theater was in a shopping center parking lot, and that weekend the carnival was in town. People started lining up for the midnight show around eleven o’clock.

We got to the theater around eleven-thirty, and found ourselves at the end of a very long line. Hey, people in Oxnard are starved for entertainment. At the front of the line were the carny’s from the carnival. The carnival closed down at ten that night, so these guys had plenty of time to grab some booze, some pizza, and get in line before the rest of us. Because of our place in line, we had to sit down towards the front of the theater.

The carny’s sat in the back row, and seemed to be having a much better time than the rest of us. The light went down ten minutes after twelve, and “Dracula: Prince of Darkness” began. We were all in a great mood and ready to be scared. Okay, maybe not scared, but we were all in a great mood. There comes a scene in the film where Dracula’s henchman kills a man and then hangs his body over Dracula’s crypt, slices his throat, and allows the man’s life blood to resurrect the ashes of his master. Pretty splashy for a 1965 film.

Lots and lots of crimson juice flowing over the ashes, turning them into a pulpy mass that eventually becomes Dracula. Timing is everything, which one of the carny’s proved that evening. Just as the henchman slashed the man’s throat, one of the carny’s sitting in the middle of the back row of the theater threw up. Big time. Lots of beer and pizza, and God who knows what else. Since the theater is slanted to provide for a better sight line, the chunk-fest started it’s trip down to the front of the theater.

So as the blood pours on the big screen, everyone seated down the middle of the theater started jumping up as the flow reached their aisle. People were screaming and pushing and shoving, and it had nothing to do with the rest of the film. When it reached our aisle, one of the girls in our group yelled out, “Oh no, not Hamburger Helper again!” It was a great night, and that throat slashing scene was one of the very few things I remember about the film. Which is why I jumped at the opportunity review “Dracula: Prince of Darkness” on DVD.

I love Hammer horror films. Hammer always brought a nasty twist to the classics, and that suited me just fine. I believe there’s enough room in the world for both subtlety and hammer hits. Universal Studios had cornered the market on nuance, while Hammer took the horror icons of our youth and gave them an adult spin. That’s what I loved about “Dracula: Prince of Darkness.” It wasn’t a horror film for the kid in us, but a horror film for the adult the kid has become.

Six years had passed since Christopher Lee and director Terence Fisher teamed up for one of Hammer’s most popular films, “Horror of Dracula.” While Hammer dabbled in the vampire genre during that time, none came close to capturing the intensity of Lee as the king of the bloodsuckers. A sequel made perfect sense, and screenwriter John Sansom came up with a logical way to bring the Count back for one more shot at the big time. Lee returns in fine form as Count Dracula, whose resurrection leads to sixty minutes of sensational Hammer horror. Into his lair comes two couples, and before the night is done, one husband will be dead and his wife (the marvelous Barbara Shelley) will be turned into one of the walking dead. No, not a Republican, but a vampire. It’s up to the remaining couple (well played by Francis Matthews and Suzan Farmer) and a priest (played by Andrew Keir, who co-starred with Shelley in “Quartermass and the Pit”) to put an end to Dracula before he puts the bite on any one else. Terrific production values and a high sense of adventure and dread distinguish this mid-sixties treat that is just now making it’s debut on DVD.

COMPLETE CHECK-UP

VISION: [ ] EXCELLENT [ X ] GOOD [ ] RESUSCITATE [ ] D.O.A.

A handsome transfer that maintains the film’s original 2.35:1 widescreen ratio. The original negative shows some wear (especially around the reel changes), and the blacks aren’t as strong as they should be. Still, the images hold up amazingly well, although a small amount of shimmer and some compression artifacts are present. The colors are attractive and the saturation is strong, while the flesh tones are natural and appealing. If the blacks were stronger, the transfer would be excellent.

HEARING: [ ] EXCELLENT [ X ] GOOD [ ] RESUSCITATE [ ] D.O.A.

“Dracula: Prince of Darkness” features two adequate Dolby Digital mono soundtracks, one in English and the other in French. Surprisingly, the French soundtrack is louder than the English soundtrack. Both feature crisp, clear sound with no noticeable distortion or hiss.

ORAL: [ ] EXCELLENT [ ] GOOD [ ] RESUSCITATE [ X ] D.O.A.

No closed captions or subtitles.

COORDINATION: [ X ] EXCELLENT [ ] GOOD [ ] RESUSCITATE [ ] D.O.A.

Another nice collection of extras from Hammer and Anchor Bay. Not only do you get the widescreen version of the film in English and French, the DVD also features a running audio commentary with stars Christopher Lee, Barbara Shelley, Francis Matthews and Suzan Farmer, who gather for a round robin of interesting facts and nostalgic reminisces. It’s obvious from the get go that Lee is the exalted leader of the group, commanding silence when he has something relevant to say. I liked the commentary because it was loose and off the cuff. You can tell they are having fun. Lee, who has the longest history with Hammer, offers the most insight into the film and the studio. You learn so much from these chats, like the fact that Barbara Shelley couldn’t scream to save her life, and that all of her screams were dubbed by co-star Suzan Farmer. The actors constantly compliment each other and their co-stars, and discuss working with director Terence Fisher. There’s even a side discussion on notorious Hollywood director William Wyler that manages to get Lee sidetracked because he’s so enthralled watching the film. I don’t know when the commentary was recorded, but the dialogue seems lively and current. How swell to bring this quartet together for a reunion and then record it for all of us fans. On side-two of the DVD are a plethora of extras, like a behind-the-scenes 8mm home movie shot by Francis Matthews’ brother, narrated by the four stars, the original theatrical trailer, plus a bonus re-release trailer that also features “The Plague of the Zombies,” and another wonderful “World of Hammer” installment titled “Dracula & The Undead,” and narrated by Oliver Reed. This 20 minute featurette takes a look at Hammer’s entry into the “Dracula” franchise. There are great scenes from all of Hammer’s fang films, from “Brides of Dracula” to “Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter.” The main and scene access menus are attractive and interactive. All together a great collection of extras for the fan.

PROGNOSIS: [ ] EXCELLENT [ X ] GOOD [ ] RESUSCITATE [ ] D.O.A.

As the first release in The Hammer Collection, this Anchor Bay Entertainment release has real bite.

VITALS: $29.99/Not Rated/90 Min./Color/13 Chapter Stops/Keepcase/#DV10502

ATTENDING RESIDENT: John Larsen

PATIENT: DRACULA: PRINCE OF DARKNESS

BIRTH DATE: 1965

HMO: Anchor Bay Entertainment

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