Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Stephen Larson April 11, 2021

Brian Clemens successfully deconstructs and inverts vampire myths in what would be his sole directorial feature. Clemens, who also penned the screenplay, sets the action in England during the early nineteen century. (Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter was filmed in the Black Park, Iver Heath, and Buckinghamshire, which are close to where Clemens lived.) Captain Kronos (Horst Janson) is a dashing and brawny blonde who once served as a member in the Imperial Guard. He was bitten by a vampire in the neck but survived. Kronos and his hunchbacked friend, Professor Hieronymus Grost (John Cater), are both vampire hunters. While galloping along through the forest, they come across a woman locked in a pillory for what was an innocuous offense. They free Carla (played by Bond girl Caroline Munro) and she grows amorously close to Kronos. They're joined by Dr. Marcus (John Carson), another pal of Kronos who was his medic in the Royal Army. Grost reasons that setting dead toads in the woods can pinpoint the presence of a vampire. Kronos needs Grost's almost-scientific expertise because various young women have been bitten by a vampire in a black hood and cloak. Clemens subverts the genre here because the female victims have not their blood drained but their youth. When they're bitten, the ladies' age accelerates so they look like old crones.

While Shane Briant is third-billed, Clemens doesn't have him make an appearance until a bit later after the opening act. This was done on purpose but Clemens takes his character in another direction than I'd anticipated. Briant was under contract with Hammer and was supposed to play the lead in a biopic about Bram Stoker. However, the financing never materialized so Hammer had to give him something to do and stuck him in Captain Kronos. Briant portrays Paul Durward, the brother of Sara (Lois Daine) and son of Lady Durward (Wanda Ventham, mum of Benedict Cumberbatch). Paul often visits the cemetery to visit the grave of his father, who died young in a bubonic plague. It isn't giving anything away to note that Lady Durward wears a mask. (Her lips don't move when she talks with it on.) Her ladyship is an invalid who Paul and his sister tend to and travel with on carriage rides.

The vampire hunters.

Captain Kronos isn't so much a traditional horror film as it is an adventure/Western/vampire hybrid. With his rapier and a Samurai, Horst Janson is a swashbuckling hero modeled after Errol Flynn and Tyrone Power. He engages in two memorable sword duels (of very disparate lengths), including one with Kerro (Ian Hendry). There's palpable sexual tension between Cronos and Carla. As soon as Cronos takes off his shirt, Carla immediately becomes lustful for his body. Captain Kronos plays with the theme of mesmerism in different ways. Carla has beautiful and sensual brown eyes that the camera fixates to the point of hypnosis. She seems attracted to the long, lacerated scar around Cronos's back. Could she be one of the vampires? In addition, there's sexually charged energy between Paul and Sara. It's indeed hinted that they have an incestuous relationship. Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter is beautifully photographed, scored, and well-acted by all the thespians.

Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Scream Factory has brought Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter to Blu-ray in America on this MPEG-4 AVC-encoded BD-50. Paramount gave Shout! Factory either an internegative or an interpositive that's struck from a dated source. The picture is presented in the original US theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. This isn't the same print which has appeared on Shock Entertainment's dual-format and single-BD editions as well as German-based Anolis Entertainment's Limited Edition and at least one MediaBook from the same label. I've constructed a graphical comparison between the Shock and Scream transfers. The Shock is brighter by two shades. Just look at how darker the Scream is in Screenshot #37 compared to #36. You can see the details in the frame much clearer on the Australian disc. Also, the hues in the painting of patriarch Durward stand out far greater. Color values also vary. Check out how lush the green vegetation is in capture #38. It may be argued that the Paramount/Scream transfer is the more "natural"-looking presentation. However, cinematographer Ian Wilson apparently was involved in either the Deluxe restoration or color grading on the AU/DE discs. In a 2011 audio commentary, Wilson states that he aimed for a "deep blue" for the nighttime scenes and seems approving of what he was watching while recording the track. The Scream is not only darker, but muddier as well, with more dirt and minor speckling than the AU/DE. The latter transfers look cleaner. Grain is still visible in the brighter outdoor scenes.

As an added (and exclusive) bonus, the Shock offers an open-matted 1.37:1 transfer. I didn't have room to add captures but it offers more information at the top and bottom than either widescreen transfer. Plus, little info is lost along the sides compared to the 1.66:1! It definitely hasn't been panned and scanned. It's a gorgeous presentation and one that I'll watch often. Scream has encoded the central feature at a mean video bitrate of 36000 kbps. On the Shock: 1.66:1 (25002 kbps) and 1.37:1 (21230 kbps). While I grade the Scream transfer a 3.5/5.0, I'd give the Shock a 4.5/5.0 rating.

Screenshots 1-20, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33, 35, 37, & 39 = Scream Factory 2020 BD-50: 1.85:1 Version
Screenshots 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, & 38 = Shock 2013 BD-50: 1.66:1 Version

Scream provides a dozen scene selections for the 93-minute feature. Shock offers ten chapters.

Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Scream supplies a DTS-HD Master Audio Dual Mono mix (1670 kbps, 24-bit) as the lone sound track. The Shock provides an LPCM Dual Mono track (1536 kbps, 16-bit) while the Anolis offer an English DTS-HD Master Audio Dual Mono (1561 kbps, 16-bit). I prefer Scream's DTS-HD MA over Shock's LPCM mainly because the former has a bit depth of 24 over the latter's 16. I listened closely to both and the Shock sounds thinner and not as crisp. Spoken words on both tracks are intelligible. The Scream offers optional English SDH while there are no subtitles or closed-captions on the Shock. Composer Laurie Johnson wrote a rollicking score that has to rank as one of his finest. The brass coronet and briskly played strings help us gallop along on horseback with our heroes over the main titles. Johnson also has some excellent secondary themes: an unforgettable cue underscoring the climax and furtive kettledrums that play at the tavern before a sword fight. The music sounds punchy with solid range along the front channels.

Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Scream Factory has licensed the DVD audio commentary from Paramount's R1, recorded a new one with Bruce Hallenbeck, and produced a recent video conversation with Kim Newman and Stephen Jones. The extras are as good, if not better, on the Shock and Anolis packages. Both have multiple full-length commentary tracks: one is with Shane Briant, John Carson, Caroline Munro, and Brian Clemens. Another is with Clemens and DP Ian Wilson. (Both are moderated by Hammer Films historian Marcus Hearn.) In addition, there's a "Kronos Reunion" with Clemens and several of his actors that was recorded at a retrospective screening of Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter in 2008. The Anolis and Shock each have an extensive still gallery, which the Scream disc lacks. Anolis also recorded its own commentary with Horst Janson and Uwe Sommerlad; they speak in German and it's subtitled in English. An additional commentary track was recorded with Dr. Rolf Giesen and Volker Kronz; they speak in German (sans any subtitles). Furthermore, Janson delivers a 73-minute interview in German (without subtitles).

• NEW Audio Commentary with Film Historian Bruce G. Hallenbeck - Hallenbaeck works mainly from secondary sources along with a few interviews he conducted for this feature-length track. He goes into the careers of the main players and the filmmakers. Hallenbaeck cites quotes and anecdotes from magazines like Little Shoppe of Horrors, Tales from the Crypt and Fangoria. He asserts that Captain Kronos is ripe for a Hammer reboot and some sequels. This commentary isn't filled with as many rich nuggets as the one he recorded for Scream's release of Lust for a Vampire. In English, not subtitled.

• Audio Commentary with Writer/Director/Producer Brian Clemens, Actress Caroline Munro, and Hammer Films Historian Jonathan Sothcott - this commentary was recorded in the early 2000s (either '01 or '02) for the 2003 Paramount DVD of Captain Kronos. Sothcott, Clemens, and Munro were recorded together. Clemens does most of the talking. He had shown Captain Kronos to a friend before recording this track so his memory is sharp. Sothcott occasionally interjects with observations and questions but mostly lets Clemens have his say. Munro discusses her scenes and goes into what else she's been up to in her career. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Anything Goes: Hammer Film in the 70s (32:55, 1080p) - this is a joint video conversation between Kim Newman and Stephen Jones conducted in what appears is Newman's library. The two authors give an overview of the cycle of productions coming out of Hammer during the Seventies. They delve into many films Hammer and other studios released that decade, including Captain Kronos. Hammer's screenwriters are also addressed. The program is accompanied by posters and stills from the titles under discussion. In English, not subtitled.

• Radio Spots (3:02) - four radio spots that Paramount produced to advertise Captain Kronos. The last two publicize its pairing with Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell.

• Theatrical Trailer (2:47, upscaled to 1080p) - a full-frame trailer (unrestored) for Captain Kronos that gives away some pivotal story events. Don't watch it if you've never seen the film.

Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter is a pretty terrific revisionist vampire film from Hammer that has excellent replay value. It's too bad that Scream Factory was unable to acquire the superior restoration of the film executed by Deluxe Restoration. The vintage Paramount print looks pretty good but it pales in comparison to the lushly saturated colors on the Anolis and Shock BD-50s. It's also unfortunate that the AU and DE releases are out of print. You'll probably have to pay upwards of at least USD $70 for each. If you're fluent in German, the Anolis package is nirvana! Arrow was going to release Captain Kronos in the UK several years ago but never got around to it. I feel great with the option to watch Captain Kronos in three different aspect ratios. The Scream, Anolis, and Shock contain some unique extras. It's still worth owning the Scream Factory edition for the two commentaries and the wonderfully informative interview with Newman and Jones. While it isn't the most complete or definitive package, the Scream still earns a SOLID RECOMMENDATION.