Dracula: Prince of Darkness Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		3.0

Dracula: Prince of Darkness Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 15, 2012

Terence Fisher's "Dracula: Prince of Darkness" (1966) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Studio Canal. The supplemental features on the disc include the film's original theatrical trailer; restoration comparison; making of featurette; behind the scenes footage; audio commentary by Christopher Lee, Suzan Farmer, Francis Matthews, and Barbara Shelley; original UK and U.S. titles; and "Hammer Stars: Christopher Lee", an episode of the World of Hammer documentary series. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Count Dracula

The film opens up with a short prologue in which Count Dracula is destroyed. The footage is from the finale of Horror of Dracula, which Terence Fisher directed in 1958.

Dracula: Prince of Darkness, also directed by Fisher in 1966, moves the action approximately ten years later. Two couples - Alan Kent (Charles 'Bud' Tingwell, The Desert Rats, Breaker Morant) and his brother Charles (Francis Matthews, The Revenge of Frankenstein, A Woman Possessed) and their wives Helen (Barbara Shelley, Rasputin: The Mad Monk) and Diana (Suzan Farmer, Die, Monster, Die!) - head to the Carpathians for a climbing holiday. Nearby Karlsbad, they run into Father Sandor (Andrew Keir), who warns them to stay away from the local castle. But their carriage has a small accident right outside the castle and they decide to spend the night there.

A mysterious retainer named Klove (Phillip Latham, TV's The Avengers) appears and welcomes the two couples. Shortly after, he serves them dinner. Later the same night, Klove slaughters one of his guests and drags the body to an unusually large basement with a coffin placed right in the middle of it. Count Dracula (Christopher Lee, The Wicker Man) is then resurrected with an impressive ritual.

By the morning hours Count Dracula already looks as powerful as he once was. Father Sandor enters the picture again and vows to destroy the evil that has been awakened by the two couples. But Count Dracula reaches out to an old ally who could help him outsmart his opponents.

Dracula: Prince of Darkness has enough of that unique Gothic flavor to warm up the hearts of Hammer fans, but it never matches the quality of its predecessor. Its narrative is disappointingly transparent and Count Dracula actually looks shockingly unappealing. The majority of the lines the main protagonists utter are also quite banal (the ones that clarify what makes Count Dracula vulnerable are particularly tedious).

Perhaps the biggest disappointment, however, is the fact that Lee never utters a single word. He shows his fangs and does his best to look authoritative, but after a while it becomes incredibly difficult to take his grimacing seriously. On the other hand, despite the fact that Keir’s presence in front of the camera is limited, he is such a dominant figure that there are entire sequences where he simply overshadows the rest of the cast.

Bernard Robinson’s (Paranoiac, The Plague of the Zombies, The Reptile) production designs are very good. The footage from inside the castle and especially the basement where the bloody ritual is performed is excellent. There is a real Gothic feel here which is arguably one of the film’s greatest strengths.

Dracula: Prince of Darkness also benefits from a surprisingly good orchestral score by James Bernard. Both the strings and winds have excellent solos that add a great deal to the film’s unique atmosphere.

Note: Dracula: Prince of Darkness was filmed back-to-back with director Don Sharp’s Rasputin: The Mad Monk, and used many of the same cast members and sets. Rasputin: The Mad Monk was also recently restored and is set to appear on Blu-ray, courtesy of Studio Canal, on October 22.

Dracula: Prince of Darkness Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.36:1, encoded with VC-1 and granted a 1080p transfer, Terence Fisher's Dracula: Prince of Darkness arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Studio Canal.

This is the weakest of the Hammer Blu-ray releases that I've seen thus far. The film has once again been restored in 2K from the original negatives stored at Pinewood Studios, but its transition to Blu-ray is somewhat problematic. Specifically, there are traces of denoising corrections throughout the entire film that have affected detail, sharpness, and in select sequences also clarity. The most obvious examples are during daylight sequences, where the color scheme has been destabilized and detail affected. (See screencapture #14 where the greens look smeary and the shack almost out of focus). Selected close-ups, however, look rather good, with at least some of the detail appearing intact (see screencapture #5). Nevertheless, the digital softness this type of denoising introduces is still very easy to spot, especially on large screens. Additionally, early into the film there are a couple of minor banding patterns. The most obvious one appears immediately after Father Sandor greets the two couples. There are no large damage marks, cuts, or debris to report in this review. To sum it all up, while the actual restoration of Dracula: Prince of Darkness appears to be as impressive as those of Quatermass and the Pit, The Plague of the Zombies, and The Reptile, the film's transition to Blu-ray clearly isn't. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Dracula: Prince of Darkness Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: English LPCM 2.0. For the record, Studio Canal have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.

I now have what appears to be a newer release of this film (market copy). Initially, I was sent only a screener, which had some sync issues with the audio track.

The English LPCM 2.0 has a surprisingly good dynamic amplitude which effectively elevates James Bernard's often very tense orchestral score. In fact, there are sequences in the film where the music seems to be a lot more important than the action -- the excellent solos and dynamic movement in the string section certainly suggest so. The dialog is well balanced with the music, and is always crisp, clean, and stable. Additionally, there are no problematic distortions or audio dropouts to report in this review.

Dracula: Prince of Darkness Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Restoration Comparison - a short demonstration with selected clips from the film. Without sound. (4 min, 1080p).

• Back to Back - in this making of featurette, Hammer Films historian Marcus Hearn, actor and writer Mark Gatiss and writer Jonathan Rigby explain what makes Dracula: Prince of Darkness unique and discuss its production history. Actors Barbara Shelley and Francis Matthews also recall their contribution to the film. There are also some very interesting comments by Jon Mann, technical restoration manager at Pinewood Studios. In English, not subtitled. (30 min, 1080/50i).

• World of Hammer - Studio Canal have included the "Hammer Stars: Christopher Lee" episode from the popular TV series, written and created by Ashley and Robert Sidaway, and narrated by Oliver Reed. In English, not subtitled. (25 min, PAL).

• Behind the Scenes - behind-the-scenes film shot by Francis Matthews' brother Paul Shelley with his 8mm home movie camera. The footage is accompanied by comments from Christopher Lee, Barbara Shelley, Suzan Farmer and Francis Matthews, which were recorded on February 23, 1997. In English, not subtitled. (5 min, PAL).

• Trailer - original trailer for Dracula: Prince of Darkness. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Double Bill Trailer - a double bill trailer for Dracula: Prince of Darkness and Frankenstein Created Woman. In English, not subtitled. (1 min, 1080p).

• Original USA Titles - without sound. (1 min, 1080p).

• UK Theatrical Titles - original print, without sound. (1 min, 1080p).

• Commentary - an audio commentary by Christopher Lee, Suzan Farmer, Francis Matthews, and Barbara Shelley. This is an informative and quite entertaining commentary in which the actors recall how specific sequences were shot and some of the technical obstacles that had to be overcome during the shooting of the film, and discuss the film's strengths and weaknesses, etc. For the record, this is the same commentary that appears on the old Anchor Bay Entertainment DVD release of the film. In English, not subtitled.

Dracula: Prince of Darkness Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

While Studio Canal's restoration of Dracula: Prince of Darkness appears to be as impressive as those of Quatermass and the Pit, The Plague of the Zombies, and The Reptile, the film's transition to Blu-ray isn't. Therefore, if you are interested in adding it to your collections, my advice to you is to find a way to rent the Blu-ray first and see whether some of the issues described in our review bother you. RENT IT.