I've been reading Hammer Glamour, an impressive art book about the many actresses who played roles in the multitude of Hammer films. Hammer Horror actress Caroline Munro, an iconic cult movie figure from her time on The Golden Voyage if Sinbad as well as a kickass Bond girl, discussed her love of Captain Kronos, one of the films she starred in. I'd heard the film mentioned elsewhere and it was described as a bit of a cult classic so I thought I'd seek it out. Luckily, it was available on a streaming service I subscribed to so, snacks in hand, I settled down to watch it one evening.
I'd heard that it was a vampire killer movie so expected the usual Van Helsing thing but this is a different beast; it felt like an old Leone Spaghetti Westerns or Kurosawa films, where a lone traveller helps a people against seemingly impossible odds.
The film starts off with a cold open. A couple of young women are discussing beauty and vanity when a mysterious hooded figure approaches one of the women whilst the other is occupied. When the friend returns, she sees her friend has aged and is a husk of her former self. This startling opening is a great start to Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter.
We then see a mysterious stranger riding across lush landscapes. He is followed by a wagon pulled by 4 white horses, riden by a man in a smart black suit laden with various tools of the trade- vampire hunting. On their way, the rider (revealed to be handsome Horst Jansson) frees a woman (Munro) who has been placed in stocks for 'dancing on a Sunday'. The dramatic music kicks in and the opening credits roll as the party travel across the country through beautiful landscapes and vistas. The film opening kind of reminds me of Aguirre: Wrath of God but this film doesn't have the sublime Popul Vuh soundtrack but rather Laurie Johnson’s boombastic and effective sound pallette.
We find that Kronos, and his colleague Grost (played with aplomb by John Cater) have been called for by an old comrade to investigate the death of the young girls in the area whose youth has been drained from them by a vampire. What follows is a cat and mouse game as Kronos closes in on the threat, but not before encountering some aggressive locals who don't like outsiders in their village.
I really quite liked this quite original take on the old vampire myth as it challenged a few of the old tropes and conventions; for example, when a young woman seeks solace and safety in a church a crucifix shadow, the crucifix shape moves and she is killed. This scene is pretty amazing and raises the stakes (dad joke-sorry/not sorry) as it shows that nowhere is safe.
The dialogue is pretty basic but I did like Munro's characters aphorism: 'Beauty fades eventually, but a kind soul remians forever.'
I thought the cinematography was well done too and the set design shows an economy of design; Hammer films were cheap and often reused old costumes and sets. However, this frugality lends the film a feel of authenticity with the grime and rot of the olden days that feels really lived in.
Overall, I thought it was a great watch, not a masterpiece but definitely worth your time at only 90 or so minutes.
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