I have been a film aficionado for a long time. My father brought me up on classics like David Lean's adaptations of Oliver Twist and Great Expectations as well as the various black and white classic comedies of Charlie Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy. However I became interested in cult TV series and films whilst attending university. Our campus was media-centered and as a result it had a huge catalogue of videos to rent, free of charge. I ploughed through many often taking the maximum 8 out at a time and consumed them voraciously. As a result I believe that I am quite literate in films and TV but the series that really attracts me are the more offbeat curios. I've explained my love for old creepy films here before and it is in this vein that I wanted to explore some classic horror films from yesteryear. The Kiss of the Vampire, the 1962 production, is one very such film I sought out as it is a lesser known Hammer horror film.
The story follows a young well-to-do honeymooning couple end up stuck in some backwater in Bavaria. Whilst finding accommodation in a nearby hotel they are invited for dinner by Doctor Ravna, an aristocrat who lives in the nearby castle. It all seems too good to be true as the host and his family are revealed to be the disciples of vampires. When the wife is kidnapped, bitten and turned into a vampire, her husband looks to rescue her from the clutches of the doctor.
This film is a gorgeous production with a vibrant colour palette, beautifully decorated sets and detailed costumes. The cinematography is excellent and sound design dramatic in just the right way. The actress who plays the wife Marianne, Jennifer Daniel, is beguiling in this and plays the role of the ingenue well. This film is unconventional in its ending too as there is no stake through the heart, great fire or anything of the sort. Rather an incantation brings about the demise of the coven of vampires. The special effects for this section are laughably bad but the idea is a good one- even though it is a deus ex machina
I would recommend this film as it is old skool Hammer and existed before the studio went through its difficult years of excess where there was too much gratuitous sex and violence. I'm not saying that there is no place for these but in short sharp bursts it's more effective than where Hammer ended up.