To the casual buyer, releases of Hammer films are a confusing mess of widely varying quality and extras, and boxed sets with films you're not remotely interested in. Few can be said to have had the definitive DVD treatment, but earlier releases will undoubtedly have reduced the potential for later, superior releases to succeed.

DRACULA, PRINCE OF DARKNESS (1966) is a prime example. Currently, the choice is between this region 1 release from Anchor Bay and Warner Home Video's region 2 release. Ultimately it comes down to a non-anamorphic transfer with extras or an anamorphic transfer that has 20 seconds cut and no extras.

This is the former, which is probably the less unsatisfactory of the two.

We open with a quick recap of the climax of Hammer's original DRACULA, with Peter Cushing's Van Helsing destroying Christopher Lee's Count, accompanied by a voice-over from Andrew Keir.

Those events happened ten years ago, but the locals are still superstitious - if mistaken - as we see when Keir's Father Sandor stops a priest from staking a dead girl, and when he criticises an innkeeper for decorating the place with garlic.

It is in the inn where Sandor meets four English tourists - Charles Kent (Matthews) his wife Diana (Suzan Farmer), his older brother Alan (Charles Tingwell), and Alan's wife Helen (Shelley). Helen wants to visit Carlsbad, but Sandor warns them off, specifically telling them not to visit the castle - a castle which doesn't appear on any map...

Of course, they end up at the castle anyway, where they met manservant Klove, who tells them that his master is dead, but that his will stated the castle must always be ready to welcome visitors. And the name of this master? Count Dracula.

In fact, Dracula is probably one of the film's weaker elements. After taking someone with the knowledge and skill of Van Helsing to destroy him last time, here he is defeated by a priest and an English tourist. Even worse, his demise looks like he's balancing on a huge trapdoor and the whole "running water will kill him" revelation set the tone for different, and increasing risible, means of despatch in subsequent films.

For a 1966 film, DRACULA, PRINCE OF DARKNESS is surprisingly bloody, particularly in Klove's almost ritualistic resurrection of the Count. With some good performances, and a suitable score from James Bernard, the film has stood the test of time pretty well.

Apparently the film's negative isn't in great shape, which might explain why the picture quality (2.35:1 non-anamorphic) isn't the greatest. Even so, the extras mean that this disc is probably the preferred option for those with a multi-region player.

The main one is the commentary from Lee, Shelley, Matthews and Farmer. All seem to have good memories of making the film, and Farmer has even gone to the trouble of watching the film beforehand. Unfortunately, Lee exhibits the same tendency of dominating proceedings and veering massively off-topic that he did on THE WICKER MAN commentary, only more so.

It would probably have been better for Lee to only have joined the others when Dracula enters the film (or at least they arrive at the castle) as he spends the first twenty minutes recounting unrelated stories to the extent that I was just about to switch it off. This is a shame as the others often struggle to get a word in (at one point Farmer twice tries to defend THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE as a "classic", only for Lee to talk over the top of her), and they've got plenty of interesting points to make. Overall, it's not a bad commentary by any means, but Lee really should learn to shut up now and again.

The other extras are all on side 2 of this double-sided disc, which is annoying and I doubt that many will bother with them after checking them out for the first time.

Farmer, Lee, Matthews and Shelley also add their comments to some 8mm behind-the-scenes footage shot by Matthews' brother, Paul Shelley. The quality isn't great, but it's still perfectly watchable and is definitely worth looking at.

The main extra is the DRACULA & THE UNDEAD episode of the WORLD OF HAMMER series. Oliver Reed narrates this compilation of clips from Hammer's vampire movies, but apart from CAPTAIN KRONOS and Jenny Hanley's cleavage from SCARS OF DRACULA, it's not really worth the effort.

A couple of trailers round out the extras. A standalone one, and a combo one with PLAGUE OF THE ZOMBIES. Interesting for a comparison between the 1966 promotion style and that of today, but not really worth flipping the disc for.

To be honest, as a film DRACULA, PRINCE OF DARKNESS is probably worth a point more than the disc's overall rating. The transfer of the film itself is not great, and it's also non-anamorphic. The commentary is pretty good, but if Lee had shut up a bit more it would have been better, while the extras are a bit disappointing, although you don't really expect great extras from a film that's nearly 40 years old. Making this a double sided disc probably makes me a bit more cynical about them that I would otherwise be, as you have to go to the trouble of turning the disc over, rather than being able to watch them alongside the main feature.

For fans of Hammer or British horror films in general, this is still probably the best option, and it's quite probable that any future non-Anchor Bay release will lose the commentary track and the other extras, but if you'd rather have an anamorphic transfer (or indeed, subtitles, as there aren't any here) it might be worth looking out for other releases. BACK TO THE TOP

DRACULA, PRINCE OF DARKNESS

Written by JOHN SANSOM

Directed by TERENCE FISHER

Starring CHRISTOPHER LEE,
BARBARA SHELLEY, ANDREW KEIR,
FRANCIS MATTHEWS, SUZAN FARMER

ANCHOR BAY

REGION: 1 (NTSC)


RATING: 7/10