Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter 4K 1974

The movie was directed by Brian Clemens, who has a lot of experience in screenwriting, which is probably why the approach to the genre theme of vampires turned out to be very interesting. Before us are not just bloodsuckers, thirsty for blood, but sinister creatures, sucking the very life and youth out of the chosen poor, which is ideologically similar to the typical image of Dracula's brethren in the inextricable symbiosis of the death of the victim and the eternal existence of the vampire, but brings a “fresh breath” in the embodiment of what is happening.

To make the movie even happier, it is not this single beginning that makes it successful. Captain Kronos, the main character in the title of the film, is equally curiously described, being an extremely colorful hero. Exactly the hero, that combined in himself the tasks of a little-talked brave with the tragedy of the past, dressed in a military camisole, under which is hidden an eloquent battle scar, able to fence perfectly, carrying in addition to the European saber and Japanese katana, versed in all sorts of nuances-beliefs of his work with the destruction of various evil. Specially invited German actor Horst Janson (Horst Janson) harmoniously presented a similar type, suitable to his appearance of a little shabby long road knight without fear and reproach. The faithful resourceful assistant in the hunchback overlays, and for visual beauty is responsible for Caroline Munro (Caroline Munro), who played a typical role of a girl of pleasant appearance, but confidently acting in the proposed role of attractive barefoot peasant girl.

And since the case took place at the studio “Hammer” - a real master in creating gothic British horror, the background came out simply luxurious. Well-proven solid scenery, characteristic of the named studio, pleases with the breadth of the scope of the recreated immersion in the old days of harnessed carriages, frightening forest, cemeteries with protruding crosses, and a huge estate, where various nobles in rich robes, melting eerie secrets.

The detective field of the story to find answers to mystical events with the transformation of young girls into old women, whose life juices drank a secretive vampire, is equipped with the obligatory elements of horror, but whether the time of the mid 70's with obvious innovations in the genre set a certain pace, or a certain stagnation of children under the aegis of “Hammer” in the same framework a decent period of time required other benchmarks, or maybe it was a conscious thought-out author's move, but in the end the tape managed to combine with horror entertaining adventure motifs. Therefore, the viewer is waiting not only unhurried historical classic “Hammer” creepy, but also tense video sequence with various battles and duels with cold weapons, worthy of the screen adaptation of the adventures of the three musketeers. Here even the main villain is not just a vampire with the expected power of hypnosis or eternal life, but also an excellent swordsman, which makes the climax perfectly keeps in tension.

In general, the movie is a nice example of its genre, its studio, its years, which impose certain conventions on the production, which for fans become a real sign of quality, in advance arousing interest in the work, it is a pity that it did not get a sequel as a planned franchise, where you could still go on exciting adventures with a resourceful pair of vampire killers.