Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter (1974)
-
57% of users liked it
(3,193 ratings)
A late entry from the foundering Hammer Studios, this intriguing and highly original twist on the vampire motif -- featuring for once a hero more charismatic than the vampires with which he does battle -- was the first in a planned series of Kronos films, but poor planning on behalf of its overseas… More A late entry from the foundering Hammer Studios, this intriguing and highly original twist on the vampire motif -- featuring for once a hero more charismatic than the vampires with which he does battle -- was the first in a planned series of Kronos films, but poor planning on behalf of its overseas distributors killed the franchise's great potential in the American market. Kronos (Horst Janson) -- a kind of swashbuckling Sherlock Holmes of the occult sciences -- and his hunchbacked companion Professor Grost (John Cater), arrive in the village of Durward where the local young wenches are being victimized by a family of vampires that drain youth, not blood, from their victims, turning them into withered old hags. Kronos' mystical intuition and powers of deduction lead him to the elderly Lady Durward (Wanda Ventham) and her pompous children Paul (Shane Briant) and Sara (Lois Daine), and he soon squares off against his vampiric foes with a lethal sword (fashioned from a sacred cross) and a bag of occult tricks (including an interesting use of dead frogs). Well-photographed and cleverly directed by Brian Clemens (Dr. Jekyll & Sister Hyde), this is one of Hammer's few attempts to broaden its audience in the 1970's -- a trend which reached its zenith of zaniness with everybody kung fu fighting in the Hammer/Shaw Brothers collaboration Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi
- Directed By
- Brian Clemens
- Written By
- Brian Clemens
- Genres
- Action & Adventure, Horror
- In Theaters
- Apr 7, 1974 Wide
- On DVD
- Oct 21, 2003
- Studio
- Paramount Pictures
Critic Reviews
-
Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com
A goofily endearing old chestnut, and one that any self-respecting horror fan will eventually want to check out for themselves.
-
Eric Henderson, Slant Magazine
Today, irony has started to look more and more like the death knell for serious horror films, and so the relative straightforwardness of a Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter is a welcome throwback.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
Currently unavailable on Flixster
Also available on
Other Retailers
Subscription Services
Cast
-
Horst Janson
as Kronos
-
Shane Briant
as Paul Durward
-
Caroline Munro
as Carla
-
John Cater
as Prof. Heironymous Grost
-
Ian Hendry
as Kerro
-
Elizabeth Dear
as Ann Sorell
-
John Hollis
as Barman
-
Robert James
as Pointer
-
Terence Sewards
as Tom
-
Wanda Ventham
as Lady Durward
-
William Hobbs
as Hagen
-
Trevor Lawrence
as Deke
-
Lois Daine
as Sara Durward
- John Carson
-
Peter Davidson
as Big Man