Like VAMPIRE CIRCUS, this is a Hammer flick with a different idea of vampires. Had Hammer remained in the horror biz, there might have been some sequels to this, which would have been great.
A good Hammer film with the great gothic look & enjoyable story of vampire myth.This movie was made in the early 70's so don't expect great special effects. The things that I liked the most about this movie is the locations. You have villages that exist in the middle of no where with nothing more than a small trail connecting them.
Entertaining, swashbuckling adventure film that has a vampire killer named Kronos who slays various vampiric creatures without mercy. The performances are campy, the costuming cheesy, and the sets are cheap, but the writing is surprisingly clever with even some nice little twists and turns. It's definitely not a "good" movie but it's a fun one.
Not a perfect film, but it has its moments, it was really fascinating, the way it holds on to its themes of fights and vampires over an interesting plot, it did not work the b est, but it was still very fascinating, some of the shots and the dialogue were really cool.
Excellent melodrama, as is the case with most Hammer productions. Also, this is a fine collection of actors. Very little blood, but used to great effect.
"What he doesn't know about vampirism wouldn't fill a flea's codpiece"
Young women from the village are being mysteriously drained of their blood and, bewildered as to the source of the problem, the local physician requests the help of an old friend, the "herb" smoking, swashbuckling ex-military man Captain Kronos (Horst Janson). Freelancing has a vampire hunter and aided by his occult studying compatriot (John Cater), Kronos sets about tracking down the mysterious attacker and saves a beautiful gypsy girl from the stocks (Caroline Munro) along the way.
In an attempt to revive flagging sales, Hammer swept away the dark, cobweb laden castles of old and injected the vampire genre with sword fights, bar brawls and self parody. Whilst the result is far from disastrous, it unfortunately did not prevent the inevitable demise for the onetime flagship of British cinema. Somewhat feather light in the plot department, Kronos nevertheless moves along at a brisk pace and throws up some great lines along the way. Performances are nothing special but Janson brings certainly brings an element of fun to his character. The stunning Caroline Munro (The Abominable Dr Phibes) plays her part well and is more than just a pretty face to look at (although you cannot help but look).
Whilst lacking the gravitas of the big hits from Hammer stalwarts Cushing and Lee, Kronos is an entertaining film nonetheless even if it is not one of the studios strongest. Recommended.
MCT:August 1, 2008
MCT:June 14, 2008
MCT:September 10, 2007
MCT:April 20, 2007
MCT:November 3, 2006
