MovieChat Forums > Dracula, Prince of Darkness (1966) Discussion > A version instead of a sequel?

A version instead of a sequel?

posted 18 years ago by matheusmarchetti
10 replies | jump to latest

Does anyone agree that this movie looks more like a version of the novel instead of a sequel to "Dracula" (1958)??? I mean, there are lots of stuff that were in the novel and are in here, like: the final chase with the coffins on the carriage, the insane bug-eater, two women that become Dracula´s victim with one of them becoming a vampire but later eliminated, it also has a Van Helsing-like character and many other things. Did they intended this to be a version, but released it as sequel to the previous movie?

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] 18 years ago

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[–] nigel-235 18 years ago

Certainly a sequel, but Hammer wanted to include a few elements of the book which they had not included in the original film. They did the same thing with Scars of Dracula, which has the Count's 'wall crawling' sequence on the outside of the castle (rumour has it that Christopher Lee was instrumental in getting these 'original' elements restored as he had never been happy with the way Hammer portrayed the Count, and he only agreed to do Prince Of Darkness on the proviso that he didn't have to speak!)

[–] jquirk-1 17 years ago

Yeah, I agree with the majority -- it's definitely a sequel. It even starts out with the final sequence from "Horror of Dracula." The only question I ever had is this: Where was Klove in "Horror of Dracula?" But then again, in many of the old Hammer and Universal monster flick sequels, there were always holes in the plots.

The Hammer Frankenstein movies had major holes between sequels. It could be argued that "Evil of Frankenstein" was a "version" rather than a sequel. It really didn't connect well to its predessor, "Revenge of Frankenstein," or its sequel, "Frankenstein Created Woman." The entire back story offered in "Evil ..." didn't jibe with what had happened in the previous two films, as well.

[–] jquirk-1 17 years ago

A better question is this: Is "Kiss of the Vampire" a sequel to "Brides of Dracula" and prequel to "Dracula: Prince of Darkness?" I believe it is part of the whole.

The Hammer Dracula canon — as well as my rankings of which are the best ones — is as follows:
01. Horror of Dracula (3)
02. Brides of Dracula (2)
03. Kiss of the Vampire (9)
04. Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1)
05. Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (4)
06. Taste the Blood of Dracula (8)
07. Scars of Dracula (5)
08. Dracula A.D. 1972 (7)
09. Satanic Rites of Dracula (6)
10. The Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires (10)

[–] Adirondack 15 years ago

The films Horror of Dracula and Dracula: Prince of Darkness might be Hammer's whole presentation of their version of the novel. Otherwise, I can see this film as a sequel rather than a version of the novel.

[–] Edward-163 15 years ago

A better question is this: Is "Kiss of the Vampire" a sequel to "Brides of Dracula" and prequel to "Dracula: Prince of Darkness?"

Yeah they can work like that

Kiss Of The Vampire is my favourite, Brides Of Dracula seems a bit silly to me - although the scene where the old woman coaxes a new vampire out of the ground is brilliantly creepy - and what happened to the man who jumped aboard the coach?

don't ever watch Prince Of Darkness straight after the Rasputin film though - the casts are almost identical and it gets really confusing!

[–] davidandjone 15 years ago

I also agree with most that this is a sequel to "Horror of Dracula" mostly because it starts out with the final sequence from that film. That pretty much sums it up as a dead or should it be said "undead" giveaway that it is a sequel. A question was brought up about where was Klove in "Horror of Dracula". If you pay close attention in the beginning of "Horror of Dracula", when Jonathan Harker and Count Dracula first meet in the castle, and are beginning to walk up the stairs, Count Dracula apologetically states, "unfortunately my housekeeper is away at the moment, a family bereavement, you understand; however I think you will find that everything has been prepared for your comfort." This could at least explain the character of Klove in the movie, even though neither he nor his name are mentioned, until he actually appeared in "Dracula, Prince of Darkness". Again, that in itself, could at least be construed as the character of Klove, who would eventually appear in the later movie.

[–] TorontoJediMaster 15 years ago

Hammer wasn't known for being fastidious in watching for plot holes. Apparently Klove showed up in time to sweep up all the dust needed to bring the Count back to "life" before it could be totally blown away.

Klove doesn't strike me as the sort who'd go running home to whatever family he has after a death. Can you see the conversation with his relatives? "So, what line of work are you in now?" "I'm valet/henchmen/sinister majordomo for a 500 year old vampire count. Work involves keeping coffins ready for daylight use, defending my boss' lair, occasional killing of unwary travellers and some cooking (depending on whether or not there are guests) and light dusting. Hours are bad, but the pay is good."

[–] millsey72 (10932) 2 years ago

There was a Dracula novel? Who wrote it?