Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter

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Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Brian Clemens
Produced by	Albert Fennell Brian Clemens
Written by	Brian Clemens
Starring	Horst Janson John Carson Caroline Munro
Music by	Laurie Johnson
Cinematography	Ian Wilson
Editing by	James Needs
Studio	Hammer Film Productions
Distributed by	Bruton Films
Release dates	7 April 1974 (UK)
Running time	91 min.
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Budget	₤160,000^[1]

Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter is a 1972 British horror film. It was written and directed by Brian Clemens, produced by Clemens and Albert Fennell for Hammer Film Productions, and belatedly released on 7 April 1974. It stars Horst Janson in the title role, along with John Carson, Shane Briant and Caroline Munro. The music score was composed by Laurie Johnson, supervised by Philip Martell. It was originally the pilot for a planned television series. It was rated R in North America.

Plot summary

When his village is plagued by mysterious deaths marked by highly accelerated aging, Dr. Marcus calls in his army friend, Captain Kronos, and his companion, hunchback Professor Hieronymus Grost, professional vampire hunters. Grost explains to the initially skeptical Marcus that the dead women are victims of a vampire who drains not blood but youth, and that there are "as many species of vampire as there are beasts of prey." The discovery of another victim confirms Grost's explanation.

Grost and Kronos’s companion Carla detect via a mystical test the presence of vampires, but their findings are contradicted by an eyewitness who claims to have seen "someone old, very old", while a youth-draining vampire should appear youthful.

Marcus visits the family of his late friend, Lord Hagen Durward, and speaks with the Lord's son, Paul (Shane Briant) and his beautiful sister Sara (Lois Daine) but must leave before speaking with the bed-ridden Lady Durward. In some woods, Marcus encounters a cloaked figure that leaves him shaken and with blood on his lips.

At a tavern, Kronos defeats some thugs led by Kerro, who was hired by Lady Durward's coachman to murder him. Later, while Kronos, Grost, Marcus and Carla set up a system of alarm bells in the woods, a large bat attacks and kills a young woman. Marcus realizes that he has become a vampire and begs Kronos to kill him. After failed attempts by various methods (including impalement with a stake and hanging), Kronos accidentally pierces Marcus's chest with a cross of steel that Marcus had been wearing round his neck.

Now understanding the vampire’s weakness, Kronos and Grost go to the cemetery to obtain an iron cross. After Kronos battles and disarms some angry villagers who believe that the men murdered Dr. Marcus, Grost forges the cross into a sword. After seeing a carriage similar to the Durward carriage flee the scene of a vampire attack, Kronos deduces that the vampire lives at Durward Manor, and suspects beautiful, young Sara.

As Kronos attempts to sneak into Durward Manor, Carla seeks refuge at the house as a subterfuge. Carla and the Durward siblings are hypnotized by the vampire, revealed to be Lady Durward, who has grown young and has raised her husband Hagen from the grave. As Lady Durwood offers her husband the mesmerized Carla, Kronos erupts from hiding. Kronos uses his new sword's mirrored blade to reflect Lady Durward’s hypnotic gaze back onto her, and kills Lord Durward in a duel; then he destroys Lady Durward with his sword. In the village courtyard, Kronos bids Carla good bye, then he and Grost ride off to new adventures.

Cast

Horst Janson as Captain Kronos
John Cater as Professor Hieronymus Grost
Caroline Munro as Carla
John Carson as Dr. Marcus
Shane Briant as Paul Durward
Lois Daine as Sara Durward
Wanda Ventham as Lady Durward
William Hobbs as Hagen
Ian Hendry as Kerro

Critical reception

AllMovie called it "one of the last great Hammer Films productions."^[2] In later years, the film became a cult classic largely because of its unusual mix of supernatural horror and swashbuckling action. It was to launch a set of new Hammer films, but into the 1970s the studio landed in financial troubles and ended up shutting down.

Novelisation

A novelization of the film was released, written by Guy Adams under the title Kronos and published by Arrow Publishing in association with Hammer and the Random House Group in 2011.

References

↑ Tom Johnson and Deborah Del Vecchio, Hammer Films: An Exhaustive Filmography, McFarland, 1996 p359
↑ Guarisco, Donald. "Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1974) - Review - AllMovie". AllMovie. Retrieved 19 August 2012.

External links

Hammer Film Productions films

by series

Dracula films	Dracula The Brides of Dracula Dracula: Prince of Darkness Dracula Has Risen from the Grave Taste the Blood of Dracula Scars of Dracula Dracula A.D. 1972 The Satanic Rites of Dracula The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires

Frankenstein films	The Curse of Frankenstein The Revenge of Frankenstein The Evil of Frankenstein Frankenstein Created Woman Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed The Horror of Frankenstein Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell

Mummy films	The Mummy The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb The Mummy's Shroud Blood from the Mummy's Tomb

The Karnstein Trilogy	The Vampire Lovers Lust for a Vampire Twins of Evil

Dick Barton	Dick Barton: Special Agent Dick Barton at Bay Dick Barton Strikes Back

See also	Hammer filmography

by genre

Gothic horror films	The Hound of the Baskervilles The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll The Curse of the Werewolf Shadow of the Cat The Phantom of the Opera The Kiss of the Vampire The Gorgon Rasputin, the Mad Monk The Plague of the Zombies The Reptile The Witches The Devil Rides Out Hands of the Ripper Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde Countess Dracula Vampire Circus Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter To the Devil a Daughter

Horror films	The Mystery of the Marie Celeste Fanatic Crescendo Beyond the Rave Let Me In Wake Wood The Woman in Black

Psychological horror films	Fear in the Night Demons of the Mind

Thriller films	Man in Black Taste of Fear Paranoiac Nightmare The Nanny Straight On till Morning

Science fiction films	Four Sided Triangle Spaceways The Quatermass Xperiment X the Unknown Quatermass 2 The Abominable Snowman The Man Who Could Cheat Death The Damned Quatermass and the Pit The Lost Continent Moon Zero Two

Mystery films	Dr. Morelle: The Case of the Missing Heiress Someone at the Door Cloudburst Whispering Smith Hits London Lady in the Fog The Saint's Return The Glass Cage The Full Treatment Hysteria

Crime films	Death in High Heels The Black Widow The Last Page Wings of Danger Blood Orange The Gambler and the Lady Mantrap The House Across the Lake Third Party Risk Murder by Proxy Women Without Men The Snorkel Hell Is a City Cash on Demand The Maniac

Action films	Ten Seconds to Hell The Stranglers of Bombay The Devil-Ship Pirates Shatter The Lady Vanishes

Adventure films	The Jack of Diamonds Mask of Dust The Men of Sherwood Forest Sword of Sherwood Forest Passport to China The Terror of the Tongs The Pirates of Blood River The Scarlet Blade The Brigand of Kandahar She One Million Years B.C. A Challenge for Robin Hood Prehistoric Women The Viking Queen The Vengeance of She When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth Creatures the World Forgot

Drama films	Song of Freedom The Rossiter Case Never Look Back Stolen Face The Flanagan Boy A Stranger Came Home Break in the Circle Never Take Sweets from a Stranger Captain Clegg Man at the Top The Resident

Comedy films	The Public Life of Henry the Ninth Sporting Love The Lady Craved Excitement What the Butler Saw Life with The Lyons The Lyons in Paris Up the Creek I Only Arsked! Further Up the Creek Don't Panic Chaps! The Ugly Duckling Watch it, Sailor! A Weekend with Lulu The Old Dark House The Anniversary On the Buses Mutiny on the Buses Holiday on the Buses Love Thy Neighbour

War films	The Steel Bayonet The Camp on Blood Island Yesterday's Enemy The Secret of Blood Island

See also	Hammer filmography

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