The Kiss of the Vampire

How is it that some Hammer flicks are better than the weaker ones when they have the same production values (sets, costumes, music, etc.) and every time it’s rather more an aesthetic and nostalgic experience than a terrifying horror movie? The difference is in the characters and the actors who play them, as well as in the screenplay and directing, which sets up and coordinates all aspects of the story in a dramaturgically functional whole. Everything works as it should in this Hammer production directed by Don Sharp. Though it’s not a scary horror movie, you feel the quiet fear of the local residents troubled by darkness, respect the aristocratic lead vampire, experience the helplessness of the main characters and rely on the local “Van Helsing” to help them. Even though he’s a drunk, he is the most human, most determined and least fearful of all the characters. (16.10.2020)