Kiss Of The Vampire was the second and last Hammer vampire film made before Christopher Lee agreed to don the fangs once more. It’s a shame he didn’t come back for this one because one of the very few weak points in this film is the fairly unmenacing Dr Ravna, chief vampire, played rather insipidly by Noel Willman.
The film opens with one of Hammer’s usual strong prologues as we follow a funeral procession that is overlooked by a sinister looking figure standing on high. I won’t spoil things for those who have yet to see the film, suffice to say first-time Hammer director Don Sharp handles the proceedings exceedingly well, instantly plunging the viewer into that classic atmosphere of brooding menace and Gothic feel that Hammer did so well.
After the titles we are in the familiar territory of stranded newlyweds, scared villagers (albeit only two of them) and a village overlooked by a Gothic mansion housing the you-know-what. But if there’s one thing that Hammer were good at was recycling old plots and giving them an injection of something fresh. The film trundles along at a somewhat leisurely pace, compared to others, but is no worse off from it;in fact the slow build up of tension works well.
One of the more interesting aspects of the film are the way the vampires are portrayed. These aren’t the superhuman, nigh-on indestructible vampires of old, but a more vulnerable, although just as evil, type. Dr Ravna lives in the mansion with his two children (all vamps) and is surrounded by many acolytes. With their being very few ‘bitings’ and hardly any blood on show and also the way the acolytes act, this is more of a religious cult than a nest of vampires. In fact Professor Zimmer even describes losing his daughter to them as ‘she fell in with a bad crowd’.
As you can imagine, the new bride is soon one of the followers (ensnared at a particularly effective masquerade ball) and it’s up to Professor Zimmer and the husband to rescue them, setting the scene for the final showdown, which again is faultlessly done. Chalked pentagrams, high winds and swarms of bats bring a memorable climax to yet another top notch Hammer. Special effects-wise the bats are done in the usual crappy way, but then again they always are and I can forgive that. Highly recommended.
