While Hammer Studios are well known for their usual vampire fare starring Chris Lee and Peter Cushing, they have strayed from the formula from time to time. In 1974 they did just that with the introduction of Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter. It was set as a launching point for a new franchise by writer director Brian Clements, but a poor box office outing nixed this idea. Fortunately for us, Captain Kronos lives again thanks to the shiny silver platters you and I have come to love.
Coming on the heels of its 1960s heyday, Hammer Studios was in a decline in 1974. In the hopes of reinvigorating their tried and true vampire formula, Brian Clements opted to steer away from Peter Cushing's old and aristocratic Van Helsing in favor of Horst Jansons blond and burly Captain Kronos. Piling on the swashbuckling, this time we were treated to a vampire adventure that was just that — an adventure.
Captain Kronos and his hunchbacked friend, Prof. Hieronymos Grost, are en route to a small village at the summons of their old army friend, Dr. Marcus. Upon their arrival, Dr. Marcus informs them that many of the young village girls are turning up drained of life, aged to an elderly state with no telling signs aside from a bite mark upon their lip.
Suspecting vampires from the very start, Kronos and Grost set off to track down their fanged foes. Many preparations are made punctuated by breaks for sex here and there (natch). Soon our heroes are preparing for the ultimate battle as their various investigations point them towards the source of evil.
There is so much to love about this film that it's honestly impossible to choose where to start. So we'll start with the details.
Always masters of the atmospheric, Hammer Studios excels at timeless period pieces with a heavy Gothic feel. Where the true fun lies, however, is in the vampire mythos employed for this bout of undead slaughter. Where Hammer had set their own mythos in stone over the years, they destroyed it here in one fell swoop.
In Captain Kronos we learn that there are many species of vampires. In fact, there are as many different species of vampire as there are insects. With different species comes different methods of death, and that is where the true beauty of Kronos lies.
Kronos and Grost are heavily prepared for any eventuality. Not sure what methods to employ, they set forth with a series of tests and investigations. Burying dead toads along country roads, for instance, will point out the direction of the vampire’s path because a passing vampire can bring a dead toad to life.
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