Brides of Dracula - Collector's Edition [Blu-ray]

The Brides of Dracula is a vampire classic...one of the best vampire movies ever made if you like your vampire movies in the classic/gothic mode....although Count Dracula is not in this movie Baron Meinster(imho) is just as terrorizing and even more supernatural......Baron Meinster is one of those Hammer Films creations that really works in this movie...he isn't Dracula, but who cares?.....I think he's even more terrorizing than Chris Lees Dracula...and the movie says he is a disciple of Dracula too....the possible insinuation here is that the good Baron has taken on the mantle of leadership of the undead in Dracula's absence...buy this movie and you won't regret it....great production values, great direction, great sets great acting, and a very unusual quality soundtrack too...a can't miss.

I was looking for a movie that TCM played one late night when i was younger for the past few months thinking this was that movie. Turns out i'm wrong and it was something called the Fearless Vampire Hunters or something like that. REGARDLESS still a great time to watch. The sets look awesome. Peter Cushing is almost like an action hero in this. THERE IS NO DRACULA BUT IT IS STILL COOL.

Great horror movie with a little humor mixed in

This review is for the Collector's Edition of 'Brides of Dracula' released by Shout! Factory in 2020. ABOUT THIS MOVIE: This is a color movie made in 1960 by Hammer Productions. 'Brides of Dracula' was released by Universal in the United States as part of a double bill with 'The Leech Woman'. It is directed by Terence Fisher and the screenplay was written by Jimmy Sangster. *****IMPORTANT NOTE 1*****If you are not familiar with the Hammer Horror Dracula series, be aware that Dracula does not appear in this movie despite the fact that his name is in the title. Timeline: This is the second of eight 'Dracula' movies that were produced by Hammer Productions. Though Dracula does not appear in this movie, his nemesis, Van Helsing (Peter Cushing), is in the movie. "WHO ARE 'The Brides of Dracula'?": 'The Brides of Dracula' are three vampire sisters who live with Dracula in his castle in Transylvania. They are referred to as the 'weird sisters' in the 1897 novel by Bram Stoker. Stoker does not give any of them individual names. Two of them are brunettes and one is a blonde. It is not mentioned in the novel if they are actually married to Dracula nor are they ever called his 'Brides'. These so called 'weird sisters' are very different than what is depicted in 'The Brides of Dracula'. BLU-RAY: The packaging says that the print is a new 2K scan from the interpositive. The movie is shown in 1.85:1 widescreen format. The movie's original 1.66:1 aspect ratio is provided as well. *****IMPORTANT NOTE 2***** If you would like to see the movie without anything being cropped then you should watch it in the 1.66:1 aspect ratio version provided in the 'Bonus' section of the Main Menu. You will not be able to watch the movie with subtitles while watching this version. The picture is mostly clean with very few imperfections visible and you have to look for them to see them. The colors look bright and fairly natural. There is some graininess when the camera is focused on distance shots. The picture itself is not particularly sharp and looks a bit soft. I don't know anything about film or film restoration and I'm guessing that this is how the movie was shot. I'm going to give the picture a 7.5/10 or 4 stars. I'm not sure if it can be improved upon. If the main reason that you are looking to purchase this release is the picture then I'd suggest looking at some other reviews for people with knowledge of film restoration. EXTRA'S: -1.66:1 aspect ratio version of 'The Brides of Dracula' -There is an alternate cover on the inside of the Blu-Ray case. Sometimes the alternate cover is good and I change it. This is not the case here. The 'Collectors Edition' painting used is much nicer. -Audio Commentary with historians Steve Haberman and Constantine Nasr - These two team up for many of the Hammer Horror releases. They are enthusiastic about this picture which is not always the case. -Documentary: The Eternal and the Damned: Malcolm Williamson and The Brides of Dracula - This is a 15 minute documentary narrated by David Huckvale on the music of Malcolm Williamson. -Introduction to the Making of 'Brides of Dracula' - A brief scene that leads into the 'The Making of the Brides of Dracula'. -Documentary: "The Making of the Brides of Dracula": This is a 31 minute documentary and features Yvonne Monlaur, the actress who plays Marianne. Several others that worked on 'The Brides of Dracula' are interviewed as well. -Documentary - "The Men Who Made Hammer: Jack Asher" - Richard Klemensen narrates this 16 minute documentary on cinematographer Jack Asher who filmed many of the early Hammer Horror movies. -Documentary - "The Men Who Made Hammer: Terence Fisher" - Richard Klemensen narrates this nearly one hour long documentary on Hammer Horrors most important early director. -Documentary - "The Haunted History of Oakley Court" - This is a 15 minute discussion between two film historians about the movies shot at this location in England. -Theatrical Trailers -Image Gallery -Radio Spot -Subtitles *****WARNING - LOTS OF SPOILERS BELOW THIS POINT***** PLOT/SUMMARY: Marianne, is a young school teacher on her way to her new job. Her carriage makes an evening stop in a village near her place of employment. A strange man approaches the coach driver and gives him money. The driver takes off while Marianne is sitting down for dinner. The strange man opens the door and the place clears out. The innkeeper and his wife become distressed when Marianne tells them she is travelling alone. They decline to let her stay there and the barkeeper goes to get a cart for her. The Baroness Meinster enters the inn. She invites Marianne to have a drink with her. Marianne explains her plight and The Baroness invites Marianne to come stay in her castle for the evening. She tells Marianne that she will arrange to get her to school in the morning. Marianne accepts. In the castle, Greta, the Baroness' servant, shows Marianne to her room to prepare for dinner. While there she walks to the balcony and sees a young man on another balcony on a lower level of the castle. At dinner, the Baroness tells Marianne that she saw her son. She seems very distressed while talking about him. That evening, Marianne goes to her balcony and sees the young man again. He is standing on the very edge of the balcony and she believes that he is attempting to commit suicide. She yells at him to "stop" and runs and finds his bedroom. Once there, Marianne sees that the Baron is chained, and she agrees to go get the key. She retrieves the key and gives it to him. The Baroness confronts her and tells Marianne that she has no idea what she has done. The Baron confronts his mother and sends Marianne to her room. A little while later, Marianne hears Great wailing. She finds her in the Baron's bedroom along with the dead Baroness. The Baroness has fang marks on her neck. Marianne flees the castle. The next morning, Van Helsing (Peter Cushing) is travelling to the village after having been summoned by the local priest, finds an unconscious Marianne along a road. He revives her and stops at the tavern so she can recover. A wake is being held for a young girl who was just found murdered. Van Helsing examines the victim and finds fang marks on her neck. He brings Marianne to her school. He asks Marianne to tell him everything she experienced and to not speak of it to anyone else. Van Helsing proceeds to the inn to meet Father Stepnik. He explains vampirism to the priest. That evening, Van Helsing and Stepnik watch as Greta helps the dead girl to escape her grave. Van Helsing tries to stop her but she turns into a bat and takes off. Van Helsing heads to the castle where he meets the Baroness, now a vampire, and the Baron. The Baron attacks Van Helsing but the battle ends in a stalemate and the Baron takes off on a carriage. The Baroness admits that she has been providing the Baron with victims since he was a boy. She says she is now under his control and there is no way out for her. Van Helsing tells her there is a way out for her. The Baron heads to Marianne's school and proposes to Marianne. She accepts. The Baron then kills his next victim, Marianne's roommate, Gina. That evening, Van Helsing stakes the Baroness. Back at the tavern, Doctor Tobler has shown up and tells Van Helsing and the priest that a girl has been killed at the school. Van Helsing gets to the school and puts everyone on lockdown and has Gina's body put in the stables to be guarded by two people. Marianne tells a shocked Van Helsing that she is engaged to Baron Meinster. Marianne takes over the watch from Frau Lang during the evening. She is watching with the head of the stable, Severin, when one of the locks falls off the coffin. She sends him to get the schoolmaster, Herr Lang. Severin is attacked by a bat and killed. Gina rises from the coffin and asks Marianne for forgiveness for falling in love with the Baron. She reveals the location of Baron Meister. Van Helsing returns and finds Severin's body and gets to the stable as Gina is seducing Marianne. Marianne passes out and Gina flees. Back at the school, Marianne tells Van Helsing that the Baron is at the mill. He heads there and has an encounter with Greta, Gina and the unnamed vampire girl from the village near the top of the mill. Greta orders the girls to attack but Van Helsing holds up the cross. Greta grabs the cross but loses her balance and falls to her death. Baron Meinster strangles Van Helsing with a chain until he loses consciousness. The Baron then bites Van Helsing's neck. Baron Meinster goes and retrieves Marianne at the school. Van Helsing cauterizes his wound with a branding iron and heals it with holy water. Baron Meister brings Marianne to the mill to force Van Helsing to watch him initiate her. Van Helsing throws holy water at him, badly burning him. The Baron kicks over a brazier causing a fire. Van Helsing and Marianne head to the top of the mill while the Baron runs outside. Van Helsing jumps on the windmills blade and pulls it till it makes the shape of a cross. The Baron is in the path of the windmills shadow and dies. PRODUCTION/COMMENTS: *****(NOT SO) IMPORTANT NOTE 3***** In this review, I am very critical of the script. I just want to point out that I actually like this movie. The seemingly total lack of all logic in the script bothers me but I still think many aspects of this movie are very good. It's just very hard for me to 'not' complain about illogical choices by writer and director. THERE NEEDS TO BE RULES: In most of my reviews for vampire movies, I complain a lot about either the lack of rules or changing of the rules for vampires. I think there should be rules for... 1) Crosses - There needs to be some rules for these. Just about anything can be a cross. A shadow is going a bit too far for me. Just come up with something and stick with it. Perhaps they are blessed by the church, made of a certain metal or material, etc. 2) Hypnotic Powers and Control - I've seen these powers used inconsistently. Some vampires can be in their coffins, others must lock eyes, others seem to just exert there will no matter where they are. Can you kiss a person and get control of them? 3) Transformations - When, where, what and how these transformations take place needs to be established. Way too much inconsistency. Look at the movie I'm reviewing, 'Brides of Dracula'. Vampires can turn into bats but not when the mill is on fire. Baron Meister needs a carriage some of the time and other times he can turn into a bat. Why doesn't Baron Meinster just turn into a bat and leave his chains? What's the deal with this? 4) Turning into a Vampire - We need rules for when a person turns into a vampire. Does it happen after they are dead or while still alive? Does this put the vampire under the control of the predator vampire or not? Once bitten, is there any way back to be normal or can you cauterize the wound and use holy water? 5) How to kill a Vampire - Vampires who are supposed to be immortal but have been killed way more ways than I can think of. Sunlight, not making it into their coffin in time, Silver, thorns of the Hawthorne tree, crosses of uncountable variations, a thrown gun to the head ('Billy the Kid vs. Dracula'!), running water, still water as well, etc., etc, etc. Notice that I didn't even mention a stake through the heart? 6) Other Powers - Sometimes they have paranormal powers such as ESP or removing a lock without even opening the lock! (I'm looking at you 'Brides of Dracula'!) What are a vampires powers? IS BRIDES OF DRACULA REALLY A SEQUEL TO 'HORROR OF DRACULA (1958)'?: It's hard to really consider it a sequel. It has very little to do with the 'Horror of Dracula'. Dracula is not mentioned nor does he appear. Van Helsing does not seem to have the same level of knowledge as he should have if this were a sequel. He seems astonished at watching a vampire rise from it's grave. After having gone head-to-head with Dracula, his reaction to seeing a vampire rise from the dead should be more understated. CONFUSION: The Baroness Meinster seemingly walks in on Marianne searching for her key in the desk drawer, she quickly walks away as if she did not want her to know that she knew what she was doing. After Marianne brings the key to Baron Meinster she demands to have it back and is terrified by what will happen with the Baron on the loose. I had to go back and re-watch the scene. I then realized that the Baroness didn't actually walk in on Marianne. The editing is poor. Perhaps it was made to be a clever misdirection. The problem is that it's hard to tell the rooms apart. *****IMPORTANT NOTE 4*****After typing this review, I watched the extra's and read up on the movie and found out that indeed the script was rewritten several times. Jimmy Sangster's original script which included a cameo by Dracula was rewritten to remove any references to Dracula. It was then rewritten again. SCRIPT CHANGES OR JUST STUPIDITY?: I really have to wonder if there were some rewrites (possibly extensive) done during the filming because some things that happen make no sense to me. The notes below are not necessarily plot holes, they just give the appearance that something else had been originally planned. Consider the following issues I had with the script: 1) DOES MARIANNE HAVE A THING FOR BAD BOYS OR IS SHE JUST NUTS? (OR SCRIPT CHANGE?): Right after Baron Meinster gets done killing his mother and taking off, he meets Marianne at her school and she is very happy to see him and immediately agrees to marry him. Huh?.... didn't Greta just scold her for letting loose a terrible evil into world? Didn't she see his mother lying there dead with a look of horror on her face? Yet... when the Baron shows up at her school, she agrees to marry him and seems ecstatic about it. Yes, I know, the script attempted to give the explanation of a kiss but clearly Van Helsing looks for a bite mark. In addition, she is happy to see him before they even speak a word or come near each other. Yes, there is the possibility that she is hypnotized when she runs away but that can't be possible since she is able to relay all the details of her visit to Van Helsing. Perhaps initially, the script called for Marianne to head straight to the school, never to go back to the Baron's bedroom and retrieve the key for him. 2) THE CHAIN THAT BINDS HIM: OK... the Baron is chained and he can't approach Marianne when she enters his bedroom. How does he get to his coffin in order to sleep? The coffin was further away from him than where Marianne was standing. How does he close the coffin? How does he change clothes? How are his clothes cleaned? Too many questions for such a simple mind... I'll stop here. 3) BAH!... SUPERSTITION!: I was confused at the barkeepers reaction to the discussion of vampires. At the beginning of the movie, he seems very afraid of something going on in town and warns Marianne to get away at once. Later, after the death of a young girl, he dismisses such supernatural stuff as superstition and gives it no credence. 4) I'LL SEND FOR MY LUGGAGE: Marianne never mentions anything about her belongings that her coach driver ran off with and she acts as if they don't matter. Baroness Meinster shows up at the tavern, but it is never discussed why she came down there. Marianne could have just said "Oh no, my belongings!" and the Baroness could have said "I come down here because I'm lonely." Really, anything at all addressing these situations would work. What makes matters worse, later on, Marianne tells Van Helsing that she left her belongs behind at the castle. How did they get there if the driver ran off with them? 5) UNDER MY SPELL: Why isn't Greta affected by the Baron's hypnotism while she attends him? This makes no sense. Greta tells the Baron where to find the key to his chains. Why would she do this knowing that the Baron can order any of the victims that are brought to him to retrieve the key? After the Baroness dies, Greta does his bidding and effectively becomes his 'Renfield'. Several prominent characters seemed to have no purpose... 6) WHO WAS THAT UNMASKED MAN?: The mysterious assistant to the Meinsters, Latour, probably had a different fate in store for him. He is seen several times and never pays for his crimes of helping to provide victims for the Baron (Remember this is during the time period of the Hays code). The villagers are fearful of him and clear out of the inn when he shows up. The last time he is seen, Latour is assisting the Baron by driving him away from danger despite the fact that the Baron can change into a bat to get away. 7) "EXCUSE ME, WHO ARE YOU?" The schoolmaster's character seems to serve no purpose whatsoever. He is established as a cranky old man that figures to play a role in the movie. But he doesn't. I'm guessing he was meant to be killed by one of the girls at the girl's school who is turned into a 'bride.' 8) PAGING DR. TOBLER: There doesn't really seem to be any reason for Doctor Tobler's scenes. When we are introduced to him, he seems to know a lot about chemistry but ultimately he does nothing other than tell Van Helsing that a girl died at the school. Van Helsing would have found this out anyway and this bit of information doesn't need several scenes with the Doctor to establish this. OTHER COMMENTS: -Terence Fisher directed this film as well as many of Hammer's early classics. He was arguably their best director but they had other really good directors as well. For example, Val Guest. -The original title for this movie was to be 'Disciple of Dracula'. This title actually makes more sense to me. -The 'Brides' themselves do almost nothing in this movie other than to hiss. This is really just another Dracula movie without Christopher Lee. -Michael Ripper, Hammer's most prolific actor, makes an appearance as a stagecoach driver and appears in the opening scene. -I think that the ending is kind of 'weak' but at least it is somewhat original. -Peter Cushing does not appear until over 20 minutes into the film. -Despite his youthful appearance, David Peel was 40 when this movie was filmed. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the myriad of problems I have discussed in this review, I think this is a very good movie overall. It has excellent production values and decent acting (excellent acting by Peter Cushing). I like this movie but don't think as highly of it as some of the publications I have read. There are definitely problems with the script, not to mention the title. RECOMMENDATIONS: IF YOU LIKE THIS THEN WATCH: -Dracula's Daughter (1936) - The original vampire sequel. This was the sequel to Bela Lugosi's 'Dracula (1931)' -The Kiss of the Vampire (1963) - Originally planned to be third Dracula movie. -Countess Dracula (1971) Just as Dracula has his basis in Vlad Dracul, Countess Dracula is based on the real life Elizabeth Bathory. -Karnstein Trilogy by Hammer Productions - These 3 movies are based on the 1872 novel "Carmilla". -The Vampire Lovers (1970) - Ingrid Pitt stars as a lesbian vampire, need I say more?.. -Lust for A Vampire (1971) - Critically panned but very watchable, especially if you are a male. -Twins of Evil (1971) - Starring identical twin Playboy Playmates... need I say even more?.. RATINGS: Plot: 6/10 or 3 stars - Decent plot that is hurt by too many rewrites. Picture: 6/10 or 3 stars - It's good but not excellent. SFX: 7/10 or 4 stars - Very good sets and effects. Would rate even higher if not for the 'weak' bats. Sets: 9/10 or 4 1/2 stars - Excellent sets. Films strongest point. Extra's: 9/10 or 4 1/2 stars - Lots of extra's. Overall: 8/10 or 4 stars

I love the Hammer Christopher Lee Dracula movies. I've seen Horror of Dracula - Taste the Blood of Dracula. I always wondered how this would be without Dracula and it's pretty good. The vampire in this one is no way as menacing as Lee but the story is good. You know it's a Hammer film (atmosphere, rich color etc..).

If you're a fan of the classic Hammer film, this is a great transfer. The special features are interesting, and I'm glad I updated my Hammer collection to Blu-Ray.

Really enjoyed going back in time. Surprisingly, it has not dated, at least in my eyes. I was a lot younger when seeing this, so time has blunted my ability to feel the same fright but it is still effective to a lesser degree. I would recommend this version to anyone; it's worth it. Following on, Christopher Lee was in another version of the Brides of Dracula which had a better ending - I know because I saw it on the big screen. Why is there no dvd of this? And please don't tell me I must have been dreaming because mention of it was made in a horror anthology I had. I hope someone can help.

It was Great

Un des bons films des productions de la Hammer Horror Movie la seule chose le titre est en français sur la pochette mais le film est en anglais avec des sous-titres en français. Mais c'est un film a possédé pour sa collection de films personnelle. De plus la nouvelle édition de 2017 les dvd est pal mais le blu-ray est toute région.

Looks terrific in high definition

BEELDKWALITEIT SUPER SCHERP !!!!!

Conte onirique des ténèbres aux images resplendissantes de beauté, aux couleurs éclatantes, bariolées mais chaudes,aux décors somptueux,à la mise en scène maîtrisée par la main d'un des chefs de file pour la Hammer: comme dans "Le cauchemar de Dracula'' Terence Fisher se révèle encore une fois être un grand magicien poète. Ici pas d'affreux Dracula mais un beau jeune homme pour charmer ces dames. Et ce même jeune homme est retenu prisonnier dans un château fastueux par sa mère qui craint donc le pire avec un fils vampire! Mais la belle Yvonne Monlaur,invitée au château par la mère,tombera sous le charme de celui qui était retenu prisonnier par une chaîne scellée au mur et dont l'extrémité était un gros anneau fermé à clé à sa cheville. Car la belle aura dérobé la clé pour délivrer son charmeur lequel charmeur sera allé par la suite jusqu'à sucer le sang de sa propre mère qui aura élevé son fils d'une manière bien trop laxiste! On ne peut penser évidemment qu'à ces théories célèbres d'un Freud. La fin du film est remarquable lorsque le jeune vampire dans un moulin verra son visage détruit par de l'eau bénite puis, quand il bondira hors de ce moulin en flammes , le Dr. Van Helsing actionnera les ailes du moulin de manière à ce qu'elles forment par leurs ombres une croix sous la lumière de la pleine lune, à la nuit tombée , sur ce vampire. L'interprétation (d'un homme froid et déterminé) de Peter Cushing est encore et toujours des plus brillantes et tout le reste de la distribution est à la hauteur. Ce film a plus de cinquante ans mais il reflète , par sa poésie , une certaine société qui espérait en un monde meilleur et au bonheur (autant en emporte le vent?...) VOST ici avec des bonus dont un entretien avec Jean-François RAUGER. Billy.

Great hammer film brilliant cast with Peter Cushing and the lovely yvonne monlaur and David peel plays a great vampire the blu ray picture is sharp and clear has if it was made yesterday well recommended