For the modern viewer, the UK’s Hammer films are something of an acquired taste, and CAPTAIN KRONOS: VAMPIRE HUNTER (1974) probably isn’t the best starting point for the Hammer novice. It represented a change of pace for the studio, which up until then tended toward traditional horror narratives, and was looking to expand its range (also released in 1974 was the Hammer-Shaw Brothers co-production LEGEND OF THE 7 GOLDEN VAMPIRES). In CAPTAIN KRONOS: VAMPIRE HUNTER, the first and only feature directed by the late Brian Clemens (1931-2015), a mortal hero was introduced who falls somewhere between John Wayne, Michael Caine and Errol Flynn, and standard vampire lore inverted.
CAPTAIN KRONOS: VAMPIRE HUNTER (1974) Trailer
Captain Kronos (Horst Janson), “late of the Imperial Guard,” is a Professional vampire hunter with long blond hair who periodically smokes “an old Chinese herb” and wields a samurai sword. Bite marks on his neck show a history with bloodsuckers, and Kronos admits at one point that he had to kill his mother and sister because they had “fallen to the scourge of vampirism.” Now, together with his sidekick, Professor Hieronymos Grost (John Gater), Kronos travels “Wherever there is evil to be fought.” The evil here takes the form of a black robed vampire loose in a remote village, where it sucks youth and vitality rather than blood, turning young women into wrinkled husks.
Kronos and Grost happen upon a travel companion in the form of Carla (Caroline Munro), a beauty sentenced to the stocks for the crime of dancing on Sunday. Needless to add, she and Kronos quickly become lovers (thus providing the requisite Hammer-fied T&A).
The culprits for the killings become clear when Kronos’ war buddy Dr. Marcus (John Carson) is vampirized, and a coach belonging to the high ranking Durward family, whose ranks include Paul (Shane Briant) and Lady Durward (Wanda Ventham), is seen leaving the scene of a vampire massacre. Using Carla as a decoy, Kronos sneaks into Durward Manor with a sword forged from an iron cross (as these vampires are repelled by iron). I think you can guess how he uses it.
The final scenes portend a James Bondian saga that wasn’t to be, as the film was far from the success Hammer was hoping for. The reasons for its failure, I’d guess, start with Horst Janson, who’s reasonably strong in the title role but far from Sean Connery worthy, with the most memorable performance delivered by the film’s most famous cast member: Caroline Munro.
But the film isn’t all bad. It strikes a fine balance between the stately and exploitive that most Hammer films rarely achieved (ending up more often than not squarely in the latter category). The once-unprecedented genre mixing is equally adept, and the blocking, which showcases director Brian Clemens’ ability to compress a lot of action into a single take, is impressive.
The film has a lot of the qualities that graced (or, if you prefer, afflicted) most Hammer productions: it’s exceedingly shrill and melodramatic, and contains many recognizable settings, mainly Black Park in Iver Heath and the woods of Buckinghamshire, England, locations that have become known as “Hammer country.” Overshadowing all those things is the old-world gothic ambiance that by 1974 had been rendered passe (by ROSEMARY’S BABY and THE EXORCIST), leaving us with a film that for all its virtues feels like a relic from a past era.
Vital Statistics
CAPTAIN KRONOS: VAMPIRE HUNTER
Hammer Film Productions
Director: Brian Clemens
Producer: Albert Fennell, Brian Clemens
Screenplay: Brian Clemens
Cinematography: Ian Wilson
Editing: James Needs
Cast: Horst Janson, John Carson, Shane Briant, Caroline Munro, John Cater, Lois Daine, William Hobbs, Brian Tully, Robert James, Perry Soblosky, Paul Greenwood, Lisa Collings, John Hollis, Ian Hendry, Wanda Ventham