Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter

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Freudian Excuse: When Carla wonders why Kronos is so rough in bed (at the time, he's left her with a bleeding lip, although she doesn't seem very upset). He gives a excuse about his family becoming vampires, and kissing therefore having ugly implications for him. The two cover a number of different Hammer and UK titles in general, suggesting that British horror films were for Britain what westerns were for America. They cover the important genre-splicing that was coming out of the particularly fruitful period of cinematic output and make the point that many of these films stand up better today than they even did at the time. The message of the conversation boils down to this: one should never be ashamed of the films one likes. The setting is pure Hammer, even the outfits are, but there's something extra - much like he did inDoctor Jekyll And Sister Hyde, Avengers inventor Brian Clemens' wit and inventiveness shines through. It's a kind of unexplainable quality, but it's definitely there. Large and in Charge: The Slake towers over the Vampires he rules over and pretty much everyone else, really.

Sword Fight: The final duel is notable for being one of the earlier works of William Hobbs (who went on to choreograph the action in The Duellists, Robin and Marian, Rob Roy, and The Three Musketeers (1973)). Hobbs himself plays Hagen. Retcon: In the film, Kronos and Grost leave Carla behind, but in this storyline she's become part of their group and has take very well to their escapades.Of course, it’s not all poetry. Kronos explains that when it comes to his colleague Grost, "what he doesn't know about vampires wouldn't fill a flea's codpiece". But we’ll leave that enduring image there. It’s a shame that governmental satires remain relevant with cyclical predictability. The Crazies as a concept is as relatable today as it was in 2010 or 1973. Eisner understands that Romero’s foundation doesn’t have to be altered, only the presentation. Proper remakes reinvent; they don’t rehash. Watching Romero’s and Eisner’s versions of The Crazies paints a complete red, white, and bruised picture of how the government works for itself, not the American people. That’s because they’re two halves of a conversation about broken systems, neither movie stepping on the other’s lines when telling their stories. Stealth Sequel: To the Karnstein Trilogy. Lady Durward turns out be a Karnstein by birth, leading to all sorts of Epileptic Trees. Ingrid Pitt was even offered the role as a Casting Gag but turned it down.

I am agog at the news: Roger Moore – her co-star in The Spy Who Loved Me – also started off as a knitwear model. “Oh that’s right! I knew there was something about him I liked. His knitwear was very classic, really.” Throughout the dark investigation, Kronos still makes time for the kind of debonair interactions reserved for an action hero of his stature. While sensual love scenes and the dispatching of drunkard bullies in the local tavern by the edge of his sword may not move the story forward, they serve the characters all too well, promoting compassion, intrigue and excitement as though it were just as important as plot in the grand narrative scheme. Captain Kronos" isn't super but it's enjoyable. The direction is excellent, the DVD transfer looked nice, and - like a good mystery - there's a good twist at the end regarding the murderer, er.....vampire. For us guys, there are also a lot of pretty women in here, too. The acting isn't the best but who cares? It's entertaining, and not made to be taken seriously. Took a Level in Badass: Carla has been taking lessons in Vampire hunting from Kronos and Grost. Suffice to say she's no longer a helpless damsel.

Blood from the Mouth: Evidence not only that a person is dead, but that they've been killed by a vampire. Another wrinkle in the mystery of the dark goings on in the small village is the wealthy Durward family, consisting of bedridden Lady Durward and her two androgynous adult children Paul and Sara, played by Shane Briant and Lois Diane respectively. Oddly close and constantly professing their insecurities regarding aging and ending up like their decrepit matriarch in the upstairs suite, Paul and Sara frequent the film as something of a disconcerting shadow hanging over the town. Probably the most in-line with Hammer’s typical output, the family represents the wealthy aristocracy, perched, as it always is, precariously above its subjugated class. You have to love a movie that posits that different vampires need to be killed in different ways, then has a scene where the heroes try every method to kill one of the undead until it stays dead.

Captain Kronos — Vampire Hunter #1-4 ( Titan Comics, Oct. 2017 - [Jan.] 2018), by Dan Abnett and Tom Mandrake The Durwards themselves. Lady Durward is revealed to be a Karnstein by birth, but it's her husband who had a library containing books on witchcraft and necromancy. Just how deeply the pair of them were into the occult and life after death before Lord Hagen died of an inconvenient plague isn't touched on, any more than the reasons behind Lady Durward's sudden aging, fake or not. There are certain expectations that follow with a Hammer horror production, and I'm pleased that this particular movie feels like a small step above many of its brethren. For all its idiosyncrasies, every commonality it shares with its contemporaries, 'Captain Kronos' seems somewhat more refined, as though the general formula developed over many prior films had begun to reach fruition. Every costume, prop, and set is lavish and outstanding, carefully selected to successfully keep viewers immersed. The production honestly looks great, on its own merits but also by comparison to other features of this type that sometimes have a more grainy, unfocused quality to them. Laurie Johnson's score is unquestionably over the top, yet duly fitting, and appropriate to the feature.In 1977, the producer of the Bond films, Cubby Broccoli, cast her as Bond villainess Naomi in The Spy Who Loved Me. In one scene, Roger Moore’s Bond arrives in Sardinia, posing as a marine biologist. Naomi, sporting a bikini and diaphanous peignoir, sashays to her boat, as Bond comments: “What a handsome craft – such lovely lines.”

But Now I Must Go: After the business is dealt with, Kronos and his companion ride off as usual. Most obviously because the citizens of Serechurch are pissed they killed their Elders. The House of Hammer #1-3 (Oct. 1976-Jan. 1977), by Steve Moore and Ian Gibson [3] — a "sequel" rather than an adaptation Carla seeks refuge at Durward Manor to distract the household while Kronos sneaks inside. The "bedridden" Lady Durward reveals herself as the newly-youthful vampire, and she hypnotizes Carla and the Durward siblings. Lady Durward has raised her husband Hagen (William Hobbs) from the grave. She offers the mesmerized Carla to her husband, but Kronos erupts from hiding. Kronos uses the new sword's mirrored blade to turn Lady Durward's hypnotic gaze against her. He kills Lord Durward in a duel, and then destroys Lady Durward. Katanas Are Just Better: An Unbuilt Trope: Kronos carries both a katana and a sabre, and appears to favour the katana for everyday use. However, he uses a medieval-style arming sword in the final fight, specially forged for the occasion. Aristocrats Are Evil: The Durwards. More or less averted. While Lady Durward is the main villain and her husband likewise causes much of the supernatural bloodshed, she's actually a Karnstein by birth and he's been raised from the dead as a vampire using some form of necromancy, so might not be quite himself. For their own parts Paul and Sara Durward seem to be a rather pleasant pair, going as far as to allow a frightened gypsy girl to stay the night in their home without much in the way of suspicion, interrogation or saucy funny business, though there may be a reason for that.While few of the Hammer horror films took themselves too seriously it was in the 1970s when the cycle became almost a parody of itself and "Captain Kronos, Vampire Hunter" is perhaps the best example of this. Although it is a little known film it is certainly one of the best horrors, largely due to its original take on the vampire theme and imaginative, albeit risky, casting. Captain Kronos ( Horst Janson) rides across nineteeth century Europe accompanied by his associate Professor Grost ( John Cater), seeking out evildoers. His travels lead him to the hamlet of his old army friend Marcus ( John Carson), who tells him that local girls are being found mysteriously drained... not of blood, but of youth. Kronos and Grost immediately suspect a vampire, but how to destroy it? And who is the vampire, anyway?