HALLOWEEN HORRORFEST 2019: Captain Kronos, Vampire Hunter (1974)

It looks like I’ve got a breather between this last batch of sponsors and the next, so I went to the Randomizer...and the Randomizer, guessing I might want a treat, landed on this film, which is a convergence of three favorite things.

First off, it’s a Hammer film.  As I’ve mentioned lots of time before (including during last year’s Horrorfest), I have an inordinate fondness for the Golden Age of British Horror, and Hammer was the King of this era.  Secondly, it’s the only movie both written and directed by one of my idols, Brian Clemens.  If you’re not sure why I revere Clemens so much, feel free to visit With Umbrella, Charm and Bowler: That (other) Avengers Podcast, which is a podcast where I discuss Clemens’ signature creation on an episode by episode basis with Scott MacGregor.  Finally, it features one Caroline Munro.

I have had many crushes in my lifetime, and probably will have many before I die, but I will always contend that Caroline Munro is one of the single sexiest women to ever trod this Earth.  And I will fight anyone who says otherwise.

This was made during the tail end of Hammer’s Reign as one of the Great Purveyors of Horror, a time where Michael Carreras (son of Hammer founder James) was looking for a new direction that would take them forward and, presumably, into the 80‘s.  Kronos was Clemens’ attempt to create a new genre called ‘horrorventure,’and it feels like the start of a franchise...but in a good way.  The emphasis is on telling a good story first and world building second so that you end up with a satisfying viewing experience that leaves you wanting more.

Something is stalking the forest outside of Durwood, sapping women of their youth.  Local physician Doctor Marcus (John Carson) calls on his old army friend Kronos (Horst Janson) and his friend Professor Grost (the great John Cater, who also appears in one of my favorite films of all time, The Abominable Dr. Phibes) to bring their skills at hunting the supernatural to bear.  The investigation starts to center on the family who gave their name to the land, the Durwoods.  After all, the siblings who presently run the house are uncommonly pretty--even the brother--and seem to be acting suspiciously; surely they’ve got something to hide, right?

Clemens brought a lot of his knowledge of serialized television to bear in fashioning this film and it shows.  The film is briskly paced, quickly codifies the important characters and keeps us engaged with breadcrumbs of knowledge that entice us without being info dumps.  This results in a world that feels alive (even though the impression is that Durwood is occupied only by Marcus, some drunk guys and one singular family of pretty girls that gets whittled down during the film’s ninety-one minutes) that you want to explore more.  The general premise of the world--that vampires aren’t a specific thing so much as a supernatural phylum that encompasses all creatures that feed off of humanity’s vital essences--is used as a hook at the very beginning and then presently in a very brief, concise conversation between the characters in the first act.  Kronos himself has these indicators that he’s different from other people--he carries both a saber and a katana, smokes a 'chinese herb’ that is pretty obviously marijuana, meditates with a towel over his face for what seems like hours, and, oh yeah, survived a vampire bite--but they’re not emphasized or dwelled upon as 'revelations’ for future films.  Compare this to the way The Mummy handled this and you see how elegant this film’s world building is.

This is very much a low budget film (the bulk of it was literally filmed in the woods outside Clemens’ estate) but it doesn’t really show it.  Clemens keeps it lively through engaging set pieces, some great performances, and some great villains.  The Durwoods shape up to be some interesting opponents, even though one is a veritable (literal) red herring...and by giving them a tie with the Karsteins, Clemens cannily connects this to the, ahem, Hammer Expanded Universe--which explains why he supposedly wrote outlines for two further adventures of Kronos featuring Dracula and Baron Frankenstein.

Yes, I still want to read these outlines.  Brian Clemens’ sons used to be on Twitter; maybe they can give me this one boon? (...and Sam, George...if you allowed me to, I dunno, officially write the good Captain and his crew, I would do your dad proud).

I suppose I should mention that this film features personnel from Clemens’ time heading The Avengers--Hell, he cast former Avenger Ian Hendry in a small villainous role to help him out of a tough spot.  But none is as essential as composer Laurie Johnson, who provides an excellent score that captures the majestic nature of the proposed series perfectly.  It’s just another little touch that makes this such a singular, pleasurable whole.

By the time it was released (Clemens shot the film in 1972, but it made it to theaters in 1974), Hammer was in pretty dire straits.  It ended up as one of the final films released theatrically by the studio and a second Kronos adventure was never made...well, except for a handful of comic book appearances.  Needless to say, I could write more about how great this film is, but the best thing I can do is tell you it’s highly recommended and urge you to watch it now.

Tomorrow will be sponsored by a Slasher Icon--namely, the lovely Felissa Rose, who made history by playing Angela in 1983‘s seminal Sleepaway Camp. Ms. Rose wants me to visit Rob Reiner’s Misery.  I will admit that by 1990 I had been burned too much by Stephen King adaptations, so I willfully did not see it in the theaters...and this will be a first time watch for me!

If you want to join Felissa, Brian Trenchard-Smith and other great Horror Luminaries to get me to watch a movie of your own choice during the Halloween Horrorfest, please consider joining the Domicile of Dread Patreon at the $3 Tier or greater.  Each new patron gets a free slot in this Gauntlet of Ghoulishness!