KISS OF THE VAMPIRE (1963)
Here we have a non-Dracula Hammer vampire film. There were others, but this one features a tsunami of bats enshrouding the night sky while a fanged cult cowers in fear. Did I just spoil the ending? Maybe, but you'll want to see it anyway. Working off a screenplay by regular Hammer scribe Anthony Hinds, director Don Sharp lets the lavish costumes and set design do the heavy lifting. Atmosphere is paramount. As for the plot, we follow a couple in need of petrol for their motorcar (the Blu-ray should have come with a glossary). Of course, they happened to break down in a quaint village, and of course, they receive an offer to stay in an august, magisterial castle. It seems that the townspeople are sheepishly afraid of the Gothic stronghold. Something about vampires. It's probably nothing.
Kiss of the Vampire is a suit-and-tie fright flick. It doesn't do anything incredibly well, but it doesn't fumble the ball either (editor's note: that could be because it's playing soccer). The climax is worth the price of admission alone. Those bats I mentioned earlier? They saturate the screen in a scene so eerily reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds, Universal delayed the release of the film, both stateside and overseas. I don't know if it trumps any of Christopher Lee's Dracula joints, but I like the attempts to tinker with vampire lore. For instance, these bloodsuckers can brave the noonday sun if it's partly cloudy. 'Tis certainly enjoyable, though it's not must-see material.
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