Die Stunde, wenn Dracula kommt (1960)
26KDie Stunde, wenn Dracula kommt: Directed by Mario Bava. With Barbara Steele, John Richardson, Andrea Checchi, Ivo Garrani. A vengeful witch and her fiendish servant return from the grave and begin a bloody campaign to possess the body of the witch’s beautiful look-alike descendant, with only the girl’s brother and a handsome doctor standing in her way.
“BARBARA STEELE became an icon of horror films (the way Christopher Lee did when he played Dracula), when she played the role of a vampire witch princess burned at the stake in the 17th century who returns two hundred years later with a vengeance. Not that the story itself is all that original, but when done as stylishly as it is here, with the perfect Bu0026amp;W atmosphere and chiller mood, itu0026#39;s a winner.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThereu0026#39;s no let-up in suspense from the gripping opening scene where the mask of Satan is nailed onto the face of the poor victimized woman, even though the unfolding of the story is rather slow. The graveyard scene of an undead man rising from the earth is masterfully photographed. The mood becomes more and more intense as several key characters emerge as vampires.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAs a young doctor who figures importantly in the plot, JOHN RICHARDSON is a rather wooden actor and makes a cardboard hero, but in a film that relies on its effect for brilliant camera-work and Gothic touches, itu0026#39;s not much of a flaw. Barbara Steeleu0026#39;s impassive mask-like beauty is suitable in the eerie dual role she plays with wide-eyed conviction.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe moody camera-work captures the spirit of Gothic horror in every shadowy scene. While the story itself is less than inspired, it does fulfill the promise of a good cobweb chiller right up until the rather predictable ending.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWell worth watching for fans of this genre.”
