You never can keep a good Dracula down. Christoper Lee returns as the infamous Vampire in Scars of Dracula. The Hammer Horror film gets a new 4K UHD and restoration thanks to Kino Lorber.
The Film
Far too many films featuring the great Christopher Lee were unworthy of his talents. Though the iconic actor elevated anything he was in to at least watchable, if not truly great, or in some instances, legendary. Scars of Dracula finds Lee being the best thing in the tail-end era of Hammer Horror films. His magnetic performance is what pushes this film from just standard issue to elevated.
Lee is, in fact, the primary reason to see this film, as the uncanny grace that Lee brings to the role, even in the lowest of budgeted settings. Lee as Dracula could be a Ph.D. thesis on grace under fire. Even when the man is stabbing one of his victims repeatedly with the phoniest of prop knives, Lee never falters. If one could imagine having more respect for the British Spy turned Acting Legend, after the Scars of Dracula, you will.
It isn’t that the film isn’t well-made. The sets and costumes are beautifully made, as one would expect from sets and costumes mostly repurposed from other productions. It’s the kind of sequel to Dracula 1972 A.D. that is just mostly uninspired, with its literal recycling of the tropes of Bram Stoker’s original story. Honestly, how many times is this guy going to run into a woman who’s a reincarnation of his beloved from centuries prior? Also, without the gravitas of Peter Cushing as Van Helsing, the staple of milk-toast British actors playing the townsfolk and Van Helsing just aren’t a match for Lee.
One just wished that they found some new plot point or story to tell to elevate the work Lee does to give one a reason to like Scars of Dracula beyond the legend’s work.
The Transfers
The all-new HDR/Dolby Vision Master – From a 4K Scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative), is another stunner from the boutique label. The transfer is sharp, clean, without any hints of scratches or blemishes on the negative. The Dolby Vision encoding imbues the image with deeper details within the blacks and color spectrum, producing an image that’s darker but far more luminous and more textured than prior editions. The 4K UHD edition of Scars of Dracula is the best the film has ever looked, probably even better than its theatrical release. Another high-water mark for Kino Lorber in their 4K releases.
The Extras
They include the following;
DISC 1 (4KUHD):
NEW Audio Commentary by Novelist and Critic Tim Lucas
Audio Commentary by Director Roy Ward Baker, Actor Christopher Lee and Hammer Films Historian Marcus Hearn
DISC 2 (BLU-RAY):
NEW Audio Commentary by Novelist and Critic Tim Lucas
Audio Commentary by Director Roy Ward Baker, Actor Christopher Lee and Hammer Films Historian Marcus Hearn
Blood Rites – Inside Scars of Dracula: Documentary
Theatrical Trailer and Double-bill Theatrical Trailer with Horror of Frankenstein
The first commentary track is newly recorded by Novelist and Critic Tim Lucas, opens with his own narrative work working in the world of Bram Stoker and Dracula before diving into the opening of this sequel and some explanation of how Dracula comes back in this fifth film. Some of the other details include the various screenwriters and the development of the various Hammer Sequels, including this one; his recollections on the first viewing of the film, when during its initial US theatrical release; the sequels after this film and how much the series had changed, and Hammer films’ time was over; a personal account of his love of Hammer films and why these films are not just personally important but important for cinema; a history of Hammer Horror Films beginning with the first Dracula starring Christopher Lee and what separated them from the other horror films from the past and present; a larger discussion of the various actors that appear in the film; a larger discussion throughout about the various crew members that worked on the film and the entire series; and much more.
The second track is an archival audio commentary with Christopher Lee, Director Roy Ward Baker, and Historian Marcus Hearn (who appear to be recorded together). The track opens with Lee’s dissatisfaction with his role in the previous two films. The participants go on to discuss various topics, such as the development of the script and Lee’s lack of participation in the development, much to his chagrin; Lee is a delight as he recounts the history of playing Dracula and his frustrations with the lack of creativity of the team behind the making of the five films he played the famous vampire; working with producer Aida Young and Baker’s displeasure with her cost cutting methods; a discussion of the difference between making films in the golden age as opposed to the modern era; the loss of seeing these films Bakers and Lee made on TV as opposed to on the big screen as they designed them; where they filmed Scars of Dracula and the difference between Elstree studios and other facilities they used during Hammer on prior productions; the preparation that both Lee and Baker respectively did in prep for this film; a discussion of the various action set pieces, make up effects, and how they were accomplished; working with the various actors and crew members in making not just Scars but other Hammer productions featuring Lee and Dracula; and much more. Lee is the spotlight here, recounting not just production anecdotes but some great tangential stories. This commentary is worth the price of admission alone.
Blood Rites – Inside Scars of Dracula: Documentary (18:04) – is an archival making-of Documentary featurette. The doc suffers no fools in discussing how bad the production is and why it was so terrible and such a low-budget affair. Beginning with the discussion of how the budgets got lower after Warner Bros. and Hammer parted ways, it only gets worse from there. The effects, fake bats, the newly created Ratings in both the US and Britain, and actors not taking the production seriously are all detailed. Surprisingly effective at less than 20 minutes to be sure!
Rounding out the special features are trailers for Scars of Dracula (2:25); Scars of Dracula / Horror of Frankenstein[Double Bill] (2:42); House of the Long Shadows(2:28);Zoltan … Hound of Dracula [Dracula’s Dog] (3:21); Baby Blood (0:58); Fright (1:23); The Reincarnation of Peter Proud (1:49);
The Final Thought
Kino has given Scars of Dracula a truly wonderful transfer and 4K UHD Edition.
You never can keep a good Dracula down. Christoper Lee returns as the infamous Vampire in Scars of Dracula. The Hammer Horror film gets a new 4K UHD and restoration thanks to Kino Lorber.
The Film
Far too many films featuring the great Christopher Lee were unworthy of his talents. Though the iconic actor elevated anything he was in to at least watchable, if not truly great, or in some instances, legendary. Scars of Dracula finds Lee being the best thing in the tail-end era of Hammer Horror films. His magnetic performance is what pushes this film from just standard issue to elevated.
Lee is, in fact, the primary reason to see this film, as the uncanny grace that Lee brings to the role, even in the lowest of budgeted settings. Lee as Dracula could be a Ph.D. thesis on grace under fire. Even when the man is stabbing one of his victims repeatedly with the phoniest of prop knives, Lee never falters. If one could imagine having more respect for the British Spy turned Acting Legend, after the Scars of Dracula, you will.
It isn’t that the film isn’t well-made. The sets and costumes are beautifully made, as one would expect from sets and costumes mostly repurposed from other productions. It’s the kind of sequel to Dracula 1972 A.D. that is just mostly uninspired, with its literal recycling of the tropes of Bram Stoker’s original story. Honestly, how many times is this guy going to run into a woman who’s a reincarnation of his beloved from centuries prior? Also, without the gravitas of Peter Cushing as Van Helsing, the staple of milk-toast British actors playing the townsfolk and Van Helsing just aren’t a match for Lee.
One just wished that they found some new plot point or story to tell to elevate the work Lee does to give one a reason to like Scars of Dracula beyond the legend’s work.
The Transfers
The all-new HDR/Dolby Vision Master – From a 4K Scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative), is another stunner from the boutique label. The transfer is sharp, clean, without any hints of scratches or blemishes on the negative. The Dolby Vision encoding imbues the image with deeper details within the blacks and color spectrum, producing an image that’s darker but far more luminous and more textured than prior editions. The 4K UHD edition of Scars of Dracula is the best the film has ever looked, probably even better than its theatrical release. Another high-water mark for Kino Lorber in their 4K releases.
The Extras
They include the following;
DISC 1 (4KUHD):
DISC 2 (BLU-RAY):
The first commentary track is newly recorded by Novelist and Critic Tim Lucas, opens with his own narrative work working in the world of Bram Stoker and Dracula before diving into the opening of this sequel and some explanation of how Dracula comes back in this fifth film. Some of the other details include the various screenwriters and the development of the various Hammer Sequels, including this one; his recollections on the first viewing of the film, when during its initial US theatrical release; the sequels after this film and how much the series had changed, and Hammer films’ time was over; a personal account of his love of Hammer films and why these films are not just personally important but important for cinema; a history of Hammer Horror Films beginning with the first Dracula starring Christopher Lee and what separated them from the other horror films from the past and present; a larger discussion of the various actors that appear in the film; a larger discussion throughout about the various crew members that worked on the film and the entire series; and much more.
The second track is an archival audio commentary with Christopher Lee, Director Roy Ward Baker, and Historian Marcus Hearn (who appear to be recorded together). The track opens with Lee’s dissatisfaction with his role in the previous two films. The participants go on to discuss various topics, such as the development of the script and Lee’s lack of participation in the development, much to his chagrin; Lee is a delight as he recounts the history of playing Dracula and his frustrations with the lack of creativity of the team behind the making of the five films he played the famous vampire; working with producer Aida Young and Baker’s displeasure with her cost cutting methods; a discussion of the difference between making films in the golden age as opposed to the modern era; the loss of seeing these films Bakers and Lee made on TV as opposed to on the big screen as they designed them; where they filmed Scars of Dracula and the difference between Elstree studios and other facilities they used during Hammer on prior productions; the preparation that both Lee and Baker respectively did in prep for this film; a discussion of the various action set pieces, make up effects, and how they were accomplished; working with the various actors and crew members in making not just Scars but other Hammer productions featuring Lee and Dracula; and much more. Lee is the spotlight here, recounting not just production anecdotes but some great tangential stories. This commentary is worth the price of admission alone.
Blood Rites – Inside Scars of Dracula: Documentary (18:04) – is an archival making-of Documentary featurette. The doc suffers no fools in discussing how bad the production is and why it was so terrible and such a low-budget affair. Beginning with the discussion of how the budgets got lower after Warner Bros. and Hammer parted ways, it only gets worse from there. The effects, fake bats, the newly created Ratings in both the US and Britain, and actors not taking the production seriously are all detailed. Surprisingly effective at less than 20 minutes to be sure!
Rounding out the special features are trailers for Scars of Dracula (2:25); Scars of Dracula / Horror of Frankenstein[Double Bill] (2:42); House of the Long Shadows (2:28); Zoltan … Hound of Dracula [Dracula’s Dog] (3:21); Baby Blood (0:58); Fright (1:23); The Reincarnation of Peter Proud (1:49);
The Final Thought
Kino has given Scars of Dracula a truly wonderful transfer and 4K UHD Edition.
Kino Lorber’s 4K UHD Edition of Scars of Dracula is out now.
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