Forget Gothic Gore — This Campy Horror Flick Is ‘The Princess Bride’ of Horror Movies
Brain Clemens directed Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter, a campy vampire flick that will oddly remind audiences of The Princess Bride.
Hammer Film Production Company dominated the British horror scene from the mid-1950s through the early ‘70s. Their classic, gothic aesthetic leaned heavily into the black-and-white old-timey-ness, an overabundance of drippy, wax candles, iconic monsters, and fainting damsels. 1957’s The Curse of Frankensteinand 1958’s Draculaare undeniable staples within horror cinema, cementing actors like Christopher Leeand Peter Cushing as beloved scream kings. But by the ’70s, Hammer Films was looking to pivot away from this identifiable vibe and move into something more modern. Enter Brian Clemens and his only feature film as director. In 1974, Clemens debuted Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter, a campy, flower-powered action-adventure attempt at revising vampire movies.
