The Kiss of the Vampire (1963)

Director:

Don Sharp

Writer:

Anthony Hinds (writer)

Release Date:

11 September 1963 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

Giant devil Bats...summoned from the caves of Hell to destroy the lust of the Vampires!

Plot:

When car trouble strands a honeymooning couple in a small Southern European village, an aristocratic family in the area reaches out to help them with sinister consequences.

Plot Keywords:

Newlyweds | Cult Leader | Honeymoon | Occult Ritual | Garlic

Cast

Clifford Evans	...	Professor Zimmer
Edward de Souza	...	Gerald Harcourt
Noel Willman	...	Dr. Ravna
Jennifer Daniel	...	Marianne Harcourt
Barry Warren	...	Carl Ravna
Brian Oulton	...	1st disciple
Noel Howlett	...	Father Xavier
Jacquie Wallis	...	Sabena Ravna
Peter Madden	...	Bruno
Isobel Black	...	Tania
Vera Cook	...	Anna
John Harvey	...	Police sergeant
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Carl Esmond	...	Anton (US TV version)
Virginia Gregg	...	Rosa Stangher (US TV version)
Sheila Welles	...	Theresa Stangher (US TV version)
Olga Dickie	...	Woman at graveyard (uncredited)
Horst Ebersberg	...	(uncredited)
Dolly Read	...	First Disciple (uncredited)
Stan Simmons	...	Servant (uncredited)
Elizabeth Valentine	...	2nd disciple (uncredited)

Directed by
Don Sharp

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Anthony Hinds		writer (as John Elder)

Produced by
Anthony Hinds	....	producer

Original Music by
James Bernard

Cinematography by
Alan Hume

Production Design by
Bernard Robinson

Art Direction by
Don Mingaye

Makeup Department
Roy Ashton	....	makeup artist
Frieda Steiger	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Don Weeks	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Douglas Hermes	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Jim Groom	....	sound editor (as James Groom)
Ken Rawkins	....	sound recordist

Special Effects by
Les Bowie	....	special effects

Stunts
Peter Diamond	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Moray Grant	....	camera operator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Molly Arbuthnot	....	wardrobe supervisor
Rosemary Burrows	....	wardrobe mistress

Editorial Department
James Needs	....	supervising editor

Music Department
John Hollingsworth	....	music supervisor

Other crew
Pauline Harlow	....	continuity (as Pauline Wise)

Production Companies

• Hammer Film Productions
• Universal International Pictures (UI)

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1963) (USA) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1967) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• J. Arthur Rank Film Distributors (1963) (UK) (theatrical)
• Universal Film (1963) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Studios Home Video (1998) (USA) (VHS)

Also Known As:

Kiss of Evil (TV title (longer version))

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Unrated | UK:X

Filming Locations:

Black Park, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

Hammer Film Productions

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Gerald stumbles down the stairs, he collides with the statue (a lion) on the banister, which moves, revealing its fake and flimsy nature.

Quotes:

Professor Zimmer: When the devil attacks a man or woman with this foul disease of the vampire the unfortunate human being can do one of two things. Either he can seek God through the church and pray for absolution or he can persuade himself that his filthy perversion is some kind of new and wonderful experience to be shared by the favoured few. Then he tries to persuade others to join his new cult.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Pale Blood (1990)

Vampirism, Hammer Style

"The Kiss of the Vampire" deserves a special place in the vampire canon (and Hammer's filmography) because it plays with the formula in unexpectedly clever ways. In the early 20th century newlyweds (Jennifer Danie and Edward de Souza) travel through the European countryside by car. The vehicle runs out of gas and the couple is forced to spend the night at a remote village unaware that a vampire coven is nearby. The film mixes vampirism with Satanism in such a way that it is often hard to separate the subgenres. Noel Willman is wonderfully creepy as Dr. Ravna, the leader of the evil coven. The film belongs to Clifford Evans though. Evans is not your typical vampire hunter. He is an expert on the occult who has a drinking problem. Evans' characterization adds a novel twist to the procedures, and his fabulous performance challenges Peter Cushing's Van Helsing. Unfortunately, the film has an abrupt and silly conclusion but this is indeed one of Hammer's most interesting chillers. Highly recommended!