(Image: Mike Simmonds)
OVER the seven decades since Hammer Films first baited the censors and appalled the critics, their gothic shockers have attained cult status.
And none more so than Dracula, starring the perfect pairing of Peter Cushing as vampire hunter Van Helsing and Christopher Lee as his elegant and malevolent nemesis.
With its bold and inventive approach, pared-down (and free-wheeling) script and sumptuous camerawork, this gorgeous-looking slice of low-budget vintage horror sums up everything that Hammer stood for.
Freshly upgraded to 4K, including the restoration of key effects trimmed at the behest of the British censor on first release and located in Warner Bros’ film archive, this is classic British horror at its most vivid and lurid best.
Seeing it in Bradford’s Pictureville Cinema, surely one of the - if not THE - finest cinematheques in the UK allowed modern audiences a glimpse into how the movie looked on first release in 1958.
And it looked and sounded awesome.
Cushing and Lee went on to a lengthy partnership in genre films over more than 25 years, mostly as hero and villain, occasionally as allies.
But they were never better than in this majestic adventure which, in its bright and crisp resurrection, bled red through the screen.
Absolutely glorious.
Rating: five stars
- Last night's Northern premiere of the newly restored Dracula launched a season of Hammer films and Halloween events at the National Science and Media Museum.
- For more about the programme visit www.scienceandmediamuseum. org.uk