I think people need to rethink their loyalty to Hammer Studios, since not everything they released was wonderful, and this film is a prime example. A sequel to "The Horror of Dracula," it has no bite. Two brothers, Charles (Francis Matthews) and Alan (Charles 'Bud' Tingwell), are traveling with their respective wives, Diana (Suzan Farmer) and Helen (Barbara Shelley). A priest (Andrew Keir) warns them to stay away from a certain creepy castle, but does not elaborate as to why. They are warned off this certain castle, so end up there anyway. Helen is already shown to be the uptight one, and refuses to be swayed by the castle or its creepy servant, Klove (Philip Latham). Charles, Alan, and Diana think this is a wonderful adventure, and take advantage of the castle's "dead" owner's kindness to travelers. To make a long story short, Klove revives Dracula (Christopher Lee), who bites Helen, and then turns his attention on the others.
This film is an hour and a half, and still too long. There are many dull stretches as Charles and Alan say "oh, darling, there is nothing to be frightened of" much too often. Lee, who has no lines, does not appear until the midpoint of the movie, not counting the opening clip from the preceding film, leaving the viewer to have to suffer through boring plot points like where the pesky tourists will find lodging for the night and why is the burly priest so mad at the "superstitious" townsfolk when in fact they had the vampire legend right all along? Charles and Alan are not Schwarzenegger and Stallone, as they often seem more annoyed by Dracula's lack of proper manners than fearing for their very lives. Helen is such a pill you wish she would get a stake in the heart long before she is turned into a vampire. Christopher Lee is not given much to do except hiss and bug his eyes, like a kitten with a thyroid condition. The suspense consists mostly of Dracula's resurrection, thanks to lots of one character's blood and some shadowy appearances. The climax, obviously filmed indoors, involves some very fake ice- you will need a cold bath, too, to wake yourself up from this disappointment. I cannot recommend it, even to Hammer fanatics.
