All original text and images ©RJE Simpson 1999-2006
e-mail the
webmaster

 

ARCHIVE

This archive article is now notably out of date, written back when Kronos was impossible to get except from bootleggers and traders, it is of course now readily available around the world on dvd. Little Shoppe of Horrors #18 is devoted to the film. I repost this article simply for archive interest. As with much of the rest of the site I hope to update the article in the near future....

Robert JE Simpson
22 August 2006.

 

Captain Kronos Vampire Hunter

A HAMMER PRODUCTION

CAPTAIN KRONOS


VAMPIRE HUNTER
©Copyright MCMLXXIII Hammer Film Productions Limited. All Rights Reserved

Starring
HORST JANSON
JOHN CARSON
SHANE BRIANT
CAROLINE MUNRO

Dutch video cover for KronosAlso Srarring

JOHN CARTER

LOUIS DANE

with
WILLIAM HOBBS
BRIAN TULLY
ROBERT JAMES
PERRY SOBLOSKY
PAUL GREENWOOD
LISA COLLINGS
JOHN HOLLIS

And Guest Stars

IAN HENDRY
as KERRO

WANDA VENTHAM
as LADY DURWARD

 

Production Designer
RICHARD DALTON

Assistant Director DAVID TRINGHAM
Continuity JUNE RANDALL
Casting Director JAMES LIGGAT
Fight Arranger WILLIAM HOBBS

 

DIrector of Photogrpahy
IAN WILSON

Camera Operator GODFREY GODAR
Make-Up JIM EVANS
Hairdressing BARBARA RITCHIE

Processed by Humphries Laboratories

 

Designer
ROBERT JONES

Assistant Art Director KENNETH McGALLUM
Wardrobe Supervisor DULGIE MIDWINTER

 

Editor
JAMES NEEDS

Sound Recordist JIM WILLIS
Dubbing Mixer BILL ROWE
Sound Editor PETER LENNARD
Recording Director A.W. LUMKEN

 

Music by
LAURIE JOHNSON

Musical Supervisor
PHILIP MARTELL

 

Production Supervisor
ROY SKEGGS

 

Produced by
ALBERT ........BRIAN
FENNELL......CLEMENS

 

Written and Directed by
BRIAN CLEMENS

 

Kronos    HORST JANSON
Dr. Marcus    JOHN CARSON
Paul Durward    SHANE BRIANT
Carla    CAROLINE MUNRO
Grost    JOHN CARTER
Sara Durward    LOIS DAINE
Kerro     IAN HENDRY
Lady Durward    WANDA VENTHAM
Hagen    WILLIAM HOBBS
George Sorell    BRIAN TULLY
Pointer    ROBERT JAMES
Barlow    PERRY SOBLOSKY
Giles    PAUL GREENWOOD
Vanda Sorell    LISA COLLINGS
Barman    JOHN HOLLIS
Isabella Sorell    SUSANNA EAST
Barton Sorell     STAFFORD GORDON
Ann Sorell    ELIZABETH DEAR
Myra    JOANNA ROSS
Priest    NEIL SEILER
Lilian    OLGAR ANTHONY
Blind Girl    GIGI GURPINAR
Big Man    PETER DAVIDSON
Tom     TERENCE SEWARDS
Deke    TREVOR LAWRENCE
Barmaid    JACQUI COOK
Whore    PENNY PRICE

 

    A HAMMER PRODUCTION  

made at

EMI-MGM ELSTREE STUDIOS,
BOREHAM WOOD,

HERTFORDSHIRE,
ENGLAND.  
 

 

British theatrical poster for Captain Kronos Vampire Hunter (1974)CAPTAIN KRONOS : VAMPIRE HUNTER
Original Duration: 91mins, colour
Original Certificate : AA
Today's UK Certificate : 15
Filmed at MGM-EMI Elstree, London, England

IN A NUTSHELL: A young girl goes missing in the village of Durwood, only to be later discovered drained of blood. Local MD, Dr Marcus is anxious and calls his old war-buddy and friend, Captain Kronos, a professional Vampire Hunter to investigate. Accompanied by a hunchbacked colleague, Professor Groust, and a young peasant rescued from the stocks, they set off to discover the cause.
In the course of the investigations they discover that the vampires responsible are of a strange variety, and it is only the attack upon Marcus by a mysterious vampire that enables them to discover the correct method of destruction.
Suspicion centres around the local lords of the manor (so-to-speak) the Durwards, as the young girl is used as bait....

REVIEW: Perhaps the greatest of all Hammer's vampire films, it did much for the vampire legends, on a par with Polanki's 1967 feature The Fearless Vampire Killers. Polanksi introduced us to two amateur vampire hunters, dealing with the problems of amongst others, a Jewish vampire (the crucifix holding no fear here), and a gay vampire! Brian Clemen's script for Hammer, wheras not as ultra-specific, avoids the clichés and pitfalls, and manages to produce one of Hammer's most original horror pictures.
This would be the second feature from the pen of Brian Clemens, a writer who is perhaps best remembered for his work on tv's The Avengers, and The Professionals. His own piece Dr Jekyll and Sister Hyde had done much to alter the look on the classic Robert Louis Stevenson psycoloigical study. Kronos was to be equally groundbreaking.

Approaching the subject of vampires is no easy task. Vampires have been the staple of so many films, that rarely do we find anything even remotely original. What Clemens manages to do, is open up a whole new avenue of exploration. As Groust comments "There are as many species of Vampire as there are beasts of prey". No longer are the traditional methods of crosses and garlic and sunlight a sure-fire method of protection against the most frightening creature of the dark.
Brian Clemens himself has remarked on the creation process, how after watching all the old Dracula movies, the vampire came across as the hero, and there was no longer any tension. His script would call for a completely new type of vampire and a new superhero in the guise of Kronos.

Much has been made of the fan-originated rumour of a return for the character in a series. Certainly Brian had envisaged a series of films being made about the hero, though to date, this has been his only filmed appearance. Kronos himself according to Brain's original character sketches, is something of a time traveller. Aways crusading against evil, and with the ability to turn up in any place at any time -and not necessarily battling against vampires either (that is, besides Groust's claim that they are "professional vampire hunters".
The good Captain's adventures did continue briefly in the first three issues of The House of Hammer magazine, albeit in comic strip form. Fans are constantly asking Brian, and anyone claiming insight, as to whether or not he will return. Certainly the time has never been better. Kronos precedes the Ann Rice novels, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer (which itself took ten years of limbo before the tv series became a hit), and yet gives something far more than either of them. We await the final dicision.

The film is slick and well directed by Clemens. The snazzy close-ups and arty photography in many ways preceeds the work of The New Avengers, and The Professionals. The all-action hero of Kronos is himself much more than a reinvented Van Helsing, rather Kronos itself signifies the return of the swashbuckler. One imagines that had distribution not been so poor, and the film had received the contemporary audience it so rightly deserved, that a whole new genre would open.
Clemens' original script blends classic vampirism, sword-fighting, and a unique blend of almost black humour. Clemens enthusiasts will no doubt be able to pick out the master at work in his joint role as writer-director.

Music for the film was provided by Laurie Johnson, who has composed the themes for the Avengers (the classic Avengers theme). Whilst some have criticised his rousing thumping score as perhaps better suited to a tv series, the main theme, combined with the fast and quirky shots and dank scenery to create a perfect blend, and breath of fresh air.Danish video cover for Kronos

The cast themselves are on top form. Jansen himself is enigmatic (albeit dubbed by Julian Holloway) as Kronos, John Cater is suitably humble as Groust, and the rest of the cast are of an equally high standard. John Carson makes a return Hammer appearance, in a rather ill-fated part. Of the rest of the support it is Caroline Munro who shines through. Hammer's latest sex kitten receiving her first major role for the studio following on from Dracula AD 1972, and her uncast guest appearance in On the Buses, subtly in a large poster on the outside of the bus station, advertising Lamb's Rum, the very photo in fact which drew her to the attention of Sir James Carreras.
Ian Hendry also makes a welcome return to a Clemens' project, having gained notority as the star of Police Surgeon and then the first series of The Avengers at the start of the 60's. Hendry's scenes in the bar, are amongst the most amusing in the film. Clemens again displaying his unique and somewhat abstract humour.

Its interesting to note, that Kronos is short on the sex and nudity, coming as it does in the early seventies, when those were the exact elements of much British film. Whilst sex is implied, it is thanks to Caroline Munro's refusal to bare all perhaps, that we are treated to such a fine action film. Caroline did film a number of well-lit scenes beside a camp fire with Jansen. Her hair so long, that her breasts are covered, and clever costuming concealing the rest.
Odd further then, that these scenes whilst not explicit are in fact very erotic. Thus making them perhaps some of the more memorable Hammer sex scenes.

Kronos went before the cameras on 10th April 1972. Shooting would take seven weeks with two on location, wrapping on 27th May, with the studio work being done at MGM-EMI Elstree.
The film had been partially financed with a loan from the National Film Finance Corporation, and despite its cult popularity, poor distribution plagued the film when it was eventually released on 7th April 1974, certified AA. It would sink virtually without trace, undeservedly forgotten by the film-going public.

Kronos is a figure who seems loathe to die though. After continuing his adventures in comic strip form for the first three issues of The House of Hammer magazine in 1977, the last twenty years has seen constant rumours of an impending further adventure. Clemens himself has toyed with the idea, and one can't help but think that some day he will return.

Incidently, although the film remains largely unavailable on video (a dvd release having been initially dismissed owing to poor quality source material, it did receive a number of screenings on the Sci-fi channel in the UK in the mid-1990s. The edit shown on the sci-fi channel is markedly different from the familiar form, and for no real explanation omits a number of major scenes, including the pre-credit sequence, and Caroline Munro's famous semi-nude campfire scene!

There is on the whole, little to fault with Kronos, and much to praise, but its place has been ignored in the annals of Hammer greats. Often forgotten amongst the Draculas and Frankensteins, the project goes to show how much in tune with the changing needs of the Hammer product, the studio were. Retaining its gothic quality, but blending it further, Kronos is as relevant and appealing today as it has always been. Ultra-modern and ultra-fine.Captain Kronos Vampire Hunter US video cover

Kronos remains on the most wanted lists of most Hammer fans, with a pityful distibution on VHS and at time of writing no sign of DVD. Unavailable in the UK, it has had sparadic distribution on VHS in the rest of Europe. America saw a release some years ago by Paramount.

23rd May 2002: recently Paramount in the US have re-examined their catalogue and Kronos looks set for release on dvd in 2003.

 

article © RJE Simpson 2001
page posted 21st May 2001 (revised 23rd May 2002)
reformatted and reposted 22 August 2006
email questions, comments and corrections to info@avalard.com

 

 - back to top -

 

 
 

House of Horror: The Unofficial Hammer Films Site © RJE Simpson 1999 - 2006
Site launched Sunday 8th August 1999