Starring Horst Janson, John Carson, Caroline Munro and John Cater
Written and directed by Brian Clemens
Let's end Horrorfest 2020 on a mostly high note with the energetic horror adventure CAPTAIN KRONOS, VAMPIRE HUNTER, starring square-jawed Horst Janson as Captain Kronos himself, a former military captain who wanders 17th century Europe, picking up work as a professional vampire hunter. He is a master swordsman, carries a samurai sword and even has a hunchback sidekick/mentor who joins him on his adventures.
A village doctor calls for Kronos' help when young girls in the village start aging unnaturally rapidly. Clearly the work of vampires, right? Why not! So, it's Kronos to save the day.
The movie has lots of exciting sword fights, little vignettes where Kronos saves women from being executed and beats up jerks in a tavern. There's even a good amount of morbid comedy, especially in a sequence in which one of Kronos' companions is transformed into a vampire, begs to be killed, and then Kronos has to try out a bunch of different methods of killing him, all failing until he eventually does it on accident.
Reading up on this movie, apparently it was intended to be the first of many Kronos adventures, but alas, so far it stands alone. Like Quatermass, I think Kronos is a fascinating character who should be brought back for a remake. With a charismatic swashbuckling lead, a Hollywood budget and today's special effects behind it, I think a Captain Kronos remake could be a big hit.
So there you have it -- 31 horror movies in 31 days, all Hammer. There are plenty more Hammer horror movies to see, including some fairly recent releases as the studio has recently revived itself, but at least I've now seen each and every one of Hammer's DRACULA, FRANKENSTEIN and MUMMY movies, as well as several horror flicks and thrillers I may have never seen otherwise.
There aren't many better ways to spend October than with the likes of Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. If you have the means, I highly recommend it. Happy Halloween!
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