FAQ

While traveling through the Carpathian Mountains in eastern Europe, two English couples—Alan (Charles 'Bud' Tingwell) and Helen (Barbara Shelley) Kent and Alan's younger brother Charles (Francis Matthews) and wife Diana (Suzan Farmer)—decide to visit the village of Carlsbad despite warnings by traveling abbot Father Sandor (Andrew Keir) to stay away from a certain local castle. Left outside the village by a coachman terrified at the approach of night, they find themselves near the castle and are surprised at the hospitality extended by servant Klove (Philip Latham). It turns out that Klove has been hoping for such a visit in order to resurrect the castle owner, vampire Count Dracula (Christopher Lee), who was destroyed ten years ago by Dr Abraham Van Helsing (Peter Cushing).

Dracula: Prince of Darkness is the third movie in Hammer Horror's Dracula series, preceded by (1958) and The Brides of Dracula (1960) (1960) and followed by Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968) (1968), Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970) (1970), Scars of Dracula (1970) (1970), Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972) (1972), and The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973) (1973). All of Hammer's Dracula movies are based on the character created by Irish novelist Bram Stoker in his 1897 novel Dracula. The screenplay for Dracula: Prince of Darkness was based on an idea by British screenwriter Anthony Hinds and a screenplay written by Welsh screenwriter Jimmy Sangster.

Foiled at his attempt to make Diana drink his blood, Dracula abducts her and races back to his castle. Charles and Fr Sandor pursue on horseback. They manage to get ahead of Klove and the wagon. Charles shoots Klove but the driverless horses speed onward. The wagon tips over just outside the castle tossing Dracula's coffin onto the ice of a frozen river. While Fr Sandor tends to Diana, Charles grabs the stake and hammer and goes after Dracula just as the light begins to fade. Dracula awakens and goes after Charles. Diana grabs Sandor's rifle, shoots at Dracula, and misses, making a hole in the ice instead. Water begins to bubble up, and Sandor realizes they are standing over running water. He takes the gun and begins shooting the ice all around Dracula. In the final scene, the ice breaks up and Dracula is dumped into the river destroyed by the running water.