Review of The Kiss of the Vampire

Hammer Lite, sans Dracula, that is well directed by Don Sharp and nicely written. It is also rather dull and uneventful, and plays very loose with vampire lore. The bloodsuckers of this outing don't seem to mind daylight and are extinguished by incantations and bats. A process shot featuring hundreds of animated bats buzzing around a castle is shoddy and would have been more effective on the cutting room floor. There are some exquisitely photographed rural exteriors, pretty ladies, a little blood, and a plot involving a secret society of vampires, but in the cold light of day it's an underwhelming addition to the vault of Hammer and a far cry from such non-Drac classics as "Twins of Evil" and "Vampire Circus".