MovieChat Forums > Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1974) Discussion > The Things That Might Have Been

The Things That Might Have Been

posted 20 years ago by BijouBob8mm
18 replies | jump to latest

Writer/director Brian Clemens, one of the creative forces behind the 1960s television classic THE AVENGERS, had hopes of developing CAPTAIN KRONOS into a new feature film franchise for Hammer studios. Instead, changing tastes and so-so box office turned it into a one-shot outing instead of a series. (Although, technically, since Lady Durwood turns out to be--SPOILER ALERT--a member of the Karnstein family by birth, it could possibly be considered the last entry of Hammer's Karnstein saga, preceded by THE VAMPIRE LOVERS, LUST FOR A VAMPIRE and TWINS OF EVIL.) Early into preproduction, some of Clemens ideas had to be downsized. The director had planned to portray Kronos with a dash of James Bond about him, traveling around in a coach containing an arsenal of anti-vampire weapons and gadgetry. (Keep in mind this was some 30 years BEFORE Universal's 2004 film, VAN HELSING, with its James Bond/James West/Jules Verne-inspired hardware.) While some have said KRONOS star Horst Jansen didn't have the warmth the role really required, his performance holds up well over the years, creating a characterization that was unique for its day.

[–] Diamond_Dan 19 years ago

This was a pretty good vampire movie, i would've like to have seen more Captain Kronos movies. And the unusual type of vampires were a nice touch to this movie, instead of the kind you'll find in most vampire/horror movies. That would've been really cool if Kronos had of had James Bond inspired weapons and gadgets! But still, his swordsmanship was very cool, and perfect for taking out vamps! And i did like Horst Jansen's portrayl of Captain Kronos, and it does hold up well!

Like Mötley Crüe said, "Girls, Girls, Girls"!

[–] The_13th_Master 19 years ago

It is a shame they never did make a Franchise out of Captain Kronos, because he seems to have been a franchise, he should have been a franchise, who knows maybe he would have had his own comics and action figures and all that other crap franchises have, but sadly it was not to be! :(

"I am the Master, you will obey me!"

[–] BijouBob8mm 19 years ago

At that point in Hammer's history, the studio seemed to be searching for an identity. The gothic films weren't finding the audience they once had, and Hammer's ventures into more modern material weren't going over so well, either. It would have been great to have seen more of Kronos...maybe pitting him against Carmilla Karnstein or Count Dracula (if only for name value on the marquee), or with totally new and original characters. Instead of Kronos against the Count, we have....uhm, well, FREDDY VS. JASON? (sigh)

[–] bgrubb 19 years ago

Every time I watch this movie I really wish there more of Captain Kronos. Going back into the actual mythology and saying there are different types of vampires with different weakness and different methods of destroying them was a stoke of brillance. It is pity that thanks to Hammer's total lack of direction and the slump in the vampire horror arena that we do not see Kronos in later films going up against Ch'iang Shich (China), Gaki (Japan), Loogaroo (Haiti), or Vyrolakos/Tympanios type of vampires (all of whom do not follow the Hollywood vampire in activity or method of destruction).

[–] BijouBob8mm 19 years ago

Hammer had also thought of doing a follow-up to THE LEGEND OF THE 7 GOLDEN VAMPIRES, called KALI: DEVIL BRIDE OF DRACULA, which would have looked at vampirism in India. Alas, distribution problems with their last Dracula films, coupled with poor performance at the box office, saw the project shelved.

[–] 19 years ago

[deleted]

[–] BijouBob8mm 19 years ago

Just recently reread some of Robert E. Howard's "Solomon Kane" tales. I wonder if they might have had any influence on the character of Kronos (although Kronos isn't as grim as Kane)? Actually, the Kane tales would have made for an interesting Hammer Films franchise....

[–] bgrubb 19 years ago

If you are lucky enough to have the DVD with the commentary you will find out that this was the pilot for a series of Captain Kronos films which confirms the feeling I had every time I saw the film. Sadly Hammer had a whole series of problems and the Captain Kronos film series never got made. It is really a pity because Hammer could have taken the myth into so many different directions.

[–] pagangod 19 years ago

Yes indeed, bgrubb's imformation is in fact correct - Captain Kronos was indeed originally meant for TV and the movie did start production as a pilot - you might note the lack of explicit gore/violence in the film.

Hammer had dabbled in TV on and off for years, firstly in the 50's with a Frankenstein adaptation that eventually prompted their 1st gothic horror feature The Curse of Frankenstein. Years later, in 1968, they produced (with 20th Century Fox) an anthology series called Journey Into The Unknown.

Brian Clemens had worked with Hammer before on Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde(1971), and it was after this film that he proposed the idea of Kronos to the Hammer executives.

It was touch and go for quite a while, after the pilot was made, as to if Kronos (as the show was going to be called) would go to series, but alas, of course, this was not to be.

As we already know, the pilot was eventually released theatrically (it had sat on the shelf for over a year) however Hammer still held on to the option for a TV series, but of course the mid to late 70's were troubled times for Hammer Films and as the decade ended, so did Hammer as a theatrical concern with the release of their remake of The Lady Vanishes (1979) - it was their last feature release.

The TV series would have involved Captain Kronos and Prof. Grost travelling through time in a magical coach of gold to fight all manners of evil - not just vampires. The name Kronos came from the Greek mythology - he was the father of Zeus and the God of time.

It's a real pity that the Kronos series never happened - with Brian Clemens (and his track record) the show would have been something very different.

PG.

[–] godofwiddly 18 years ago

Don't worry, it's still not too late.
The actors involved here, such as Jansson and Cater, my be far too old now to ever appear in such a production (except maybe in cameos) but the character of Kronos can still be revived. All it takes is someone with the depth of imagination and storytelling ability Clemens once had (one doubts if he would have it now) a good cinematographer, director and leading man- oh and some money- and I'm sure our hero would be up and about slaying vamps and monsters of all persuasions. Maybe Burton or Tarantino could have a go, but if Burton did it he'd just cast Johnny Depp in the role, and to be honest I'm getting a little tired of him by now. And don't even mention Peter Jackson!! A young director who understands the genre is what's needed.
Whoeve they are though, they'll never quite recapture the beauty of that iconic final scene, where Kronos and Grost battle with the deceased Lord Durward in that elegently lit, beautiful drawing room, as his mother and children, together with the alluring gypsy girl, stand hypnotised and motionless. The colours of the clothes, the dialogue, the almost mannequin-like movements of the spectators, the swashbuckling: it's scenes like this, caught on television late one night in one's youth, that shape one's love of horror. I could go on, but any new film to bear the Kronos name would have to be a brand new story, not just a rehash of the original.
Somewhere out there lurketh the people necessary to make it possible. They will be found.

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"Oh, that's OK, we have lots of others."

[–] melsen 18 years ago

They could have Janson appear as Kronos' dad in a remake, Janson has aged very well with a still-youthful look. I can't believe he's 70 ! :)

[–] bellatrix79 18 years ago

i loved this movie.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[–] weirdmenace 17 years ago

A minor point, but Lady Durward says that she is a member of the Karstein family, not the Karnstein family. Presumably the two families are closely related however!

[–] njg33 17 years ago

I just watched the DVD with the subtitles on and they say "Costine" lol. And actually it's hard to make out what she really says, could be Costine or Karstein or Karnstein. Who knows.

[–] BijouBob8mm 17 years ago

I've seen a lot of debate about what Lady Durwood actually says, when referring to her family's name. (Most tend to think Karnstein, but the pronunciation on the soundtrack leaves some room for speculation.) Guess we need to get our hands on a copy of the screenplay to settle it for sure. (And you can't always go by the subtitles/close captioning...I've seen a handful of films where what's being said on the soundtrack is very clear, but the subtitle text doesn't match the spoken dialogue or the lines in the script.)

[–] freudified_n_funkified 17 years ago

I heard her say "Karstein" without the N - but either way it has to at least in part be allusion to Karnstein.

And I agree with everyone else about Kronos, though - it's a damn shame Clemens didn't get to at least do a sequel. The movie stands as one of Hammer's finest and most inspired. Makes you wish Hammer had actually committed to reinventing itself along these more ambitious lines.

[–] blackswan50 16 years ago

i believe i read ingrid pitt turned the part down so. maybe it is a karnstein.!

[–] blackswan50 11 years ago

bump