#thedwreview

Following accusations of numerous war crimes in Bosnia, recently demoted Sgt Barry Craig (Tam Toye) is assigned by Military Intelligence to go undercover as a bodyguard for Glasgow crime boss John Masterson.  His task is to infiltrate the underworld syndicate, destroying the group from within, and is incentivised to hone in on their drug ring with having his rank reinstated if successful.  He works his way up to head of security in the wake of the deaths of some of Masterson's heavies, although ultimately proves to be so good at his job that his colleagues become suspicious of him. Along the way he bonds with Masterson's receptionist (Nichola Hosie), who appears to be more than just a pretty face and a potential love interest for our hero.  This leads to Craig himself realising his game is up and is on borrowed time to both take the gang down and escape unscathed.  Whether he can do it alone or with help from a young crop of soldiers, alleged to be a par below the SA...

In my last blog post I provided commentary on the 1958 Hammer version of Dracula aka Horror Of Dracula, which along with the previous year's The Curse Of Frankenstein kicked off a new era for horror fans nationally and internationally.  These films were so well-received that the astute economists producing them decided "Hey, we've got a cash cow here. Let's make some more!" So today I'll provide an overview of the sequels to yesterday's subject, just to give you a flavour of what followed.  Subjectively as a fan I really enjoyed this series but objectively speaking, there's no way in pretending that the quality, at best, varied throughout. (NB: for Hammer aficionados, I will not be commenting on The Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires (1974) - often touted as part of this vampire series - purely because I've still yet to see it!) THE BRIDES OF DRACULA (1960) To kick off, we see the legendary Peter Cushing as Val Helsing make his sole appearance whe...

Today's assessment looks at a standout in the economically-generous vampire field.  Filmed and produced in the UK, it made a killing internationally (see what I did there?) despite being renamed 'Horror of Dracula' in the US, thus to avoid confusion with the earlier Bela Lugosi standard. Following the success of 'The Curse of Frankenstein' (1957) the prior year, another horror remake was planned by Hammer studios allowing cinema-goers to see their favourite monsters in colour for the first time.  Previously the strong majority of Universal horrors were filmed in black and white, whilst it was certain that the best-known vampire features up to now didn't to any further than a tinted shade; specifically the silent 'Nosferatu' (1922). This interpretation of the fangtastic classic sees Jonathan Harker arrive at Dracula's castle to begin his work as a librarian.  After meeting the Count's acquaintance, it dawns on him he is now a prisoner and gets cau...