A master swordsman and former soldier (Horst Janson) and his hunchbacked assistant hunt vampires.I was sold on this film as soon as a character said, "What could be more improbable than God? And yet, I believe in him." It was such a great reversal of atheist thought (that God is just as believable as unicorns) by saying if there is God, why not vampires and other ghouls? Clever! I also liked when Kronos called the various people "rat face" "fatty" and "big mouth". That was pretty funny, both for his choice of words and the way he delivered those words.

"Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter" is far and away one of the most interesting productions to ever come from Hammer Films. It's the result of a collaboration between Brian Clemens and Albert Fennell, two veterans of 'The Avengers' who'd previously made the eerie terror-in-the-daylight thriller "And Soon the Darkness". The twists it puts into vampire lore, as well as the genre crossing (the film is a combination of period horror and swashbuckler), make all the difference. The title character, played by German actor Horst Janson (who's dubbed by Julian Holloway), is a debonair vampire hunter & killer who travels with his loyal companion, Professor Grost (John Cater). They're summoned by a doctor named Marcus (John Carson), who's found that the beautiful young women in his area have been turned into old crones - they've been drained of their youth, as opposed to being drained of blood, by the local vampire. Writer / director / co-producer Clemens injects some amusing touches into his screenplay, not the least of which is the method of burying dead toads near trees to determine the path their nemesis is taking (when passing near the graves, the vampire's presence will bring the toads back to life). Caroline Munro, in all of her sexy glory, adds to the appeal as Carla, whom Kronos and Grost rescue from a pillory. The acting is sound all the way down the line, including Shane Briant and Lois Daine as the proper, well-to-do Durward siblings, and Ian Hendry as trouble making tavern customer Kerro. The atmosphere is strong, the period feel impressive, the thunderous music by Laurie Johnson a rousing accompaniment, and overall this sizes up as a great deal of fun. While the mystery is not a particularly hard one to solve, Clemens and Fennell are still to be commended for their presentation. They make this a grand entertainment. It really is a shame that the film wasn't more successful as the idea of creating a franchise character a la Van Helsing out of Kronos could have been a delight, as he went about seeking out and vanquishing evil. There's enough action here, a nicely suspenseful sequence before the big finale, and an appreciable glimpse of Munro's exquisite body, to make this well worth watching for fans of period adventures. Eight out of 10.

Prepare to be hammered by Captain Kronos, Vampire Hunter. He's a swashbuckling, brooding, silent type who cavorts across the countryside with his assistant, Prof. Grost, who is a hunchbacked sort of Dr.-Watson-Meets-Hephaestus. As you will learn well into the storyline, Kronos's family was attacked by vampires, so now he has to repay the "species" a thousandfold by hunting them down in the, well, dead of day, actually, and learning along the way that vampires are a varied species that must be snuffed in a multitude of ways as no one set of rules works for all of them(a nice twist).The score is adequate, and in some places, rousing. Acting is somewhat of "Horst of another color." Janson is tolerable as Cap'n Kronos, sometimes delivering his lines very well, other times you might groan. If I were to cast a remake, I'd lovingly place Dave Mustaine in the lead with John Hurt as his quasimodo-in-tow. Anyway, I know plenty of horror fans dig this film and there is a lot to be said for it 35 years later. Part of its appeal would lie in when you watched the movie, though. If you are a geezer like me and waited until you were older to see this, it certainly won't have the same attraction as it might for a kid in high school in the 70's. This is not to say it's a bad film or even really dated. You just have to be in the right mindset when you start watching or you'll end up being too critical. Personally, I'd have preferred more swordplay and a few more vampiric slayings. The swordfight in the cemetery is beyond pathetic and at least the cinematographer was able to clean up the shortcomings a bit with fast camera-work. However, the sword fight at the end is considerably better and will make up for the one previously derided.There are a bevy of beauties in the film, including the delicious Caroline Munro, so there's no shortage of flesh, although nudity is kept in the shadows. If you are a careful viewer, and I know you are, you'll spot the main baddie rather early on, but that doesn't necessarily spoil things. Perhaps the best thing about this movie is not so much the action or dialogue as the uber-creepy vampire moving about the countryside, mainly in the forests, donning a black shroud and sucking the youth out of the fair maidens. The fact the vampire's face is not shown until the end greatly helps the film, which has little in the way of effects or gore.Today, we have Van Helsing and the late-in-coming Solomon Kane as a sort of modern cinematic Captain Kronos, but that doesn't mean his character couldn't live on in more stories. I'm sure there are enough fans of this film to warrant his resurrection.

I've only seen a couple of Hammer horror films, but I'm impressed. They seem to be subtly effective if you're looking for a few thrills and chills, not overdoing the gore, being mild on the language but yet having a definite edge to them. "Captain Kronos" isn't super but it's enjoyable. The direction is excellent, the DVD transfer looked nice, and - like a good mystery - there's a good twist at the end regarding the murderer, er.....vampire. For us guys, there are also a lot of pretty women in here, too. The acting isn't the best but who cares? It's entertaining, and not made to be taken seriously.I enjoyed the team of "Captain Kronos and Professor Hieronymous-Grost," and I'm surprised there wasn't a sequel. These two guys make a good team: Horst Janson as the younger, dashing swordsman, and John Cater as the older assistant. The latter provides a little comic relief, too. Their relationship reminded me a bit of Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce at "Holmes and Watson." The good captain is not your normal vampire hunter. He's just as anxious to get it on with the ladies, and he has a sexy one for a partner in Caroline Munro as "Carla." Kronos also smokes "herbal" cigars! The brief touches of comedy, western, swashbuckling, horror, mystery, romance, sex, supernatural, and who-knows-what else all make it an inventive and fun hour-and-a-half. Hey, it even gives God several good plugs! This horror movie is different, all right.