Kiss of the Vampire: Product Context

Question 1

Who directed Kiss of the Vampire?

Answer 1

• Don Sharp

Question 2

Who produced Kiss of the Vampire?

Answer 2

• Hammer Film Productions

Question 3

Who distributed Kiss of the Vampire?

Answer 3

• J. Arthur Rank
• Universal

Question 4

What kind of film was Kiss of the Vampire intended to be?

Answer 4

• Kiss of the Vampire was intended to be the second sequel (the first being the Brides of Dracula in 1960) to 1958’s Dracula, although the film’s script actually makes no reference to Stoker’s character.
• This is perhaps to distance itself from unfavourable comparisons to the superior Christopher Lee who starred in the original film.

Question 5

History of Hammer Productions

Answer 5

• Hammer Productions enjoyed massive popularity from the mid 1950s to the 1970s when interest gradually waned.
• In 2007, the company was brought by a Dutch media tycoon and rebranded for a new generation producing new films with wider international appeal such as ‘Let Me In’ (2010) and the ‘Woman in Black’ (2012).

Question 6

What other sucesses did Hammer Productions have?

Answer 6

• In addition to Dracula, Hammer had - by 1963- success with other monster movie franchises such as ‘The Mummy’ and ‘Frankenstein’.
• Distributers, Universal, also saw early success with films in this genre.

Question 7

What happened historically in year Kiss of the Vampire was released?

Answer 7

• Historically, 1963 saw the early stages of ‘Beatlemania’ and the so-called ‘swinging sixties,’ the assasination of JFK and the Soviet Union launching the first woman into space.