April 7, 1974 (UK)

One of Hammer Horror studio’s lesser successful films originally, though it obtained recognition only later. While it is a vampire film, it centers around the vampire hunters – retired soldier Captain Kronos (Horst Janson) and his hunchbacked companion Professor Grost (John Cater). They pick up unlikely Romani companion Carla (Caroline Munro of Dracula AD 1972 plus other Hammer productions) and answer the call of an old friend Doctor Marcus (John Carson) to investigate supernatural murders committed by an untraditional bloodline of vampires. The creative characters and the break from the rigid Hammer formula likely dulled the initial response to the movie, but in the end, what sets it apart is its most endearing quality. Its depiction of obscure elements of vampiric folklore and swashbuckling more than stoney crypts, bloody rituals and the abuses of Dracula breaks from the established format.

Writer & Director: Brian Clemens
Stars: Horst Janson, John Carson, Shane Briant, John Cater

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Kronos
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071276/