Villain(s)  Vampires

Actor(s):  Peter Cushing, Martita Hunt, Freda Jackson, Yvonne Monlaur

Brief Description  The Brides of Dracula (1960) is a classic British gothic horror film produced by Hammer Film Productions and directed by the legendary Terence Fisher. Despite what the title suggests, Count Dracula does not appear in the movie. Christopher Lee sat this one out to avoid being typecast, making it the only entry in Hammer's Dracula series without him. Instead, Peter Cushing reprises his iconic role as the fearless vampire hunter, Dr. J. Van Helsing, tracking down a handsome and wealthy disciple of the Count.

Plot:
The story begins with Marianne Danielle (Yvonne Monlaur), a young French schoolteacher traveling to Transylvania for a job at a ladies' academy. Stranded at a sinister village inn by her terrified coach driver, she is rescued by the regal Baroness Meinster (Martita Hunt). The Baroness invites Marianne to spend the night at her massive, gloomy castle. While exploring the castle balcony, Marianne discovers a handsome young man chained by his ankle. This is the Baroness's son, Baron Meinster (David Peel). He convinces a sympathetic Marianne that his mother is insane and has locked him away to steal his inheritance. Overcome with pity, Marianne steals the key and unlocks his shackles.

Freed from his chains, the true nature of Baron Meinster is revealed. He is a vampire, turned by Count Dracula himself. In a horrific twist, Meinster immediately attacks and bites his own mother, turning her into a vampire while his crazed, devoted servant Greta (Freda Jackson) looks on. Terrified, Marianne flees into the woods where she collapses from exhaustion. Marianne is found unconscious by Dr. J. Van Helsing (Peter Cushing), who has traveled to the region specifically to investigate rumors of continuing vampirism. He revives her and takes her safely to her new school. Unaware of the horror she has unleashed, Marianne accepts a sudden marriage proposal from the charming Baron Meinster, who has pursued her under the guise of an ordinary nobleman.

Meanwhile, Meinster begins picking off the young women at Marianne's school, including her roommate Gina (Andrée Melly), building an army of "vampire brides". Van Helsing investigates the local village, confronts the newly-turned Baroness Meinster—who asks Van Helsing to destroy her out of shame—and traces the bloodline back to the Baron. Helsing tracks Meinster to an old, abandoned windmill. During a fierce confrontation, the Baron bites Van Helsing on the neck. In one of the most famous and shocking scenes in Hammer Horror history, Van Helsing stays conscious, deliberately burns his own vampire wound with a red-hot iron, and purifies it with holy water to stop the infection. As Meinster tries to escape with Marianne, Van Helsing uses his wits. He leaps onto the blades of the windmill, rotating them to cast a massive, shadow cross across the floor, trapping the vampire. Van Helsing then splashes holy water onto Meinster's face, destroying the Baron and his brides once and for all.