First saw this film on tv around 1970 when ITV was running one of its Appointment with Fear/House of Horroes film series on Monday nights after News at 10, but my mum decided it was too scary for me (I was ten years old) and so I was sent to bed just before the action moved to the windmill and so only heard about Peter Cushing and the hot poker the next day in the playground. Saw it in full a few years later when the Beeb started showing their horror film double bills on saturday nights in the school summer holidays. Yes it has its glitches, but it's my favourite Hammer film. It may not have had the source material that Dracula had, and the various re-writes don't always tie everything together perfectly, but Cushing's performance in Brides is better and I can't fault Peel's performance, it's not his fault that he is not Christopher Lee.  What is the problem with his hair: is there a rule against blond vampires?