Jane/Hammer Horror

Jane is a fictional secretary featured in the Hammer Horror film series by Hammer Film Productions. She appeared in the 1973 movie, The Satanic Rites of Dracula, directed by Alan Gibson. The role was played by actress Valerie Van Ost.

Biography
Jane was a secretary who worked for the Secret Intelligence Service in London, England during the early 1970s. She was a woman who appeared to be in her late twenties with shoulder-length brown hair. She occasionally wore reading glasses while performing her duties. When an MI6 agent named Hanson was mortally injured while going undercover to investigate a Satanic cult, his body was brought back to an SIS medical facility. Jane monitored the dying man's vitals and also hooked up an audio device to record anything about the case that he might say before dying. Later, Jane was driving away from the facility to have the recordings transcribed. Two guards employed by the cult that Hanson was investigating, targeted her and chased her car through the streets of London. Finally cornering her vehicle in an alley, they smashed through the windows and abducted her. She was brought back to the Psychical Examination and Research Group manor house in Croxley Heath. She awakened hours later to find the vampire lord, Dracula, standing before her. He had crept into her small room in the guise of smoke. Dracula bit Jane, ultimately turning her into a vampire.

Jane was kept imprisoned and chained to the wall of the crypt below the manor house. Her sudden disappearance did not go unnoticed. Scotland Yard inspectors Murray and Torrence, along with occultist Jessica Van Helsing, came to the manor house in search of her. Jessica found her first, but was unprepared for the fact that Jane was now a vampire. Jane attacked her and Jessica struggled to fight her off. Inspector Torrence rushed to her side and pulled Jessica away, allowing Inspector Murray the chance to find a wooden stake and plunge it into Jane's heart, ultimately destroying her.

Notes & Trivia



 * Jane's surname is never revealed in the film or in the credits.


 * Jane is the third character in the film to die on-screen, following Hanson and one of the cult guards.


 * Jane is the second character in the film to be turned into a vampire.


 * This is the second and final horror film work for actress Valerie Van Ost. She also appeared in the 1970 horror film Bloodsuckers as Don's wife.