Dracula Has Risen from the Grave

Rating:
Summary: My favorite HammerDracula film
Review: I think this flick is a terrific piece of work. THe dialogue, casting, and setting combine to produce a tremendously satisfying feature.

The plot is outstanding, contrasting the faith of age with the atheism of youth, the two very different yet both attractive women and revenge versus redemption. The plot is simple but compelling. Dracula has risen and has corrupted a weak priest to do his bidding. The Monsignor has blessed Dracula's castle so Dracula decides to kill him. It's interesting to hear Dracula demand who has done this blasphemy against his castle.
Dracula corrupts a beautiful experienced red-headed barmaid to get to the Monsignor's beautiful, virginal blonde niece, Marie. The contrast between the two women is deliberate and striking. Both want the same young man, Paul, an atheist. But both women succumb to Dracula's power. The Monsignor catches Dracula but dies after warning Paul. Paul grabs the corrupted priest to fight Dracula because Paul doesn't believe. The priest fails but Paul discovers the priest's corruption. On the wild flight back to Dracula's castle, Paul & the priest chase Dracula and Marie. In the struggle Paul knocks Dracula over the cliff who falls onto a cross. THe priest tells Paul to pray but Paul can't so the priest does, securing his redemption. After it's over, Paul crosses himself, revealing a new-found faith and securing his redemption in Marie's eyes.

It's a terrific film with weighty questions and answers.It stands alone so if you're looking to get just one Hammer film, this one is it.

Rating:
Summary: Lee's in top form
Review: If any doudts about Lees portrayal as Dracula again I suggest to the doudtfull watch him closely and his loverly bride.The pros at work.

Rating:
Summary: Lee's in top form
Review: If any doudts about Lees portrayal as Dracula again were made well I suggest to the doudtfull watch him closely,and his loverly bride.The pros at work.

Rating:
Summary: Looking FANG-tastic despite its flaws
Review: It's about time Warner got around to releasing more of their Hammer films on DVD! As someone who has been waiting patiently for years to see a great print of this film, I find it hard (though not impossible) to find any faults with this release. Like WB's previous releases of Horror of Dracula, Curse of Frankenstein and The Mummy, pretty much the only extra here is a theatrical trailer.

As for the film, I've always felt it was a bit underrated. DRACULA PRINCE OF DARKNESS, the previous entry in the series, has been revered for reasons I've never fully understood. It's incredibly slow-moving, is almost entirely set in one location, and Christopher Lee doesn't even speak! At all! At least DRACULA HAS RISEN has a bit more going on, so to speak. OK, there's too much religious "symbolism", which doesn't hold (holy) water upon even minor scrutiny. Sure, Drac just took a HUGE wooden stake to the heart...but ya gotta PRAY over it for it to work? Huh? The early scene in the church is creepy however; so much so, that not much else that follows it seems scary.

On the plus side, there's the fetching Veronica Carlson, some fabulous sets (love those rooftop scenes!), and the ever-imposing Mr. Lee doing his blood-red-eye thing. Director Freddie Francis has been elsewhere maligned as being no Terence Fisher (Hammer's most prolific and arguably gifted craftsman). But Francis holds his own here, despite his over-reliance on filters and the occasional out-of-focus zoom.

So, what we have here is this: A first-rate transfer of a solid entry in Hammer's Dracula series. Oh, and for the uninitiated, here's the complete series in order:
HORROR OF DRACULA, BRIDES OF DRACULA, DRACULA PRINCE OF DARKNESS, DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE, TASTE THE BLOOD OF DRACULA, SCARS OF DRACULA, DRACULA A.D. 1972, THE SATANTIC RITES OF DRACULA, THE LEGEND OF THE SEVEN GOLDEN VAMPIRES.

And yes, I know BRIDES and LEGEND don't feature Christopher Lee. They still have Peter Cushing as Van Helsing and are part of the series.

Rating:
Summary: "Dull workman-like contribution to Hammer dracula series"
Review: Lets just say that Hammer's Dracula films were never on par with their(Terence Fisher's) Frankenstein films. And this film is proof positive evidence in Hammers all to soon delcine in the dracula cycle-already with the third entry! This time it's Freddie Francis who sits in the director chair(Fisher wasn't aviable due to health poblems)whom with his strong visula sense-but lack of building from his material and subtect it what drownes the film. Not only that,but Francis fails what Fisher conveyed so beautifully prior to his 2 preddeccors-The thesipan glow of repressed sensuality of Dracula's victorian victims--which in here--is total non-exsistent. And what u get is a bunch of annoying, rather boring foreground charcters-who seem to be occupied in some love circle that tends to stray from the whole basic plot of the film-which is not so sucessfully churned out by Fancis, who does(give the guy some credit) try to come to a engulfing, intresting lovestory--but it's a rather hit n' miss-that and the fact what alot of what Francis was trying to get into it was left on the cutting room floor....or so they tell us. Christopher Lee as usual is criminally wasted and is forced to resort to his standard hissing, only mutering a few lines. Which is more than he did in the previous film(Drac:Prince of Darkness)-which adds nothing to his character with him destined to stay that one-dimensinal Count-that he would soon be reduced to--give or take another entry. Aside from Lee , the performances arn't that bad. Their not great, but decent to say the least...most notable is Rupert Davis's Priest, who by all means pulls out the best perfomance. On a visulal standpoint--the film plays on a higher scale-due to an icreased budget-who Hammer by this time was out of their money dilemma providing enlarged back drops and settings--with a much more spacy feel to it, not at all cramped like Drac:Prince of Darkness. The films camerwork is styistically dynamic(not surprising for a Freddie Francis flm) and though while Arthur Grants compostion is very well composed, enhaced by amber fliters that were inplied in the lenses--it's NOT Fisher's "cinematic exercise" full of master framing and compostion that is most lieky evident is his Drac: prince of Darkness) as well as his Tour de force Horror of Dracula(1958)and James Bernard's film score sounds a bit on the peachy side this time around-not only that but it disregards Dracula's main theme-one would have to wait for the next entry before they would here it again--for this was the only entry thats it's' abscent. All n' all Dracula Has Risen from the Grave is a good average effort and one hammer's second string films--mainly porviding entertainment value--if u want something that goes alittle deeper in subtect and something that will knock your socks off try--Fisher's Classic The Horror of Dracula(1958), and Peter Sasdy's Marvolous Taste the Blood of Dracula(1970)... or even Fisher's beautifully mounted sequel Dracula: Prince of Darkness(1965)..i'm sure you would be more than pleased.

Rating: 3 out 5

Grade: C+ 83%

Rating:
Summary: just have a little faith!
Review: Nice entry in the long running Hammer films Dracula series. Although Peter Cushing is absent, Christopher Lee still sends shudders up your spine. In this film he is taking revenge on a Monsiegner who performed an exorcism on his Castle. The priest is foster father to his pretty niece, who becomes the target of Dracula's revenge. Dracula is aided by another cleric who has lost his way and fallen under the spell of Dracula. Some bawdy bedroom scenes would fetch this film a PG-13 today. Good film overall. This VHS release is not available in Widescreen. I could not find the film at all on Laserdisc. Perhaps it will be released on DVD in the future.

Rating:
Summary: Dracula Rises Again
Review: Once again some fool manages to give Dracula a drink of blood and he again is reeking havoc among the peasants. While i cant argue that Hammer milked this series for all they could get i still enjoy these horror classics. However without Peter Cushing, this one (and most others) are not as good as they could have been. My four stars are not only for the movie but for the DVD treatment. Excellent WS picture and sound. Veronica Carlson is also a feast for the eyes as well as a feast for the Count. While none of the sequels compare to The Horror Of Dracula, it is a fun watch in its own right.

Rating:
Summary: Religion goes Goth
Review: Religious symbolism romps through this installment of the Hammer Dracula cycle of films. And as the Brides of Dracula was hurt Lee not returning to do battle with Cushing, this film lacks the avenging presence of Cushing's Val Helsing. In John Elders script, Lee's character is even more one dimensional, continuing the trend Dracula Prince of Darkness did by giving Lee no dialog. Many of the scenes were shot through a red colour filter, which strangely falls flat, Freddie Francis direction offers a lot of evil, but just does not live up to promises. Veronica Carlson is beautiful, the music is great, but the whole movie starts the decline of the quality Hammer Vamps.

Still, is a must for Lee - Dracula fans.

Rating:
Summary: You just can't keep a good man down!
Review: Seems like people either love or hate this particular entry into the Hammer Dracula line of films. I, myself, enjoyed it very much, and would recommend it to anyone interested in the vampire genre.

Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1969) has Christopher Lee reprising his role as the ultimate blood-sucking creature of the night, which is kind of strange as in the last film, Dracula, Prince of Darkness (1966), he was destroyed...or so we thought. The film takes place a year after the last film, as Monsignor Ernest Muller (Rupert Davies) visits the small village near Dracula's no empty castle to see how things are getting along. Well, things aren't getting along too well as the Monsignor finds the church empty and in a rather poor state of housekeeping. Finding the priest at the local bar, he learns that the villagers believe that while Dracula may be dead, his castle projects an aura of evil, casting a malignant shadow of evil on the town. The Monsignor decides the only course of action is to trek up to the castle, say a prayer of exorcism, and place a fairly large cross at the doorway, expelling the curse forever. Taking the priest with him, the two begin a long and arduous journey up the mountain, but, as they near the castle, the priest balks from fear, and the Monsignor continues on alone. He reaches the castle, says the prayer, and places the cross (the result of both actions cause a rather freakish lighting storm...good thing he rid himself of that big, metal cross). Meanwhile, the priest, who remained behind, starts freaking out, and begins to stumble down the mountain, trips, cracks his head open, and lands on and cracks a pool of ice, one which contains the body of Dracula, and begins to bleed onto the ice, to which the blood revives the dark, yet frozen, one. Upon waking, Dracula takes the weak-willed priest into his service, and returns to his castle only to find his entry spoiled by the cross affixed to the doors. This angers him, as his house has been defiled, and being a creature of evil, seeks revenge on whoever did this. Good thing he's got the priest to fill him in on the details...

The Monsignor leaves the village to return to his home, which he shares with his sister and her daughter, Maria (Veronica Carlson), soon followed by Dracula and his new little buddy. We also get to meet Maria's boyfriend, Paul (Barry Andrews), who works in a local bakery/bar/hotel (interesting combination, to be sure), but is only doing so until he can complete his education, and move on to bigger and better things. Anyhow, Dracula moves into the sub-basement (the sewers) below the bakery/bar/hotel, setting up his coffin and such, and begins with his plans to exact vengeance on the Monsignor and his house. He learns of the Monsignor's niece, and sees a perfect opportunity to carry out his goal...does he exact his revenge? Can anyone stop this monster once and for all?

Directed by Freddie Francis, who won academy awards for cinematography for his work on Sons and Lovers (1960) and Glory (1989), Dracula Has Risen from the Grave is certainly stylish, oozing with atmosphere and providing a good deal of suspense. Christopher Lee provides an excellent performance, despite his overall lack of dialogue. The settings are very suitable for this kind of film, enhancing the performances, and certainly add to the overall presence of oppressive evil throughout. Not really embraced by the critics when it first came out, with claims that the gore was a bit much, now it seems rather understated to the 21st century viewer. The film does proceed slowly, but the pacing seems methodical, all building up to the thrilling climax.

Warner Brothers provides a crisp, clean looking wide screen print here, but very little along the lines of special features, including only a theatrical trailer for the film. I am appreciative that this film finally made it to DVD, as Warner Brothers, in general, is pretty stingy about releasing their catalog of films to this format, and even stingier when it comes to enhancing their releases with special features, falling back mainly on recycling ones released for the laserdisc format. If you are interesting in seeing the other films in this series, look for Dracula, Prince of Darkness (1966), Taste the Blood of Dracula (1969), Scars of Dracula (1970), Dracula AD 1972 (1972), and The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973).

Cookieman108

Rating:
Summary: You just can't keep a good man down!
Review: Seems like people either love or hate this particular entry into the Hammer Dracula line of films. I, myself, enjoyed it very much, and would recommend it to anyone interested in the vampire genre.

Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1969) has Christopher Lee reprising his role as the ultimate blood-sucking creature of the night, which is kind of strange as in the last film, Dracula, Prince of Darkness (1966), he was destroyed...or so we thought. The film takes place a year after the last film, as Monsignor Ernest Muller (Rupert Davies) visits the small village near Dracula's no empty castle to see how things are getting along. Well, things aren't getting along too well as the Monsignor finds the church empty and in a rather poor state of housekeeping. Finding the priest at the local bar, he learns that the villagers believe that while Dracula may be dead, his castle projects an aura of evil, casting a malignant shadow of evil on the town. The Monsignor decides the only course of action is to trek up to the castle, say a prayer of exorcism, and place a fairly large cross at the doorway, expelling the curse forever. Taking the priest with him, the two begin a long and arduous journey up the mountain, but, as they near the castle, the priest balks from fear, and the Monsignor continues on alone. He reaches the castle, says the prayer, and places the cross (the result of both actions cause a rather freakish lighting storm...good thing he rid himself of that big, metal cross). Meanwhile, the priest, who remained behind, starts freaking out, and begins to stumble down the mountain, trips, cracks his head open, and lands on and cracks a pool of ice, one which contains the body of Dracula, and begins to bleed onto the ice, to which the blood revives the dark, yet frozen, one. Upon waking, Dracula takes the weak-willed priest into his service, and returns to his castle only to find his entry spoiled by the cross affixed to the doors. This angers him, as his house has been defiled, and being a creature of evil, seeks revenge on whoever did this. Good thing he's got the priest to fill him in on the details...

The Monsignor leaves the village to return to his home, which he shares with his sister and her daughter, Maria (Veronica Carlson), soon followed by Dracula and his new little buddy. We also get to meet Maria's boyfriend, Paul (Barry Andrews), who works in a local bakery/bar/hotel (interesting combination, to be sure), but is only doing so until he can complete his education, and move on to bigger and better things. Anyhow, Dracula moves into the sub-basement (the sewers) below the bakery/bar/hotel, setting up his coffin and such, and begins with his plans to exact vengeance on the Monsignor and his house. He learns of the Monsignor's niece, and sees a perfect opportunity to carry out his goal...does he exact his revenge? Can anyone stop this monster once and for all?

Directed by Freddie Francis, who won academy awards for cinematography for his work on Sons and Lovers (1960) and Glory (1989), Dracula Has Risen from the Grave is certainly stylish, oozing with atmosphere and providing a good deal of suspense. Christopher Lee provides an excellent performance, despite his overall lack of dialogue. The settings are very suitable for this kind of film, enhancing the performances, and certainly add to the overall presence of oppressive evil throughout. Not really embraced by the critics when it first came out, with claims that the gore was a bit much, now it seems rather understated to the 21st century viewer. The film does proceed slowly, but the pacing seems methodical, all building up to the thrilling climax.

Warner Brothers provides a crisp, clean looking wide screen print here, but very little along the lines of special features, including only a theatrical trailer for the film. I am appreciative that this film finally made it to DVD, as Warner Brothers, in general, is pretty stingy about releasing their catalog of films to this format, and even stingier when it comes to enhancing their releases with special features, falling back mainly on recycling ones released for the laserdisc format. If you are interesting in seeing the other films in this series, look for Dracula, Prince of Darkness (1966), Taste the Blood of Dracula (1969), Scars of Dracula (1970), Dracula AD 1972 (1972), and The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973).

Cookieman108