Customer Reviews

Dracula Has Risen from the Grave

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

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).

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"Dracula Has Risen from the Grave" opens to the sounds of James Bernard's evocative, ominous main musical theme. Directed by Freddie Francis, the film stars horror icon Christopher Lee in one of his many portrayals of cinema's most celebrated vampire. This version features a lean, effective screenplay by John Elder.

The film opens in a small, pre-industrial village that had previously been terrorized by Dracula, who is presumed to have been destroyed. As the title of the film indicates, however, Dracula soon rises from his grave to begin a new campaign of bloodsucking villainy. His foes in this film are a Catholic monsignor and the boyfriend of the monsignor's lovely niece.

Bernard's solid score is complemented by good art direction. Francis makes effective use of forest and rooftop settings as Dracula pursues his ends. Lee gets solid support from the rest of the cast. Barry Andrews makes a particularly appealing young hero as Paul, the boyfriend of the monsignor's niece. I also was impressed by Barbara Ewing's performance as Paul's sexy co-worker.

There is a pronounced sexual feel to vampirism in this film (as in the other Lee Dracula films I have seen), so there is a delicious irony to the fact that one of Dracula's key foes here is a Catholic monsignor, and thus presumably celibate. Also, a religous controversy among Dracula's foes makes for an interesting contrast to their battle against the undead villain. Overall, a well made and solidly entertaining film.

"Dracula Has Risen From The Grace" is one of the highwater marks of the Hammer Dracula series and features the wonderful Christopher Lee in his third outing as the world's most famous vampire, the blood sucking Count Dracula. Made while the Dracula cycle of films were still fresh this film is one of the best that Christopher Lee did in the role and is a vast improvement over the previous effort "Dracula Prince Of Darkness". The main yardstick for measuring this improvement is that sparse as his screen time is again, Lee has dialogue in this entry which adds tremendously to the overall impact of Dracula's sinister presence.

Ably directed by veteran Hammer man Freddie Francis the film opens a period of time after the conclusion of the earlier film where a small village experiences a horrible death in the bell tower of the local church. The terrified townspeople still living in fear from the shadows cast by Dracula's abandoned castle prompt a visiting Monseignor to travel up to Castle Dracula with the cowardly local priest to ensure that the vampire curse is removed once and for all by placing a holy cross over the main entrance door. Unknowingly the priest awakens Dracula with some of his own blood and soon the world's most famous vampire is alive and seeking revenge on the Monseigner and his family, in particular his pretty neice who becomes the object of his attentions.

Apart from the superb "Horror Of Dracula" that immortalised Christopher Lee in the role of Dracula this is the finest entry in the series. Extremely atmospheric with a clever use of day/night photography, great period detail, eerie forest and cemetery scenes and hazy rooftop shots the film is a superb period horror tale. The sinister black hearse with black feather plumes that Dracula drives through the forest is a wonderful addition to the story and really builds a feeling of dread with its ghostly presence during many of the climatic parts of the story.

Even though Dracula is actually on screen for limited times Christopher Lee with his tall commanding presence, blank expression and dark suit and infamous scarlet lined cap really makes the film. The sexual element to Dracula's nature is also very apparent here as it was in "Horror Of Dracula". That was part of the attraction of Dracula's character as played by Christopher Lee, extreme evil and menace combined with an allure of sensual arousal which made his seduction of the women in these stories so believable. "Dracula Has Risen From the Grave" benefits from the usual fine performances by Hammer regulars such as Rupert Davies in a great performance as the Monseignor Ernst Muller who is the target of Dracula's revenge for defiling his castle, the always excellent Barbara Ewing in the role of Zena the barmaid who is made to do Dracula's bidding and Barry Andrews as Paul the hero of the piece who sets out to protect the Monseignor's neice Anna, from falling under Dracula's sway. Finally Ewan Hooper is excellent as the weak willed parish priest who is responsible for raising Dracula from his grave and who becomes Dracula's follower much against his own will. The Film boasts one of the most impressive and indeed blood curdling demises for Dracula which I wont elaborate on for the benefit of those who haven't seen this film yet. It really is superbly done and paved the way for the next entry in the series "Taste The Blood Of Dracula" in 1970.

Lovers of Hammer films and Dracula stories in particular will revel in "Dracula Has Risen From The Grave", it is one of my particular favourites and I admire it for all the great elements that make for a memorable horror story that are present here. Christopher Lee's impressive portrayal of the evil Count is something to see and his will always be the definitive interpretation of Dracula on screen. For chills and eerie atmosphere you can't go past "Dracula Has Risen From The Grave".

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.

I was like 10/11 and it was on one of the old cable "superstations." I had always loved old monster movies, but this was like Dracula on speed for me as a kid. As I've grown, I have amassed a large Hammer film library and was delighted to see this out on DVD. It's easily one of my favorites. For the newcomer to Hammer films, they all move fairly 'liesurely' (read, 'slow') and are driven by lots of exposition. But, to me, that plus the settings, cinematography and high-class acting really gives the Hammer films a special class that other horror films severely lack. I recommend this one highly.

What an awsome opening credit sequence in this film. The solarizing film effects together with the music make for a colorful and forboding psychedelic experience (no cheating here with CGI..this is real). The topics covered in this film reach much farther than the usual Hammer Dracula. The movie is like a morality play in many respects. The film is thought provoking and the imagery is very rich and beautiful. Christopher lee looks better than ever. Rupert Davies is such a natural actor, to bad we did not see much more of him in other Hammer films.
I still don't understand what is so exceptional with "Horror of Dracula" or "Dracula Prince of Darkness"? Maybe it is just name brand awarness gone amuck for some reviewers? I do prefer "Prince of Darkness" over "Horror of Dracula" but "Risen From the Grave" has it all for my money.

This film is a must! The picture is perfect, the acting first rate, the music truly haunting.

**** Hollywood directors/producers take note, if the Hammer production company could make a film like this for $150.000 in 1968 why can't you folks with your infinite wisdom make a decent film with today's 50 million dollar plus budgets?????

This was perhaps the first horror movie I ever saw (on a TV at a Ramada Inn when I was seven or eight) and it had a profound impact on me. Watching the film again, after more than 15 years, I was surprised by how well it holds up. Although some of the acting is a bit stilted, and the dialogue tends to be rather uninspired, the direction, cinematography, sets, and the presence of Christopher Lee as Dracula are all top-notch. Several scenes in the film are quite horrifying, and there is a pervading sense of dread in the production. Like a lot of Hammer films, the key word here is "atmosphere," and "Dracula Has Risen From the Grave" delivers impressively. Also, don't let the "G" rating fool you. Although there is no sex, nudity, or extremely graphic violence, a great deal is suggested (which only adds to the suspense and tension), and even older viewers may find themselves lost in the spell that this film so admirably casts.

I have yet to see another actor portray the famous Transylvanian Count as well as Christopher Lee! He seems to have been born to play the part of Dracula (or a variety thereof). It's hard not to shudder with fright when Mr. Lee's cape-draped image is shown on screen. His presence is quite imposing indeed! And his evil presence looks even better when viewed on DVD.

Lee sharpens his fangs once more for "Dracula Has Risen From The Grave", a late 1960s Hammer Film and the third in its ongoing Dracula cycle (following "Horror Of Dracula" and "Dracula -- Prince Of Darkness").

In my view, it's a bit difficult to pick a clear-cut winner between these first three Hammer vampire entries. Each has its own set of good qualities, with all of them worthy of collecting on DVD. In other words, each movie has quite a lot of "bite" to it. (Er...sorry, I couldn't resist.) *wink*

"Risen From The Grave" has a bit of a more modern flavor to it; but the old-fashioned Gothic touches are still in place here too, with plenty of dark, eerie camera angles, foggy and misty rooftops, and dank cellars occupying space in this motion picture. The movie is also greatly enhanced by a marvelous musical score (by James Bernard). It fits a Dracula movie to a tee!

The scenes that take place in the basement/cellar of the bakery are even tinged with the proverbial sounds of dripping water that are many times associated with this type of horror flick. I love those "dripping" sounds coming from Dracula's temporary cellar hideout. (How Dracula or his assistant were able to get the large coffin down the basement stairs without a soul noticing is yet another matter. But, I suppose that's the kind of trivial thing that we're not supposed to dwell on in too much detail. In fact, the very same thing occurs in "Horror Of Dracula" as well -- with Dracula planting his daytime home in the basement of the house of one of his victims, without anyone even noticing. Oh, well...) :)

The first three Hammer "Dracula" films sport very good continuity, with Dracula's inevitable resurrection being explained in the succeeding films in ways that don't strain credibility to the breaking point (well, at least as far as "Dracula credibility" is concerned at any rate).

The DVD is 1-sided, with excellent front cover art (plus other good pics of Chris Lee on the snap-case packaging and on the Menus). The only extra feature on the disc is the film's Trailer (run time of 2:26), which is shown in anamorphically-enhanced form and is in very good shape (picture quality-wise).

When you load up this Warner Brothers' DVD you're greeted by an anamorphic Main Menu, featuring an image of a ready-to-bite Dracula/C. Lee, and a portion of the film's outstanding music score (which plays once before the main feature begins automatically, per most Warner DVDs).


More DVD Information .......................................

Video -- 1.85:1 Widescreen (Anamorphic).
Audio -- 1.0 Dolby Digital Mono (English and French tracks available).
Subtitles -- In English, French, and Spanish.
Film Length -- 92 minutes.
Chapter List Included? -- Yes (23 total chapter stops).


The DVD's video and audio quality are A-1. Dracula looks mighty clear and detailed on this crisp-looking Digital Disc. His ever-present red eyes shine through redder than ever here.

"Dracula Has Risen From The Grave" is a very satisfying Dracula flick, rich in detail, that should please even the most demanding of vampire movie fans.

Dracula Has Risen from the Grave is an entertaining addition to Hammer's Dracula series. Terence Fisher, who directed the first three in the series, had to pull out at the last minute due to an accident, and it was left to lighting cameraman Freddie Francis to take the reins. The film reveals a shift in the underlying worldview: Fisher's triumphant vision of good conquering evil, God defeating Satan is supplanted by Francis's bleaker universe, where God is apparently no guarantee against the Devil, and whose central religious figure (Monsignor, played by Rupert Davies, no match for Andrew Keir or Peter Cushing) is blustering, naive and impotent in the face of evil.

There are some great scenes, as one would expect from a distinguished cinematographer like Francis, although some of the most visually compelling moments (eg. Maria's bedroom scene with the Count, by far the most explicitly sexualized portrayal of vampirism seen up to that time) sit uneasily alongside the bizarrely artless, shakey, badly focused handheld shots.

Still, it's vintage Hammer hokum, and certainly miles ahead of later additions to the Dracula series. I bought this for nostalgic reasons -- hadn't seen it since I was a kid -- and I wasn't disappointed.

Picture quality on the recent DVD release is clear and sumptuous, apart from a brief snatch towards the end when the picture momentarily reverts to an older, grainier print. Hammer buffs should add this to their collection.

Among the countless horror figures the film industry exploited throughout the years, there is no doubt that Dracula is the most popular and immortal icon of them all. From Max Schreck to Bela Lugosi to Christopher Lee to Gary Oldman, and more recently resurrected yet again in Wes Craven's Dracula 2000 and in Van Helsing; Dracula has steadily grown to be the most popular vampire and horror character of all time. Yet, no matter how many more Dracula versions will continue to exist in the future (seeing Hollywood's continuous fascination in milking every last drop from a franchise); I will always remain to cherish two particular versions of Dracula in my heart. And these are Bela Lugosi and Christopher Lee. I don't think I need to expand on the greatness of Lugosi, as every respectable horror movie fanatic should know who he is and what he contributed to the vampire genre for several years to come. In the case of Christopher Lee, he managed to become a horror legend back in the 50's, 60's and 70's thanks to his Dracula Hammer films. And I dare say that every inch of success he obtained was well deserved; given the fact that he created one of the most charismatic vampires in cinema history. In my book, no Saruman or Count Dooku would ever come close to the coolness that was Count Dracula.

Dracula has risen from the grave is actually the fourth film in the whole Hammer series (which can boast of a total of eight entries), and one of the seven films out of all these to feature Christopher Lee. Ironically enough, the producers had no choice but to make the second instalment, Brides Of Dracula, without Lee; the reason being that Lee himself was afraid of type-casting at the time. He seemed to eventually change his mind over time since he then came back for no less than six sequels. Many fans of these movies seem to agree that Dracula has risen from the grave is the last real good entry into the series. It is actually a very good film in its own right, made back in the days when atmosphere was preferred to false scares and suspense was preferred to giving petty theories on why Dracula acts the way he does. This is as a matter of fact one of the main gripes I have with several modern versions. Remember the ending to Dracula 2000 and all that Judas Escariot nonsense? Many horror movies nowadays try too hard to construct an interesting story, and seem to forget that their primary reason of existence should be to frighten the unsuspecting viewer as effectively as possible. The Hammer Film producers were definitely aware of this, and Dracula has risen from the grave is living proof. The film doesn't give us any information on Dracula's background and evil origins, partly because it's a sequel and partly because this was the way many horror movies were approached back in the days. As soon as Dracula is out of his grave he immediately jumps into action, without any clear motives except for the fact he wanted to seek some sort of revenge on the Monsignor that tried to exorcise his castle. This is actually quite secondary to the whole premise though. All we need to know is that he's Count Dracula and he's an evil force. If we acknowledge just that, we are almost guaranteed to enjoy the movie. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this, and I think it even helps to make the entire Dracula mystique all the more frightening. One of the golden rules I've learned from my experience in watching horror movies is that the less you know about the villain, the more scary the movie will turn out to be. Just compare Halloween to its sequels as one example.

Surprisingly, this movie also featured a recurring sexual element in it; and it's one of the first movies responsible to introduce the concept of the seductive vampire. There is absolutely no form of nudity in it; yet the film still fells strangely erotic in some places, particularly evidenced by the clothes worn by the female bartender and the sensual face expression of a female character lead when she's bitten by Dracula. The film manages to be sexy without feeling the need to include sex, also partly thanks to the natural beauty of Veronica Carlson, whom director Freddie Francis successfully exploits every angle of her charm to full effect.

The film's flaws are quite minor, and they usually have to do with some plot-holes or continuity errors. For example, it is never explained why Dracula didn't order the priest to take off the crucifix attached on his castle the first time he sees it. Instead, he decides to leave it there for no apparent reason; and when he goes back to the castle at the end of the film, he quickly orders Maria to take it off herself. This factor should be quite noteworthy since it will eventually influence Dracula's fate. Another thing I noticed happens during the chase scene between Dracula and Zena. This scene should've taken place at night; yet the shots seem to jump from dark night to early dawn continously. And I never fully understood where the first victim hidden in the church bell came from, since Dracula was still sleeping for over a year when the bell ringer finds the body.

Such trivial inconsistencies shouldn't nonetheless stop you from enjoying such a well-made vampire movie. When you hear James Bernard's haunting score in the opening credits, when you see Christopher Lee light the screen with his presence, when you experience a movie filled with such eerie atmosphere; you know you have just found a long- forgotten little gem.