23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
You just can't keep a good man down!, April 30, 2004
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
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An atmospheric period horror piece, July 6, 2002
This review is from: Dracula Has Risen From the Grave [VHS] (VHS Tape)
"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.
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20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Eerie and engrossing Hammer Vampire effort, December 4, 2002
This review is from: Dracula Has Risen From the Grave [VHS] (VHS Tape)
"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".
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