Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1969)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Chris W

  
  This is the third (fourth if you count Brides of Dracula) film in Hammer's series of films concerning pop culture's most famous bloodsucker. Until now, I had never watched a Hammer film in its entirety, though I'd seen many clips and did lots of reading about them.… More
  This is the third (fourth if you count Brides of Dracula) film in Hammer's series of films concerning pop culture's most famous bloodsucker. Until now, I had never watched a Hammer film in its entirety, though I'd seen many clips and did lots of reading about them. Obviously I'm seeing this one out of order, but I don't really feel like it matters too much. What Hammer is noticeable for, especially with their takes on the Universal Monsters was that they were in color, featured lots of blood, and also, lots of cleavage. They're a little tame by today's standards, but they're still pretty awesome. Also, something I love are the gothic aesthetics on displays with the sets, costumes, and overall art direction. The story here concerns Dracula being resurrected and using religious figures to try to capture the heart of a lovely young lass. The film gets off to a great start, from its fun and campy title to the opening scene in which a corpse is found stuffed in the belfry of a church The only problem with the opening scene is that unfortuantely it doesn't work with the rest of the story. Yeah, it's a great shock moment, and it sets the tone nicely, but it doesn't make sense in the context of what happens after. From there though, it takes a break from Dracula himself and focuses on the humans and Dracula's human puppets, but the man himself does come around from time to time, and after things really get cooking they culminate in a great climax that includes a staking gone wrong, a nice little chase, and a final showdown at Dracula's castle door. Here's the deal: this is a fun movie, and it is entertaining, but it's a tad slow, and there could have been more of Dracula. When he's on screen though, things are great. I did enjoy how this film tweaked the traditional story and character and did its own thing, because it at least came off as respectful and not too ridiculous. Plus, I have this odd thing for religious folk and vampires. They make a good combo. The music is good, the atmosphere and tone are suitably dark and gloomy, and Lee is just a delight as Dracula, and his interpretation is one of the best. The rest of the cast is okay, but not really all that memorable. Overall, this is a decent enough little horror film, and should be satisfying for most people, especially the ones who don't need to have an overload of gore like 21st century movies offer, and can appreciate the gothicness of it all.

• Cassandra M

  
  Sporting the ultra camp title - "Dracula Has Risen From the Grave", this is a solid entry in Hammer's Dracula series. What I love about Hammer is that they aren't afraid to take an existing story and play around with it to create something new. Even if the idea… More
  Sporting the ultra camp title - "Dracula Has Risen From the Grave", this is a solid entry in Hammer's Dracula series. What I love about Hammer is that they aren't afraid to take an existing story and play around with it to create something new. Even if the idea behind is less than brilliant and most studios would have shied away, Hammer approach it with gusto, and the results are always good natured, easy viewing that's hard to dislike. This film follows Count Dracula as he is resurrected shortly after the priest, Ernst Muller, exorcises his castle. Dracula doesn't take this sort of behaviour lightly, and so decides to take on revenge on the holy man - by taking his niece as his bride! Dracula is one of the greatest characters ever to be written and portrayed on screen, and it's also one that Christopher Lee has become famous for playing. Unfortunately, Christopher Lee doesn't have a great deal of screen time in this flick; but every moment he is on screen is a highlight and, as usual, he does well with the role and proves that he is the only man other than Bela Lugosi to do it right. Freddie Francis (Dr Terror, The Creeping Flesh) directs this film and succeeds in creating a morbid and fascinating atmosphere that bodes well with the subject material on hand. The film is stylishly shot, and features some of the best use of lighting ever seen in a Hammer film. The camp style that the studio is famous for is here by the bucket load too, and that can only be a good thing. This is hardly Hammer's finest hour, however; the film is relatively slow to start, and the story isn't the most inventive ever to come from the studio - but Hammer fans will enjoy it, and I would have no qualms with recommending this as a decent waste of your time.

• Tim S

  
  Not my favorite of the Hammer Dracula series, but not anywhere near unworthy. I love how they play with the landscape, the colors and the matte paintings as well as the other opticals. Storywise, it's pretty boring most of the way through.

• AJ V

  
  This movie starts out bad, but it gets better later. Lee plays Dracula again, but the rest of the cast isn't very impressive. Overall, it's an okay movie.

• David L

  
  "Dracula Has Risen From The Grave" is one of the lesser entries to Hammer's great Dracula series. Actually, it is my least favorite and yet this is a decent and sufficiently eerie film that fans of the other Hammer Draculas should give a try. This fourth entry to the… More
  "Dracula Has Risen From The Grave" is one of the lesser entries to Hammer's great Dracula series. Actually, it is my least favorite and yet this is a decent and sufficiently eerie film that fans of the other Hammer Draculas should give a try. This fourth entry to the Dracula series (the third, if the brilliant "Brides Of Dracula" (1960), which didn't feature Dracula, is not counted) is also the first one not directed by genius Terence Fisher, but by Freddie Francis, the director of "Dr Terror's House Of Horrors" and the least entry to Hammer's Frankenstein series, "The Evil Of Frankenstein". It is therefore no wonder that this does not come near the greatness of its predecessors, and I also liked the next sequel, "Taste The Blood Of Dracula" alot more than this one. Still, the Hammer formula works, and "Dracula Has Risen From The Grave" delivers atmosphere and Gothic eeriness on more than one occasion. Christopher Lee is once again brilliantly creepy as Dracula, and the rest of the performances are also good. The film features several familiar faces for fans of British Horror, most prominently Rupert Davis, who is probably most famous for his role in one of the absolute greatest British Horror masterpieces, Michael Reeves' "Witchfinder General" (1968) starring Vincent Price. Davis, a generally great character actor, also played roles in another Vincent Price classic, "The Oblong Box" (1969) and in "Curse Of The Crimson Altar" with Christopher Lee, Boris Karloff And Barbara Steele. Beautiful Veronica Carlson, who was in Hammer's "Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed" is nice to look at in the female lead, and so is Barbara Ewing ("Torture Garden"). Barry Andrews is not too convincing as the hero character, but he isn't bad either. The settings and photography are good, and the atmosphere is mostly eerie, but the suspense is not as constant as in other Dracula films. Also, the focus on faith somehow doesn't fit in too well, and the plot has several holes. Even though one of the lesser Dracula films from Hammer, however, this is definitely a sufficiently eerie film that any Hammer enthusiasts should not miss! Recommended

• Dr Blood  

  
  A pretty standard Hammer offering. The formula is starting to get boring with this being the third film in the Hammer Dracula series.

• Barry L

  
  Superb...scared me rigid as a boy. The way horrors should be...

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