Dracula Has Risen from the Grave

A weak script doesn't hinder "Dracula Has Risen from the Grave" from being absorbing most of the way. It has a weak mid-section full of repetitious scenes of Dracula about to take a bite out of a voluptuous female, scenes that don't advance the plot the way they should.

For this reason, some may find fault with the slow pace of much of the film but there's no denying the impressive look of sets, costumes and the proper Gothic atmosphere. Technicolor captures every bit of the shadows and light, just the way effective B&W photography has always done in the past. And the close-ups of Christopher Lee's bloodshot eyes lingers in the mind long after his infrequent appearance has been made.

That's also part of the problem. The role of Dracula really takes a back seat to others in the cast, all of whom are competent performers. Particularly engaging are Veronica Carlson (as one of Dracula's most sought after victims) and Barry Andrews as her infatuated boyfriend. Andrews plays the role of Paul with a saucy cockiness and a twinkle in his eye, easily making what is essentially a cardboard role a standout among the supporting players by virtue of his earnest performance and personality.

Engaging enough as a typical Dracula thriller, but clearly not the best of the Hammer films in this series. James Bernard's music helps keep the suspense level vibrant enough.

Early on, "Dracula Has Risen from the Grave" made me feel uneasy... From the scenes of a Monsignor (Rupert Davies) traveling with a priest to perform an exorcism on Castle Dracula in order to bring the superstitious (ha!) congregation back to church on Sunday, to the romantic subplot between a scholarly baker and the Monsignor's daughter, and a distinct lack of Drac, I began to wonder if I was being shortchanged by a title that looked to just capitalize on the success of the Hammer Dracula films. However, the more I kept with it, the more I enjoyed "Grave"--the above-mentioned plot threads, which at first seem corny, are interwoven with delicate skill by director Freddie Francis; the characters and their conflicts are surprisingly endearing (including an angle that brings atheism into the mix); and Christopher Lee is in fine form as the brooding, red-eyed Count (though the production suffers from the absence of frequent co-star Peter Cushing).

When his castle is exorcised, Dracula (Christopher Lee) plots his revenge against the Monsignor (Rupert Davies) who performed the rites by attempting to make the holy man's young niece his bride.

This film is scandalous. Sure it passed the censors, and that is great, and Lee gives another great Dracula performance (with Davies as a more than adequate nemesis). But what we have here is an atheist in the home of a clergyman! Can you be an atheist and still believe in vampires?

Apparently, this was the most commercially successful of the Hammer Dracula films. I am not surprised, as it is quite entertaining. And with all due respect to Terence Fisher, I think I tend to prefer Freddie Francis' direction a little more. Francis knows his camera, and I think that adds something to his directing prowess.

Great opening for this installment, a deaf altar boy discovers a young woman hanging upside down from the church bell, blood dripping from her neck. Move forward a year and Count Dracula is accidentally revived. He goes on his usual round of terror and bloodsucking, his target of desire being the beautiful Veronica Carlson. He certainly has great taste in women! The sets are great, I felt like I was almost in the mountain village. Good cast, nice to see Hammer's most prolific actor Michael Ripper have a larger part than normal. No Peter Cushing here, which makes the vampire hunter aspect interesting. There is some debate within the film of faith versus atheism, apparently staking a vampire does not work if the person doing the staking lacks religious belief. Interesting. We have no nudity but there are sexual overtones. Thankfully we get plenty of blood, plus Hammer's trademark day for night scenes and swirling fog. Not one of the studio's best vampire movies but it's still a wonderful piece of Gothic horror, I grew up on watching these films and love immersing myself into them, over and over again.

If a quintessential example of a Hammer Studio's exercise in Gothic Horror exists, it is probably this film. Not because it is a flawless piece of film-making, far from it. Rather because this film manages to squeeze just about all of Hammer's horror-show templates into it's 92 minute running time.

Here we have the unmistakeably distinctive set design and music score by Hammer mainstays Benard Robinson and James Benard; romantic leads transposing post Summer-of-Love sexual mores (and hairstyles!) to the film's indeterminate post Victorian location; two pub locales, one peopled with wary, hostile, superstitious East-Ender types, the other rollicking with high-spirited youthful inebriates; a pious religious figure (and a much less pious one); a cameo by Michael Ripper; day-for-night location shots; attractive women in low-cut bodices and nightgowns; yet another outlandish method of using trickling blood to revive the antagonist; an eventful screenplay that doesn't measure up to critical evaluation --- whew! I could go on and on.

But please understand, I do not necessarily regard all of the above negatively, just realistically. "D.H.R.F.T.G." is a fun watch if you leave your thinking cap off. Several of the most memorable set-pieces in the Hammer canon are here; the discovery of the girl in the belfry, the attempted staking of Dracula, the Count's seduction of Veronica Carlson, and his over-the-top demise (I won't reveal it here). These scenes lingered for decades in my mind after I saw the film in the early seventies. I was joyful to find the videotape in the '90's and yes, I now happily own the DVD.

One of the harshest critics of this film, incidentally, was it's star. Christopher Lee, who entered the project enduring serious back pain (stuntman Eddie Powell handled the more strenuous action), disliked the script intensely, especially the attempted staking of the Count. His performance, however, betrays none of his vexation; this is one of his best outings as Dracula. Director Freddie Francis coaxes serviceable performances from the rest of the cast. Rupert Davies and Barbara Ewing stand out, as a noble cleric and lusty barmaid respectively.

At the end of the day, I really like this movie, despite it's shortcomings. Heck, I feel like putting on right now. So should you.