Le amanti di Dracula

Great Gothic Hammer horror. One of the better Dracula sequels and one of director Freddie Francis' best. It has a lot of the elements you expect and appreciate from Hammer: solid actors, great sets, quality direction, beautiful and vivacious young women. The plot is relatively simple: Dracula wants revenge and pretty blonde Veronica Carlson but her Monsignor uncle and loser boyfriend have a thing or two to say about that. There's also some interesting additions to the mythology where belief vs atheism is concerned. It all makes for a very entertaining sequel full of many familiar and proved effective Hammer staples, with several new ones as well.

One year after destroying Dracula (Christopher Lee), Monsignor (Rupert Davies) returns to his castle in the mountains with the local priest (Ewan Hooper) to exorcise his castle. However, the priest accidentally resurrects Dracula and becomes his slave. Meanwhile Monsignor returns home in Keinenberg on the day of the birthday of his niece Maria (Veronica Carlson), who lives with her mother Anna (Marion Mathie) in his house. Maria is in love with the atheist Paul (Barry Andrews), who works with the waitress Zena (Barbara Ewing) in the bar owned by his friend Max (Michael Ripper) where he also lives. Dracula decides to revenge on Monsignor and travels with the priest to Keinenberg. What will Dracula do next?

"Dracula Has Risen from the Grave" is the third film by Hammer featuring Christopher Lee in the role of Dracula. The film is still interesting almost fifty years later for fans of Dracula, but there are better ones. Paul staking Dracula that does not die because Paul does not pray is totally weird. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Drácula, o Perfil do Diabo" ("Dracula, The Profile of the Devil")

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).

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.

The folks at Hammer Film Productions were nothing if not passionate and professional. This entry into the legendary series is only an itty-bitty notch below their inaugural effort, the great "Horror Of Dracula,' as the second best of the entire series.

Chrisopher Lee is at his menacing best. No one can drive a horse-pulled hearse with his fierce intensity. And those eyes, YIKES! What a great effect, one that still gets me 35 years after i first saw the film as a 14-year old in Los Angeles' San Gabriel Valley (and where I saw it on TV not 15 minutes ago).

Hammer vets Freddie Francis and Anthony Hinds create killer-diller fun with strong atmosphere; eerie, colorful lighting and a solid story. And the acting is great, too. Hammer staff composer James Bernard's exciting score adds to the enjoyment.

Hammer's films are for kids ... kids like me who loved then as a teenager and kids like me who are now over 50.