Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Freddie Francis

Writer:

Anthony Hinds (writer)

Release Date:

6 February 1969 (USA)

Genre:

Romance | Horror

Tagline:

You just can't keep a good man down!

Plot:

When his castle is exorcised, Dracula plots his revenge against the Monsignor who performed the rites...

Plot Keywords:

Dracula | Coffin | Cross | Pub | Hanged Girl

Cast

Christopher Lee	...	Dracula
Rupert Davies	...	Monsignor Ernest Mueller
Veronica Carlson	...	Maria Mueller
Barbara Ewing	...	Zena
Barry Andrews	...	Paul
Ewan Hooper	...	Priest
Marion Mathie	...	Anna Mueller
Michael Ripper	...	Max
John D. Collins	...	Student
George A. Cooper	...	Landlord
Christopher Cunningham	...	Farmer (as Chris Cunningham)
Norman Bacon	...	Mute Boy

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:G (Quebec) (2004) | Canada:G (Nova Scotia) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Canada:PG (Ontario) (video rating) (1993) | Germany:16 (DVD release) | West Germany:16 (VHS rating) | Australia:M | UK:15 | USA:G (certificate #21909) | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

Hammer Film Productions

Trivia:

This was the very first movie to receive a rating from the MPAA in 1968.

Goofs:

Plot holes: Scenes in the day following Maria's seduction / attack include her being visited by her guardians (in daylight) and Paul studying in his room (at sunset). Between these is a scene in the sewer, in which Dracula's empty coffin is seen and a figure (presumably Dracula) passes the street-level grating, blocking out the light. This strongly implies that Dracula is returning to his coffin during daylight hours. Whilst this would certainly be acceptable behavior for Bram Stoker's original character (who was merely inconvenienced by sunlight), it is a serious continuity error in the Hammer series, which established (in "Dracula" - 1958) that any exposure to sunlight will decompose a vampire to dust.

Quotes:

Max: The truth? What do you want with that? If you want to be a succes in life forget the truth.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970)

We told you to keep the noise down! Now look who you woke up!

Dracula is a pretty light sleeper, because apparently all it takes is a little blood in the oral area to start a whole new movie. Through an unfortunate coincidence, blood gets into the mouth of Dracula's dormant body, trapped beneath the ice outside his castle, and voila--Dracula has risen from the grave. Well, actually it's more like he rose from the creek. But anyway.

I remember this most fondly of all the Hammer Dracula films, on a par with the original "Horror of Dracula". This episode in the decades-long Dracula series finds Drac ticked off at a local Monsignor who has placed a large crucifix on the doors of his castle. He's also "exorcised" the place, so it's not like Dracula can even slip in through a window or something. Irritated in every capacity, Dracula sets out for revenge. When he sees the Monsignor's lovely niece, he decides to victimize her--that way he can get his freak on AND get revenge at the same time. Clever!

"Dracula Has Risen From The Grave" features some of the best gothic horror sets I've ever seen, including several sequences that take place along the rooftops of the village. Simply gorgeous visuals, if a little campy at times. Christopher Lee is in top form, as usual, but it sure would have been great if they could have had him in the movie more (Chris's fee was pretty high around this time, so the later Hammer Dracula films began to feature him less and less). Terrific fun, especially late at night!