The third installment in the Hammer series, we have Dracula has risen from the Grave. The title along is awesome and sends chills down your spine. A new director is in the seat, Freddie Francis. The question is, what makes a sequel good? Well, not copying the original story is a start. Giving us characters that we can care about or relate too. And giving us much more blood and scares. All three categories are in check here. Christopher Lee is back as well and from what I understand not very happy. For some reason he didn't like playing Dracula and from what I read, it was because they would write the scripts and add Dracula in later so I can understand. However, given speaking lines compared to the last sequel, his whole presence is still terrifying as ever. You try to stake Dracula? He'll just grab it and throw it right back at you. You try messing with Dracula? He'll just go after your family members
partially the pretty one's. Dracula has risen from the Grave and he's ready to take on the world.
A year after Dracula has been destroyed, a Monsignor comes to the village on a routine visit. The villagers refuse to attend Mass at church because "the shadow of his castle touches it". To bring to an end the villagers' fears, the Monsignor climbs to the Castle to exorcise it. The Priest cannot follow him up the mountain and the Monsignor continues alone. As the Monsignor exorcises the castle, attaching a large metal cross to its gate, a storm strikes, and the Priest tries to run, but falls and is knocked out, cutting his head on rock. His blood trickles into a frozen stream; through a crack in the melting ice it trickles on to the lips of the preserved body of Count Dracula and brings it to life. The Monsignor goes back to the village believing that the Priest had already safely returned, and assures the villagers that the castle is sanctified to protect them from Dracula's evil. He returns to his home city of Kleinenberg. Unknown to the Monsignor, the Priest is under the control of the resurrected Count. Furious that the cross prevents him from entering his castle, Dracula demands that the enslaved Priest says who is responsible. The Priest leads Dracula in pursuit of the Monsignor and he discovers a new victim for Dracula's revenge - the Monsignor's beautiful niece, Maria.
For the first time we see Dracula being a little more gentle with the girl, I think because Maria is so beautiful, he treats her like a doll. Almost symbolic during the intense scene where he's biting Maria, she grabs her doll and throws it off the bed like her childhood had just been ripped from her. I like the twist of having her boyfriend Paul being an atheist, after all the whole thing of destroying Dracula is to have faith. It was an interesting take on religion vs. science and what Paul has always thought to be black and white isn't so when he realizes he has to fight for the woman he loves. The only flaw I find with the film is the beginning is there is a girl found in the bell hanging, fresh wounds and all. First off, why would Dracula hang her from a bell? Secondly, is this before or after his death in Prince of Darkness? I know the girl hanging from the bell was supposed to be for a good scare, it is effective but just didn't make any sense. However I would say that this is still a very good sequel and one of the better in the Hammer series. It's a good story with a still very effective Dracula.
7/10
A year after Dracula has been destroyed, a Monsignor comes to the village on a routine visit. The villagers refuse to attend Mass at church because "the shadow of his castle touches it". To bring to an end the villagers' fears, the Monsignor climbs to the Castle to exorcise it. The Priest cannot follow him up the mountain and the Monsignor continues alone. As the Monsignor exorcises the castle, attaching a large metal cross to its gate, a storm strikes, and the Priest tries to run, but falls and is knocked out, cutting his head on rock. His blood trickles into a frozen stream; through a crack in the melting ice it trickles on to the lips of the preserved body of Count Dracula and brings it to life. The Monsignor goes back to the village believing that the Priest had already safely returned, and assures the villagers that the castle is sanctified to protect them from Dracula's evil. He returns to his home city of Kleinenberg. Unknown to the Monsignor, the Priest is under the control of the resurrected Count. Furious that the cross prevents him from entering his castle, Dracula demands that the enslaved Priest says who is responsible. The Priest leads Dracula in pursuit of the Monsignor and he discovers a new victim for Dracula's revenge - the Monsignor's beautiful niece, Maria.
For the first time we see Dracula being a little more gentle with the girl, I think because Maria is so beautiful, he treats her like a doll. Almost symbolic during the intense scene where he's biting Maria, she grabs her doll and throws it off the bed like her childhood had just been ripped from her. I like the twist of having her boyfriend Paul being an atheist, after all the whole thing of destroying Dracula is to have faith. It was an interesting take on religion vs. science and what Paul has always thought to be black and white isn't so when he realizes he has to fight for the woman he loves. The only flaw I find with the film is the beginning is there is a girl found in the bell hanging, fresh wounds and all. First off, why would Dracula hang her from a bell? Secondly, is this before or after his death in Prince of Darkness? I know the girl hanging from the bell was supposed to be for a good scare, it is effective but just didn't make any sense. However I would say that this is still a very good sequel and one of the better in the Hammer series. It's a good story with a still very effective Dracula.
7/10