REVIEW: Dracula Has Risen from the Grave

The Hammer horror film revival was well underway by the time Dracula Has Risen from the Grave arrived in 1968. This was the fourth film starring Bram Stoker’s notorious vampire and the third with Christopher Lee wearing the fangs (he skipped the second one), and it is a mixed offering. On the one hand, screenwriter Anthony Hinds explores religious themes that other Dracula entries have barely acknowledged. In this interpretation of the legend, faith is as powerful as the physical manifestations of religion. On the other hand, director Freddie Francis was far more interested in the romance between Maria Mueller (Veronica Carlson) and Paul (Barry Andrews), with him later lamenting how much of that plot was trimmed by the studio. It served to reduce the Lord of the Vampires to a supporting player and mere antagonist to their love. After being drowned in holy water in the previous entry, Dracula: Prince of Darkness, a visiting Monsignor Ernst Mueller (Rupert Davies) attempts to exorcise Dracula’s castle in order to allow the frightened villagers to once again attend mass freely and unafraid. After affixing a giant cross to the castle doors, he injures himself, and the trickle of blood ...