Dracula Has Risen From The Grave

     I find it was just as true back then as it is today- you just can't keep a good monster down.  Christopher Lee was a bona fide star by this point in time, and his third outing as Count Dracula came in 1968's "Dracula Has Risen From the Grave".  Fans either love or hate this installment, as both director Terence Fisher and Peter Cushing did not return for this entry.  No worries though- Christopher Lee as Dracula is as riveting as ever.  The plot really doesn't matter at this point, we don't watch Dracula or Frankenstein movies for new plotlines- we watch them because we love the original story. But here's the jist anyway.  A monsignor is trying to rid the castle of evil after the mysterious death of a local village girl, found hanging inside the bell of the local church.  In a very dramatic scene, the monsignor and the priest of the church where the young girl was found are attempting an exorcism on Dracula's castle.  There's a monstrous thunderstorm going on, and the priest falls on some rocks.  In a bit of a stretch, some of his blood just happens to trickle down to the frozen ice below, where if you remember, Dracula was last seen frozen under the ice in the climax of "Dracula, Prince of Darkness".  The blood of the priest awakens Dracula from his frozen slumber, and he rises again from the un-dead to wreak more havoc on the village still living in fear of his evil doings.

     Lee has some especially eerie scenes in this installment, and I found myself at this point marvelling at his take on Dracula- I think in his own way (and no disrespect to Bela Lugosi here at all...) he is every bit as good as Lugosi in the role.  "Dracula Has Risen From the Grave" is quintessential Hammer, and even brings an interesting subplot of atheism into the mix.  There are some genuinely well-done scenes of creepiness and horror, one being the pursuit and stalking of the barmaid through those eerie, sun-dappled forests.  It's quite effective.  Many scenes look as if they were filmed through some sort of color filter, and the effect works.  The film also boasts a spectacular climax as Count Dracula is impaled on a cross by the sexy Barry Andrews, crying tears of blood as he dies.  I had a rollicking good time with this Hammer film.  Despite the lack of director Terence Fisher or Peter Cushing as Van Helsing, "Dracula Has Risen From the Grave" is still mondo fun.  If there is one shining example of a Hammer film in all it's Gothic glory, then "Dracula Has Risen From the Grave" just might be the one.  Not because it's a great film, mind you. It's not as terrible as some make it out to be, but it's no masterpiece either.  But despite all the film's shortcoming, it offers some spectacular set pieces and scenes- it somehow manages to gleefully squeeze nearly all of the classic Hammer and horror cliches into one dizzying and satisfying flick.

      If you can leave your thinking cap off, and just lose yourself in the wonderfully weird world of Hammer horror, I promise you will have a great time.  Director Freddie Francis creates a great and morbid atmosphere here, and the film offers up some of the greatest Gothic horror sets I've ever seen in any Dracula film.  Seriously.  Peter Cushing is sorely missed here, and Lee could have been given more screen time (his fee was huge at this point...), but it's impossible not to enjoy this entry.  Christopher Lee is at his menacing best here- those eyes are still haunting, even today. I could watch these all day long.

Dracula, Prince Of Darkness

     Despite the huge success of the first Hammer Dracula film in 1958, it took an astonishing 8 years to convince Christopher Lee to reprise his role as the evil Count Dracula.  Fortunately for us, he did, and the 1966 Hammer classic "Dracula: Prince of Darkness", is an uneven, but nonetheless awesome Hammer film, and one of the spookiest. Taking place ten years after "Horror Of Dracula", this second installment finds Count Dracula dead and gone, and two proper British couples vacationing in the Carpathian mountains. As they find themselves abandoned by their coach, a mysterious buggy arrives with no driver, and promptly whisks them away to Castle Dracula.  Upon arriving, they chillingly find a table set for four, as if they were somehow expected.  They also find that the castle is being cared for by Dracula's creepy manservant, Klove.  He proceeds to tell the bewildered group that Dracula's wish was for the castle to remain open to visitors.  They decide to stay overnight, and that's where the story takes a rather horrific turn. Later that night, one of the men are slaughtered by Klove, and his blood is mixed with the ashes of Dracula, which resurrects him.  It's a shocking scene.

     Before we know it, Dracula is back and thirsty for blood, and soon the three remaining vacationers find themselves fighting for their lives from the recently resurrected Count.  There is something undeniably spooky about Christopher Lee as Dracula- I can't quite put my finger on what it is... but it's something for sure.  Anyway, you cannot take your eyes off him whenever he's onscreen, which I'll be honest- as much as I love this movie, Dracula could have been featured a bit more prominently in the film.  But hey, at least he's in this one, right?  Lee never utters a single word in this sequel, but he doesn't need to.  He says it all with his unnerving, bloodshot stare. Rumor has it that Lee was not happy about the dialogue written for him, so he simply refused to speak it. Whether or not it's true, it does not affect the film at all. The standard Hammer use of lavish colors and foreboding grays abound- really, the visuals are quite impressive here.

      "Dracula: Prince of Darkness" has an unsettling, evil atmosphere about it- it really is in my opinion quite a remarkable Hammer film.  If I had to come up with complaints about this installment, it's that we could have used more of Dracula himself, like I said.  We are treated to Klove, the servant, more than Dracula- and although Klove comes across as quite menacing in his own right, give us more Lee already! And sadly, Peter Cushing is nowhere to be found in this sequel, either.  The script isn't the greatest, but Terence Howard delivers such a visually rich production that it doesn't really matter. It's still a classic and fan favorite, and I'm very partial to this one.

Brides Of Dracula

    "Transylvania... land of dark forests, dread mountains, and black, unfathomed lakes.  Still the home of magic and devilry as the 19th century draws to a close.  Count Dracula, monarch of all vampires, is dead, but his disciples live on to spread the cult and corrupt the world."

     "Brides Of Dracula" is a somewhat controversial entry in the immensely popular Hammer series.  It's technically the first sequel to "Horror Of Dracula", yet Dracula himself is not in the film at all.  Don't let that keep you from watching, though, as "Brides of Dracula" is another superb entry in the Hammer series.  Although Lee is sorely missing here, director Terence Howard and the great Peter Cushing more than make up for Lee's lack of presence.

     This entry focuses on the three female vampires that usually accompany Dracula, who are carrying on his evil legacy. The film opens with an ominous and creepy tracking shot of a misty, dark lake that immediately sets the tone- and keeps the exquisite Gothic atmosphere going full force.  It's a fantastic vampire movie.

      Peter Cushing reprises his role as Van Helsing, as he returns to Transylvania to battle the evil bloodsucker Baron Meinster.  The Baron, a follower of the evil Count Dracula, unleashes a plague of vampirism on a small village.  Which turns a school for girls into a den of blood-thirsty vampires, of course. And that's when the fun begins.

      Some fans have dis-owned this sequel, being that Dracula is not in the movie, but that's quite ridiculous.  Even without the great Christopher Lee, "Brides of Dracula" is tremendous fun and a damn fine film on its own.  It's a thoroughly enjoyable slice of Hammer horror. Personally,  I could sit and watch Hammer films all day long, and even though I thought I would be bummed with the absence of Lee,  surprisingly I enjoyed the film for what it was.

The Revenge Of Frankenstein

     Narrowly escaping death by guillotine, Baron Von Frankenstein flees to another city, re-names himself Dr. Stein, and begins his mad experiments yet again...   

      "Curse Of Frankenstein" was hugely successful, and of course a sequel would follow.  The film made stars out of Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, and though Lee did not return to the sequel, the presence of Cushing and director Terence Howard help make the follow-up just as entertaining.  "The Revenge Of Frankenstein", released in 1958, once again offers the campy and lush delights that the original Hammer film offered so generously. It remains one of the most atmospheric and best put together of all the Hammer films.  Flawless sets, gorgeous cinematography, creepy and atmospheric lighting, and a wickedly funny and macabre humor all make this Hammer feature one of the most memorable. Even for late 50s standards, this movie is surprisingly good and effective.  

     Although "Curse Of Frankenstein" somewhat followed the original story, in this installment the rule book was completely thrown out.  And that's not necessarily a bad thing.  This sequel is continually compelling with just as much inventiveness and campiness that the original offered so greatly. In the summer of 1958, with the premier of this sequel and "Horror Of Dracula", the reputation of Hammer was cemented as a viable and extremely profitable franchise.  This was the Golden Age Of Hammer and this was a great, entertaining sequel.

Horror of Dracula

        London's Hammer Studios had just scored a smash hit with  "The Curse Of Frankenstein"in 1957, and had successfully put a new spin on Mary Shelley's classic tale.  So it only made sense to follow that one up with the studio's own re-telling of the immortal Count Dracula. "Horror Of Dracula", released in 1958, would be the first of Hammer's wonderfully atmospheric Dracula series.

     "Horror of Dracula" is another lush, Technicolor take on Stoker's novel that became the first vampire movie to incorporate blood, red eyes, and fangs, actually.  There is an unsettling, eerie vibe in pretty much all of the Hammer productions, especially the Dracula series.  Take for instance Dracula's castle- it's nightmarish, creepy, and just plain weird looking.  It's like something hallucinated in a fever dream.  The sunlight also works well in these movies.  Those sun-dappled woods for some reason really gets to me. I can't quite put my finger on what exactly it is, but something about these movies creep me out.

     Director Terence Fisher got rid of the cobwebs, howling wolves, and other Gothic trappings of  Browning's "Dracula", and completely retold the classic story. Christoper Lee makes a fantastic Dracula- with his bloodshot eyes and fangs dripping blood, he is truly startling and eerie.  I would have to say Christopher Lee's Dracula is one of the most frightening of them all- there is just something about Lee and that damn creepy castle that's downright chilling. He inherits the role from Lugosi and completely makes it his own.  And of course Peter Cushing brings to life in my opinion the most iconic Van Helsing of any Dracula film.  He simply is the character.  Critics were shocked and outraged over the explicit bloodletting and Technicolor gore, but the movie is quite tame compared with movies of today.

     Although based on Stoker's famous novel, they don't even bother staying true to it.  Director Terence Howard and writer Jimmy Sangster simply take the characters and make up their own rules along the way.  And it actually works quite well.  Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee successfully re-invented the classic monsters from Universal, and although it makes several deviations from the original novel by Bram Stoker and the Bela Lugosi film version, there is something truly riveting about this re-telling.  It's a gorgeously eerie film that looks sensational.

         "Horror of Dracula" is considered by many horror fans to be one of the greatest vampire films ever made- and it certainly is one of the most gorgeous to look at.  It's truly a lavish production.  These films are marvelous, even the bad ones- and they are strangely addictive as well.  When the mood for Hammer hits, it hits hard.  And these films are perfect to watch in October.  Or any time of the year, for that matter.  Good stuff.  Good stuff, indeed.