Dracula Has Risen from the Grave

Dracula Has Risen from the Grave
U.S. release poster
Directed by	Freddie Francis
Produced by	Aida Young
Written by	Anthony Hinds
Starring	Christopher Lee Rupert Davies Veronica Carlson Barbara Ewing
Music by	James Bernard
Cinematography	Arthur Grant
Edited by	Spencer Reeve
Production company	Hammer Films
Distributed by	Warner-Pathé (UK) Warner Bros.-Seven Arts (USA)
Release date	7 November 1968
Running time	92 min.
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

Dracula Has Risen from the Grave is a 1968 British horror film directed by Freddie Francis for Hammer Films. It stars Christopher Lee as Count Dracula, with support from Rupert Davies, Veronica Carlson, Barry Andrews, Barbara Ewing, Ewan Hooper and Michael Ripper.

This was the fourth entry in Hammer's Dracula series, and the third to feature Christopher Lee as the titular vampire.

The story opens in 1905 in an East European village. A young altar boy (Norman Bacon) makes his way up to the bell-tower. He is about to ring the bell when blood drips on his cheek from above. He climbs into the bell chamber, where he discovers the corpse of a young woman crammed inside the church bell, another victim of Dracula.

A year later in 1906, following the events of the previous film, Dracula has been destroyed. Monsignor Ernest Mueller (Rupert Davies) comes to the village on a routine visit only to find the altar boy is now a frightened mute and the priest (Ewan Hooper) has lost his faith. The villagers refuse to attend Mass at the Catholic church because the shadow of Dracula's castle touches it. To bring to an end the villagers' fears, Mueller climbs to the castle to exorcise it.

The terrified priest follows only partway up the mountain, and Mueller continues alone. As he exorcises the castle, attaching a large metal cross to its gate, a thunderstorm occurs. The priest flees, stumbles, and is knocked unconscious when his head strikes a rock. The blood from the head wound trickles into a frozen stream through a crack in the ice, and onto the lips of Count Dracula, reviving him. Mueller returns to the village, reassures the villagers, and returns to his home city of Keinenberg where he lives with his widowed sister-in-law, Anna (Marion Mathie).

Unknown to Mueller, Dracula takes control of the priest. Furious that his castle is now barred to him, Dracula forces the enslaved priest to reveal the name of the exorcist. The priest desecrates a coffin to provide a sleeping place for the Count, and leads Dracula to Keinenberg, where the Count determines to take his revenge on Mueller's beautiful niece, Maria (Veronica Carlson). Dracula enslaves Zena the tavern girl (Barbara Ewing). Zena almost succeeds in bringing Maria under Dracula's power, but Maria's boyfriend Paul (Barry Andrews), who lives and works in the bakery beneath the tavern, rescues her. Dracula punishes Zena by killing her. Dracula orders the priest to burn Zena's corpse in the bakery ovens before she turns into a vampire. The priest then helps Dracula locate Maria. Dracula climbs over the rooftops of nearby buildings, enters Maria's room, and bites her.