Directed
by Freddie Francis, DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE ($20) is
another entertaining and stylish Hammer horror outing, featuring the
legendary Christopher Lee in the role the Vampire Count. Although a year
has passed since the events depicted in DRACULA, PRINCE OF DARKNESS,
which ended with the cursed vampire falling into a watery grave, DRACULA
HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE finds the inhabitants of a nearby village
still locked in the grip of fear. Things are so bad that the village
priest (Ewan Hooper) has been unable to coax his parishioners back to the
church, and in his despair, the cleric has taken drinking in the local
tavern, which is where Monsignor Muller (Rupert Davies) finds his
underling when he arrives in the village.
Of
course, the Monsignor determines that the only way to release the
townspeople from Dracula’s spell is to perform an exorcism at his
castle. After the Monsignor journeys to the castle to perform the sacred
rite and bar the doors with a crucifix, his weak willed subordinate
accidentally resurrects Dracula, and is immediately taken into the vampire’s
service. With entrance to his own castle barred, Dracula demands vengeance
upon the Monsignor and follows the holy man back to his own village, where
he decides to put the bite on Muller‘s lovely young niece Maria
(Veronica Carlson), not to mention the lusty and busty barmaid Zena
(Barbara Ewing). The cast of DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE also
features Barry Andrews, Marion Mathie and Hammer movie fixture Michael
Ripper.
Warner
Home Video has made DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE available on
DVD in a 1.78:1 wide screen presentation that has been enhanced for
playback on 16:9 displays. This is a great looking transfer that produces
a sharp and nicely detailed image. Colors are strongly rendered and quite
reminiscent of an original Technicolor print, which I once had the
pleasure of viewing. The cinematography has a mildly stylized look that
utilizes colored filters to signify when the vampire is in the vicinity,
but otherwise the image appears natural and the colors are very appealing.
I should mention a few shots of "day for night" photography don’t
seem quite as dark as they should be, but they don’t look like broad
daylight either. Blacks are suitable inky, whites are crisp and contrast
is pretty smooth. The film element used for the transfer is very clean,
displaying few blemishes and little appreciable grain. Digital compression
artifacts always keep a low profile.
.
.
The
Dolby Digital monaural soundtrack is free from excessive hiss or audible
anomalies. Dialogue is crisp and completely understandable. Fidelity has
age related limitations, but James Bernard’s atmospheric score always
sounds just fine. A French monaural track has also been provided on the
DVD, along with English, French and Spanish subtitles. Music underscores
the basic interactive menus, which provide access to standard scene
selection and set up features, as well as a theatrical trailer for DRACULA
HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE.
If
you are a Hammer horror fan, then you have been eagerly anticipating the
DVD release of DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE. The disc looks
great and sounds just fine, which makes acquiring your own copy of the
film on DVD a no-brainer.
Directed
by Freddie Francis, DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE ($20) is
another entertaining and stylish Hammer horror outing, featuring the
legendary Christopher Lee in the role the Vampire Count. Although a year
has passed since the events depicted in DRACULA, PRINCE OF DARKNESS,
which ended with the cursed vampire falling into a watery grave, DRACULA
HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE finds the inhabitants of a nearby village
still locked in the grip of fear. Things are so bad that the village
priest (Ewan Hooper) has been unable to coax his parishioners back to the
church, and in his despair, the cleric has taken drinking in the local
tavern, which is where Monsignor Muller (Rupert Davies) finds his
underling when he arrives in the village.
Of
course, the Monsignor determines that the only way to release the
townspeople from Dracula’s spell is to perform an exorcism at his
castle. After the Monsignor journeys to the castle to perform the sacred
rite and bar the doors with a crucifix, his weak willed subordinate
accidentally resurrects Dracula, and is immediately taken into the vampire’s
service. With entrance to his own castle barred, Dracula demands vengeance
upon the Monsignor and follows the holy man back to his own village, where
he decides to put the bite on Muller‘s lovely young niece Maria
(Veronica Carlson), not to mention the lusty and busty barmaid Zena
(Barbara Ewing). The cast of DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE also
features Barry Andrews, Marion Mathie and Hammer movie fixture Michael
Ripper.
Warner
Home Video has made DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE available on
DVD in a 1.78:1 wide screen presentation that has been enhanced for
playback on 16:9 displays. This is a great looking transfer that produces
a sharp and nicely detailed image. Colors are strongly rendered and quite
reminiscent of an original Technicolor print, which I once had the
pleasure of viewing. The cinematography has a mildly stylized look that
utilizes colored filters to signify when the vampire is in the vicinity,
but otherwise the image appears natural and the colors are very appealing.
I should mention a few shots of "day for night" photography don’t
seem quite as dark as they should be, but they don’t look like broad
daylight either. Blacks are suitable inky, whites are crisp and contrast
is pretty smooth. The film element used for the transfer is very clean,
displaying few blemishes and little appreciable grain. Digital compression
artifacts always keep a low profile.
.
If
you are a Hammer horror fan, then you have been eagerly anticipating the
DVD release of DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE. The disc looks
great and sounds just fine, which makes acquiring your own copy of the
film on DVD a no-brainer.
