The Count Rises...
One last time on the blog.
The Hammer Dracula series could whip up some doozies to bring the Count back to torment families, wreck lives, and bite the delicious necks of plentiful women, particularly the young voluptuous European beauties of the time.
Monsignor Ernst exorcized and added a golden cross at the door of Castle Dracula. Unfortunately he left behind a weak, easy-to-henpeck local priest with very little faith. Amazing what the castle's shadow could even do...leave a lady dead under the cathedral bell in the tower. But as powerful in the faith as Ernst is, Dracula has his Catholic minion to do his bidding. What does Ernst have? A niece as quite the candy for Dracula to taste, potential new member of the family in his niece's beau who happens to be a fit atheist studying to be a doctor, and a sister who is no match for the sinister vampire.
Zena, quite an eyeful often subject to the playful fancies of the local tavern boys, is the perfect folly for Dracula's feeding and misuse. She won't win over Paul. He might irk Ernst with his atheism, but he loves the niece Maria. Maria loves him and even gives her virginity to him. Zena is a sexual powerhouse but Dracula has just enough use for her before she's just meat for the fire.
Of course Paul will have to face Dracula, oh he of no faith, with Maria's life in jeopardy. Ernst did his part back at the castle...the golden cross especially a gnarly weapon of vampire destruction. "Dracula Has Risen from the Grave" (1968), after "Dracula: Prince of Darkness" (1966), is Freddie Francis' contribution to the Hammer Dracula franchise, and I personally enjoy it always. I've written about it a few times. Lots of Octobers dedicated to Hammer Draculas. This one including a priest who is a servant to Dracula is quite a controversial choice of direction. Good to see a cheerful Ripper not as a drunk but as the baker and owner of a pub...he always seemed to thrive in the lower tier Hammer films. But a priest commiting actual acts of evil for Dracula, including contributing to Ernst's tragic fate, is quite a daring piece of storytelling at that time. Lee, again very little dialogue, can just stand at an angle with a little trick of the light within dark, gloomy wilderness or cavernous pub chambers and make his presence felt. And when he slaps Zena for her jealousy of Maria, it's ferocious enough to empathize the storm out of the disquiet.
The Hammer Dracula series could whip up some doozies to bring the Count back to torment families, wreck lives, and bite the delicious necks of plentiful women, particularly the young voluptuous European beauties of the time.
Monsignor Ernst exorcized and added a golden cross at the door of Castle Dracula. Unfortunately he left behind a weak, easy-to-henpeck local priest with very little faith. Amazing what the castle's shadow could even do...leave a lady dead under the cathedral bell in the tower. But as powerful in the faith as Ernst is, Dracula has his Catholic minion to do his bidding. What does Ernst have? A niece as quite the candy for Dracula to taste, potential new member of the family in his niece's beau who happens to be a fit atheist studying to be a doctor, and a sister who is no match for the sinister vampire.
Zena, quite an eyeful often subject to the playful fancies of the local tavern boys, is the perfect folly for Dracula's feeding and misuse. She won't win over Paul. He might irk Ernst with his atheism, but he loves the niece Maria. Maria loves him and even gives her virginity to him. Zena is a sexual powerhouse but Dracula has just enough use for her before she's just meat for the fire.
Of course Paul will have to face Dracula, oh he of no faith, with Maria's life in jeopardy. Ernst did his part back at the castle...the golden cross especially a gnarly weapon of vampire destruction. "Dracula Has Risen from the Grave" (1968), after "Dracula: Prince of Darkness" (1966), is Freddie Francis' contribution to the Hammer Dracula franchise, and I personally enjoy it always. I've written about it a few times. Lots of Octobers dedicated to Hammer Draculas. This one including a priest who is a servant to Dracula is quite a controversial choice of direction. Good to see a cheerful Ripper not as a drunk but as the baker and owner of a pub...he always seemed to thrive in the lower tier Hammer films. But a priest commiting actual acts of evil for Dracula, including contributing to Ernst's tragic fate, is quite a daring piece of storytelling at that time. Lee, again very little dialogue, can just stand at an angle with a little trick of the light within dark, gloomy wilderness or cavernous pub chambers and make his presence felt. And when he slaps Zena for her jealousy of Maria, it's ferocious enough to empathize the storm out of the disquiet.
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