Starring Christopher Lee, Rupert Davies, Veronica Carlson and Barbara Ewing
Written by Anthony Hinds and directed by Freddie Francis
Christopher Lee as Dracula is back, this time accidentally resurrected by a couple priests who intended to exorcise Dracula's castle by saying a prayer before it and blocking the doors with a cross. One priest successfully blocks Dracula's castle off from Dracula by exorcising it, but the other unwittingly brings Dracula back to life and becomes his mind-controlled slave. Upon learning he can't get back into his castle, Dracula seeks revenge against the priest responsible.
An interesting aspect of this entry into the Dracula series is that it deals directly with the influence of faith and religion on the vampire. Of course, crosses and religious symbols are always a part of the lore, but this time there's an interesting twist -- Dracula transforms a priest into his minion, and the young hero happens to be an atheist.
There's a scene where our atheist hero attempts to stake Dracula but it doesn't work because the hero technically doesn't believe in it -- in other words, he's doing the actions but doesn't believe in the power behind them. Dracula yanks the stake out and throws it right back at him. It's awesome. Of course it won't be giving anything away to reveal that Dracula is eventually dispatched, this time impaled on a giant cross after falling from his own castle tower.
This is a fun entry into the Dracula series, with some striking images, including a rooftop chase, that sets it apart a little from the others. And, this time, Dracula is back to talking, though he's a man of few words.
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