Dracula Has Risen from the Grave 1968

Altar boy finds victim in church bell

An altar boy discovers the corpse of a young woman sealed inside the village church bell, revealing Dracula's grim handiwork. The discovery shows Dracula's reach extending into the community and foreshadows the terror to come. The event marks the first sign of the killer's lingering presence in the village.

Mueller arrives; Dracula's threat persists

Mueller arrives to assess the lingering terror in 1896. He finds the town still haunted: the altar boy is a frightened mute and the priest has lost his faith, while villagers refuse Mass as shadows from Dracula's castle touch the church. The situation sets the stage for a renewed attempt to confront the vampire.

Villagers refuse Mass; castle shadows

The villagers refuse to attend Mass, fearing the castle's influence over their church. The shadow of Dracula's castle literally touches the village church, deepening fear and superstition.

Mueller begins exorcism of the castle

Mueller climbs to the castle to perform an exorcism, attempting to sever Dracula's hold. He attaches a large metal cross to the castle gate as thunder rages above. The effort is perilous, and the priest who follows only partway is knocked unconscious when his head strikes a rock.

Priest is knocked unconscious; Dracula revived

A blood trickles from a head wound into a frozen stream, refreezing on the ice and reviving Dracula at a critical moment. With Mueller absent from the village, Dracula regains power and the castle's shadow grows stronger. The event deepens the threat to Maria and the others.

Mueller returns to village; heads to Keinenberg

Mueller returns to the village to reassure the frightened people, then travels to his home city of Keinenberg with his widowed sister-in-law, Anna. His return provides a brief sense of calm, but the danger remains as Dracula's influence continues to mount.

Dracula uses the priest to locate Maria

Dracula seizes control of the priest and forces him to reveal the location of Mueller's niece Maria. He leads Dracula to Keinenberg, vowing revenge, while Dracula also enslaves a tavern girl named Zena to manipulate Maria.

Zena's death; priest burns her body

Zena is killed by Dracula, and the priest is ordered to destroy her corpse before she becomes a vampire. He burns Zena's body in the bakery ovens to prevent the haunting from spreading.

Dracula locates Maria and bites her

Dracula locates Maria in her room and bites her, beginning to exert his control. Mueller arrives to intervene, entering Maria's room just before Dracula's second bite, and then the pursuit carries him onto the village rooftops.

Chase across the rooftops; Mueller wounded

Mueller pursues Dracula across the rooftops but is knocked down by the priest. Mueller returns home where his sister-in-law cares for him, and he summons Paul, knowing he will help protect Maria.

Mueller dies; passes book to Paul

Before dying from his wounds, Mueller passes on a book containing rites to protect against vampires and ways to defeat them to Paul. Paul resolves to protect Maria despite the danger, marking the transfer of leadership.

Paul enlists the enslaved priest; head to Dracula's lair

Paul enlists the now-enslaved priest, who is still under Dracula's spell. The priest attacks Paul, but Paul defeats him and forces him to lead the way to Dracula's lair in the castle. They head to the castle to end Dracula's reign.

Stake fails; Dracula rises

They attempt to stake Dracula through the heart, but the faithless priest and the atheist Paul cannot recite the required prayer. Dracula rises, removes the stake himself, and resumes his pursuit with Maria.

Maria discards the cross

Inside the castle, Maria is forced to remove the cross from the door. She throws it over the parapet into the ravine below, where it stands upright wedged between the rocks.