User Reviews

Casa Negra sure blessed Gothic horror fans with some very atmospheric offerings including Fernando Méndez's ambitious, Universal Studio's flavored Mexican horror classic, El Vampiro, a film which certainly wears it's Dracula inspirations for all to see.

The story isn't that difficult or original regarding a vampire's desire to gain control of an age-ravaged(..and sadly neglected due to a lack of hired help who moved off in fear of being vampire victims) hacienda needing the proper ownership in the possession of Marta(Ariadna Welter), a visiting relative from afar called at the behest of her sick aunt, María(Alicia Montoya, wonderfully made up to look completely bonkers, hair frazzled and grey-streaked, face wrinkled and worn, cross with an emblem of a crucified Christ held tight to her chest). María supposedly died before Marta was able to arrive, but the situation is not as it seems. Marta would get off her train and discover that a method of transportation to her destination was remote at best, befriending a kindly traveler, Dr. Enrique(Abel Salazar)who would join her in a trip to the desolate hacienda, finding it practically abandoned and cob-webbed. We later find that Enrique was called by Marta's uncle, Emilio(José Luis Jiménez)to see if María was in fact loony, or if her ravings about a vampire was true. Aunt Eloisa(Carmen Montejo)is in league with vampire, Count Karol de Lavud(..who has taken the alias, Duval, Lavud spelled backwards, perhaps echoing SON OF Dracula, when Lon Chaney Jr's vampire took the name of Alucard)who wishes to own the hacienda and assists in keeping an eye on Enrique, attempting to persuade Marta to sell off her portion of the place, given to her by María after her moment of death. Count de Lavud plans to resurrect his fallen brother, desiring to join forces to drain the blood of all the living across the country-side. Will Enrique and Emilio discover de Lavud and Eloisa's dastardly plans? Or, will this fanged duo of evil conquer the hacienda, having a place of refuge after blood-sucking innocents who live nearby?

Germán Robles is effectively cast as a handsome Count, very much in the Lugosi tradition, except he has sharpened fangs and is often shown burying them into necks, including a ferocious attack on a peasant boy walking home in the wilderness. The hacienda is an ideal setting, perfectly morbid and decaying, with a marvelous mausoleum, and the usual secret room hiding María away from those who wish to gain control of her home. Some of the low-budget effects, stringed bats, objects lifted invisibly in a mirror(..Marta is looking into which is where Eloisa is supposed to be standing),scenes where the vampires appear and disappear, are a bit hit-or-miss, but director Fernando Méndez understands how to create decadent locations for his vampires, bathing them in shadows. And, even though the strings are apparent, I love his ideas for having the bats flying towards the balcony of a bedroom, entering the place of rest for a potential victim. And, Robles has the right amount of menace and quiet evil needed to properly present a cunning and cruel vampire. All the film really needed was a charismatic and worthy adversary and unfortunately Salazar is too much the charming, romantic type..more of a Harker character than a Van Helsing.

"The Vampire" is an eerie, haunting movie with lots of atmosphere. It has a decent musical score, nice set designs and chilling moments(catch the scene where the vampire attacks the young boy as proof).The acting is very good and the dubbing is done just as well. Direction is also a plus as the film moves along and sustains viewer interest. German Robles makes an imposing vampire-tall, thin and with fangs(the first time in film that this was done). The story involves a young woman on her way to claim part of an inheritance. A Doctor posing as a salesman arrives with her. They meet her Aunt, who has not aged-she became a vampire through Count Lavud/Mr. Duval(Robles). The Aunt helps the Count turn her niece into a Vampire as well but the Doctor saves the day along with the help of the young woman's other Aunt(believed to be dead). The only thing that was a negative was that you can see the strings moving the bat flapping through the air almost every time. Still, this is a must-see for all Vampire film fans.

The DVD company known as Casa Negra has managed to impress me yet again. Specializing in Mexican horror films of the classic era of 1956-'65, this outfit had previously wowed me with great-looking, extras-packed DVDs of such wonderful films as "The Brainiac," "The Witch's Mirror," "The Man and the Monster," and especially "The Black Pit of Dr. M" and "The Curse of the Crying Woman" (I personally deem that last one a horror masterpiece). And now, "The Vampire," which was originally released in 1957 under the title "El Vampiro"...and a good thing, I suppose, as there seems to have been a little-seen American film called "The Vampire" released that same year. "El Vampiro" was directed by Fernando Mendez, who had previously made a mark on Mexican audiences with his 1956 horror picture "Body Thief," so much so that producer Abel Salazar hired him to helm his film the following year. As the story goes, Salazar was trying to figure out why Universal Studios in America was so profitable, and the answer suddenly dawned on him: monster movies! And so, "El Vampiro" was born, a film that has since been described as "Dracula on a hacienda"!

In the film, pretty Marta Gonzalez (Ariadna Welter) experiences a tough homecoming to her childhood abode, Sicomoros. Her Aunt Maria has just died and been entombed, while talk of a pillaging local vampire sweeps through the nearby town of Sierra Negra. To make matters worse, Marta soon realizes that her Aunt Eloisa (Cuban actress Carmen Montejo) does not do so well at reflecting in a mirror herself, and their neighbor, the caped Count Duval (Spanish émigré German Robles), is making pestiferous offers to purchase Sicomoros for his own mysterious ends. Fortunately for Marta, a kindly stranger, Dr. Enrique (Salazar, who would go on to star in "The Brainiac" and "...Crying Woman"), has accompanied her from the train station, as Marta will need all the help she can get after she realizes that Duval is in actuality...the dreaded nocturnal neck nosher himself....

True to its Universal inspiration, "El Vampiro" presents us with vampires very much in the traditional, uh, vein. Thus, they are able to turn into bats, do not reflect in mirrors, are able to pop in and out of any location, can hypnotize from afar, communicate with each other telepathically, suffer from what I suppose you might call crucifixaphobia, sport long canine teeth, can be killed by a stake through the heart, sleep all day in their dirt-filled coffins...and must suck the blood from the living, natch, claiming victims as their own after two bites. The film, though never especially frightening, yet manages to offer at least three quite startling scenes. In one, Duval becomes a bat and flies straight at the throat of a screaming little boy; in another, Marta opens the door to her long-disused childhood bedroom and sees what appears to be the ghost of her dead Aunt Maria; and finally, in the film's exciting conclusion, Enrique and Duval face off, while the unconscious Marta is threatened by a blazing inferno. And if the special FX in the film are a bit weak as compared to Universal's monster pictures (especially the vampire-to-bat transformations), they are still endearingly so. Perhaps the two best elements of the film, aside from some solid acting by all and a no-nonsense story line, are the remarkable sets by Gunther Gerszo and the stunning B&W photography of Rosalio Solano. This film looks fantastic! Other than Italian director Mario Bava, I can think of no other filmmakers who have given us such convincingly decrepit and molderingly morbid crypts and sets as the Mexicans of this classic period. Filmed utilizing deep-focus long shots, the sets here of interior courtyards, tombs and woods are things of genuine beauty. And just get a load of the mists that seem to be perpetually hanging in the air; not swirling mists, as might be expected, but layers of stationary streamers that just seem to hover motionlessly in the atmosphere. These mists are easily the film's single best effect. I cannot figure out HOW the filmmakers managed to bring these amazing images off, but these mists, added to those remarkable sets, go a long way in engendering a nicely creepy miasma; a most suitable backdrop for our two impressive-looking undead.

I have read that Abel Salazar has been criticized for being a "weak hero" in this film, and truth to tell, his character DOES indeed seem scared when dueling with the vampire near the conclusion (Enrique uses a torch; Duval, a sword!). But you know what? His understandable fright only makes him come off as more realistic, more appealing. I have always enjoyed Salazar's ingratiating screen presence, and find him to be perfectly acceptable here. In "El Vampiro"'s sequel, 1958's "The Vampire's Coffin" (a sequel that started shooting even before the original film was released!), Salazar returns as Dr. Enrique, and in that latter film, he might easily be accused of making some questionable moves. But not here. The bottom line is that "El Vampiro," if not as solid an effort as "Black Pit..." or "...Crying Woman," remains a very fine horror picture that should manage to impress genre fans almost six decades after its release. And need I even mention all the wonderful extras on this Casa Negra DVD? The photo essay on Mexican horror films alone is worth the price of admission....

The horror boom in Mexican film can be attributed to this movie, one that takes Mexico's love for the Universall monsters - indeed, there was even a Spanish language version filmed at the same time as Dracula with an entirely different cast and crew - and gives them their own vampiric villain, Conde Karol de Lavud (German Robles).

Marta (Ariadna Welter, El Barón del Terror) is our heroine, back home to plan the funeral of her aunt. Soon, she learns that her home is infested with vampires and they plan on taking the life of her other aunt as well.

While many consider El Vampiro to be the first film to have a vampire with elongated fangs - -a full year before Hammer's Horror of Dracula - the Finnish movie Valkoinen Peura has a vampiric reindeer woman who has huge fangs. You can also look to Dracula In Istanbul and, of course, Nosferantu for two other canine fanged bloodsuckers before this movie. That said, Robles took the inspiration of Lugosi and created his own take on a vampire that would influence films all over the world.

Director Fernando Méndez also made The Black Pit of Dr. M and Ladrón de Cadáveres, two classic Mexican horror films. It was written by Ramón Obón (Cien Gritos de Terror) and Ramon Rodriguez. Like all great vampires, Conde Karol de Lavud would return soon enough in El Ataúd del Vampiro.

In a way the brilliant 1931 Spanish version of 'Dracula' and this fine 1957 Spanish-language film have similar strengths and weaknesses. Both lack a Lugosi or Lee in the title role, but both have outstanding cinematography, atmosphere and supporting casts.

While the English and Spanish 1931 films are often compared, it seems reasonable to compare 'El Vampiro' to Christopher Lee's 'The Horror of Dracula,' a contemporary work. German Robles is no Christopher Lee. Almost effeminate in his count's formal attire, one suspects that if he had succeeded in bringing his dead brother back to life, the brother would immediately have taken charge. He almost seems uncomfortable with his mouthful of fangs.

A weak vampire is not enough to derail an otherwise outstanding film, however. The cast overall is quite good and the black and white cinematography much creepier than the bloody Hammer color. Simply put, this movie just plain works. The sets out great, the costumes and makeup are great and the cast is very sound, including Ariadna Welter as Marta, Abel Salazar as Dr. Enrique, Jose Luis Jimenez as Emilio, Carmen Montejo as Eloisa and Alicia Montoya as Maria Teresa. Montejo, as the vampire follower of Duval and Montoya as the near-crazed Maria Teresa are especially outstanding. Montoya somehow makes me think of Morticia Addams or Lilly Munster on a bad hair/makeup day! Even the servants are quite good.

The music is just a tad over-the-top, loud and repetitive. Still, it is effective in setting the mood…and mood is the name of the game in 'El Vampiro.' With its creepy crypts, spooky woods, spider webs and ancient books, it captures an eeriness that color films have trouble matching. The lighting and camera work accentuate this and help make 'El Vampiro' one of the half dozen or so better vampire films ever made. It is certainly among the creepiest and most atmospheric.

Finding myself with a little more free time than expected thanks to the roads being jammed up during a stormy weekend, I decided to check the Mexican Horror titles I've downloaded but have yet to watch. Standing out after reading the trivia section, I felt it was the perfect time to meet el vampiro.

View on the film:

The first film appearance of Dracula to give him elongated fangs a year before Hammer Horror's version, director Fernando Mendez & cinematographer Rosalio Solano build a fascinating halfway castle between the classic shadow play Gothic and the oncoming full bodied blood lust, where cute bats on visible strings fly round a shocking sequence of Dracula killing a child.

Hitching a ride to Dracula/ Duval's mansion basking in expressionism shadows tied with chilly fog, Mendez spreads Duval's wings in elegant black and white, reaching out to wide-shots filling the rooms with mist where Duval can (and does) hide from his guests, until he steps out into prime Gothic Horror close-ups on Duval's necking.

Meeting Enrique and Marta at a crossroads, the screenplay by Ramon Obon and Ramon Rodriguez prints pages of Bram Stoker's creation with their own terrific ideas (no Van Helsing) leading to a playful mystery guest in the mansion attempting to stop Duval from having a nibble, turning the pages for Enrique to realise what Duval has a taste for,which ignites a thrillingly fiery final encounter amid the fall of the house of Duval.

Biting into his first film, German Robles gives a mesmerising debut turn as Duval, whose aggressiveness to getting his next victim is paired by Robles with a utterly chilling gentlemanly image presented to guests to get their guards down in the house of Duval.