Overrated

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

The monster here is really more of a "Jekyll-Hyde" or "Werewolf" character, although I supposed its need for blood, the fact that the medicine that created him came from vampire bats. and the puncture marks the monster leaves on its victims necks allow the movie to go with "The Vampire". So we'll let that pass. There's a lot to appreciate about this over-looked "monster" movie about a man mutated by science gone wrong into a blood-thirsty fiend, and, of course, the rock-jawed handsome law-man who tracks him down. It's well staged, well acted, and has an element of tragedy in the fate of a well meaning and devoted doctor whose life is ruined by a series of happenstances that no one could have foreseen. Because the doctor is so likable, the screen play becomes more than a bit uncomfortable, because it is obvious from the very beginning that there is no hope for a cure (even before the experts figure out what the issue is) and the character's growing realization about his fate is well portrayed. (And he really did deserve better).Unusual feel for a monster movie, and a fresh take on the idea of vampirism. Really well done.

I continued my winter horror film viewings today with 'The Vampire'. A more descriptive name for it might have been 'Dr. Jeykll and The Vampire' or 'The Vampire Virus'. I'm kidding of course, yet it does borrow heavily from the Jeykll and Hyde story. Here a kindly small town Dr. accidentally takes an experimental drug. He becomes addicted to it. Each night at about 11PM it causes him to change into a hideous creature with a taste for blood. I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It's right down my alley. The kind of movie that must have been shown on double features at 50s drive-ins. I can imagine it playing with 'Frankenstein's Daughter' on the marquee. Teenage boys probably loved it cause their girl would want to be hugged tight during the show. These horror films have a special place with me, they bring back childhood memories. I was too young to have seen it at theaters during its first run. It was the sort of movie I'd watch on the late night horror shows in the 60s and early 70s. Yet, I some how missed ever catching this gem. It's the type of late night movie my mom would complain "You're going to have nightmares if you watch that !". Of course I would watch it anyway if I could. The feature monster had silly yet scary makeup that looks like the boogeyman kids imagine in the bedroom closet. Kenneth Tobey gets a chance to once again hunt down the monster like he did in 'The Thing'. He makes a good no nonsense type tough-guy any self respecting monster should hide from on site. My only regret was we didn't wait till after dark to watch it. That would have been more fun than an afternoon viewing. If you are a fan of 50s drive-in horror films, and I sure am, you should love this. I give it a 6 out of 10 rating.

In the 1950's, when most horror films had giant monsters running amok, this film attempts to revive the vampire as a serious form of horror entertainment, by mixing classic 30's horror elements with 50's Science Fiction camp. The result was this unsuccessful but nonetheless likable flick. The vampire in this film is unique as he doesn't live in a castle in Transylvania and he doesn't wear a black cloak. He is your typical small town doctor, a man you're supposed to trust and believe in. This is also unique because of the relationship between the father and his daughter. I was actually moved when he tells her she should go live with her aunt Sally, and she begins to cry. It was a surprisingly touching scene in a type of film that you believe should only be watched for camp value. It is filmed in glorious black and white, with a clean film transfer on an MGM "Midnite Movies" double feature. In short, this is underrated 1950's horror-scifi entertainment.

Vampire, The (1957) *** (out of 4) Lightweight but entertaining horror film about a good natured doctor (John Beal) who turns into a vampire after mistakenly taking some mysterious pills. The title is a little misleading since this isn't your typical vampire film as it mixes in a lot of science fiction elements and towards the end the thing turns into another Jekyll/Hyde story, which it probably would have worked best as. Even the make up towards the end looks more like a Jekyll and Hyde thing rather than an actual vampire. This film is very minor and nothing special but Beal turns in a very good performance as the doctor and it's always nice seeing Keneth Tobey. The film runs smoothly at just around 75-minutes but I wish they would have shown the actual creature a tad bit more.