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The Vampire - John Beal AIP pictures UA release 1957

posted 22 years ago by Melech18
15 replies | jump to latest

All I can say is this has to be one of the most underrated monster movies of it's era and genre. When I first saw it on television at 14 years of age it frightened the wits out of my friends and I and some of us even had nightmares about it! The eerie setting in a small town, the great, intense music, and above all else, Dr. Paul Beecher's transformation into a hideous beast who terrifies and goes on a bloodthirsty rampage sets the stage for a disastrous set of occurances all because of a mixup with aspirin and a bizzare bat serum.
All in all, this is a great horror flick,well acted, full of suspense and drama and will most assuredly keep you on the edge of your seat!

[–] douglas.soesbe 21 years ago

Good for you! Totally agree this is an underrated gem. How about the scene in which Coleen Gray is chased down the sidewalk late at night? Truly terrifying.

[–] jamesaxbrice 20 years ago

It is a great film. I looked for it on Amazon.com, but couldn't find it.

[–] LarrupinLou 8 years ago

Good for you! Totally agree this is an underrated gem. How about the scene in which Coleen Gray is chased down the sidewalk late at night? Truly terrifying.

I don't know what was more impressive: the scene itself or that Coleen Gray didn't fall down after 10 feet like most women in films did back then. 😀

No blah, blah, blah!

[–] christopher_greenleaf 20 years ago

[email protected] has a great dvd of it for $12.99. The picture and sound are flawless!

[–] djneigh 20 years ago

Do you have a web site for this? I have been searching for this movie for years,

[–] jeff_the_dj 20 years ago

people go to bmovieauctions.com! its on there for VHS i dont know about DVD tho !!!!!

[–] BijouBob8mm 19 years ago

Would be great to have this on home video. Same goes for Columbia's THE WEREWOLF, from around the same era. I had condensed versions of both of these for the 8mm home movie projector. (Ditto for RETURN OF THE VAMPIRE and THE BLACK ROOM, along with a bunch of other classic horror films. Summer nights found us using the side of the garage for backyard film showings.)

[–] The_Dying_Flutchman 18 years ago

By the bye, ever notice the difference between the British and American idea of the vampire film made around this time? Americans put them in milieu of fantastic science while the Brits keep them in the realm of Victorian horror. While this Beal one is good its no match for England's Draculas.

Nothing exists more beautifully than nothing.

[–] christopher_greenleaf 19 years ago

Why would they bother with an old overpriced VHS when you can get it on DVD with flawless picture and sound!?? By the way, I couldn't find any "bmovieauctions"! :p

[–] kga58 17 years ago

This is another of my favorites from kidhood. I saw it first(like most of the other 50s s/f and horror flicks)on late night tv. I still enjoy it today. It is an overlooked minor classic intbho as is MONSTER THAT CHALLENGED THE WORLD and RETURN OF DRACULA with Francis Lederer. All 3, if I recall were made with many of the same crew members--and are often overlooked. The great, schlocky AIP flicks pretty much everyone knows, but VAMPIRE, MONSTER & RETURN are neglected.

[–] The_Dying_Flutchman 17 years ago

Not unlike Gaylord Peachless's "House of Salted Ruptures" not far from here.

Nothing is more beautiful than nothing.

[–] inneroscator2 17 years ago

They`ve shown this on turner classic movies a number of times and this past friday morning. The guy who wrote the posted review forgets to give credit to Gerald Fried`s always exceptional music.

[–] keithruth 14 years ago

So true. Fried's bombastic, very dramatic score is very good. It captures the sense of a wild thing trapped in the body of a well-mannered doctor. The music keeps building and building into a frenzy.

[–] Woodyanders 14 years ago

I thought this film was pretty good. John Beal was excellent in the lead. However, the vampire make-up was rather shoddy and the pace a touch too slow. That said, this movie still delivered a reasonable number of tense and thrilling moments and offers a fresh and inspired non-Gothic modern scientific take on vampirism. 7 out of 10 from me.

"We're all part Shatner/And part James Dean/Part Warren Oates/And Steven McQueen"

[–] tdl797 11 years ago

Someone explain this to me - he said he took 3 pills and killed 3 people. Then when his friend locked up the pills he changed and killed him even when he had taken NO PILLS.

So is the logic just that he needed a pill to live another 24 hours and he would change whether he had one or not?

Seems to me like he should have died like the doctor at the beginning if he didn't have the pills.

I knew the one actor from Little House on the Prarie and the nurse from seeing Phantom Planet on MST3K.

The music at the beginning and very end did seem to stand out.