- AKA “El Vampiro”
- Directed by Fernando Mendez
- Written by Ramon Obon, Ramon Rodriguez
- Stars Abel Salazar, Ariadne Welter, Carmen Montejo, German Robles
- Run Time: 1 Hour, 23 Minutes
- Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x79Cu24MHjU&t=15s
Spoiler-Free Judgment Zone
For a black-and-white Mexican vampire movie from the 1950s, this was surprisingly entertaining. The effects were simple but effective. It has a decent story and moves well. We’d recommend it if you’re in the mood for an oldie.
Spoilery Synopsis
We open with a vampire standing in a courtyard looking at a woman in a window. He turns into a bat and flies into her window. He bites her as credits roll.
A train comes to Sierra Negra, and the men unload a big wooden crate that came all the way from Romania. Marta Gonzalez also gets off the train. Her uncle was supposed to pick her up, but the train was late and he left. The station master says no one goes out after sunset. There’s another man there with the same problem; there’s no way into town.
Suddenly, a carriage drives up to pick up that big box of soil. Mr. Duval, who’s lived in the area for ten years, has ordered this box of soil. He’s a strange man who only goes out at night and wears a cape, says the nosy stationmaster. She and the other man from the station catch a ride with the strange man on the carriage.
In town, they’re having a funeral. Suddenly, a woman in black appears and watches them ominously. The procession goes to a crypt, and the men carry the coffin downstairs. They all look at the plaque that says “Count Karol de Lavud.” They seal the coffin in the mausoleum and march back out.
The carriage man drops off Marta and the man just outside of town. He’s Enrique, a travelling businessman. Marta has come to take care of her ailing aunt. The woman in black watches them from afar and follows them.
They arrive at the hacienda, and the servant, Anselmo, says they can’t get anyone to work there, as the townspeople are starting to move away. Uncle Emilio is there, and he’s happy to see Marta. Enrique says he’s got to move on, but there’s nowhere to go, so they insist that he stays there.
Aunt Eloisa comes down the stairs; she’s the scary woman in black we’ve been seeing. The old, sick Aunt has died of fear of vampires.She was insistent that there was a vampire living in their house. They talk about the rules of vampires.
Enrique confides in Uncle Emilio. Emilio called him, and he arrived secretly, he’s a doctor, here to treat the woman who died (he’s late).
Elsewhere, we see a coffin, and the lid slides open, revealing Duval, a man in a tux who looks like Bela Lugosi, only blonder. He goes upstairs to find men carrying in the box of soil. They open the box, and there’s another coffin inside, full of soil. “And he will come to life again. Count Karol, killed by his enemies, shall return. This soil’s hidden power will revive him.”
Duval turns into a bat, flies down to the road, and bites a young boy very unsubtly.
Eloisa wants to sell the hacienda, and Marta has now inherited part ownership, along with Emilio. The house is a wreck, and no one wants to work there. With her suitcase mirror, Marta accidentally learns that Eloisa is a vampire.
Emilio introduces Duval to Enrique. A book falls off the shelf, and it tells about the murder of Count Karol de Lavud a hundred years ago. Enrique and Maria the servant talk about vampires later. She knows how to kill vampires, like that guy a hundred years ago; there’s a new vampire in town now, and they’ve found bodies with bite marks.
Enrique sits in his room alone, but then he hears a woman singing, “Sleep!” He’s creeped out, but he decides it’s time to read some more– until he hears Marta crying and goes to comfort her.
Everyone goes to sleep, but then old, dead Aunt Maria, who we saw being buried, sneaks into Marta’s room. She’s wearing a cross and carrying a second one, which she lays next to sleeping Marta. Eloisa teleports through Enrique’s door and images through his equipment, finding out that he’s a doctor.
Duval flies in through Marta’s window to give her the first bite, but then he sees the cross and cringes. She tosses and turns, and the cross winds up on the floor, giving him the opportunity for a snack.
In the morning, Marta talks to Enrique about her dream last night. She signs a song her aunt made up, and it’s the same song he heard last night. Marta sees Aunt Maria in a closed off room and screams. Uncle Emilio doesn’t seem too surprised to hear this.
That evening, Eloisa comes into Marta’s room, and they both know that Marta has figured out the truth about her, as she uses the mirror again. Duvall comes for another visit, and this time, he wants to see Marta. Enrique comes downstairs and says it’s time to leave, but they all have a drink first. Marta is drugged, so Enrique carries her back to her room and declares her dead.
After a while, the family gathers around to pray over Marta’s corpse, but then she starts to move; she’s not dead. Maybe they buried old Aunt Maria alive as well? They go and dig out her tomb, which is empty. Maria left a note for the servants to hide her body in a secret room. They go into the room and find old Maria, not dead at all. The vampires drugged her so that she’s be buried alive and suffocate, but she left the note for the servants to save her. She explains the vampires’ whole plan. Emilio says she’s either insane or what she says is true…
Enrique notices that Lavud is just Duval spelled backward. Duval must be related to that old, dead count in the tomb! They hear Marta screaming in her room and find Duval has taken her.
As Enrique searches the crypts for Marta, Eloise bites Uncle Emilio. Old Maria grabs her from behind, and they fight. Maria strangles Eloise and continues the search.
Emilio and Duval fight with swords until the rooster crows. The room catches on fire, so Enrique has to save Marta rather than chase Duval, who heads straight to his coffin.
Maria follows Duvall to the coffin and stakes him through the heart. Upstairs, Marta immediately wakes up, and Enrique carries her outside. Eloise, laying on the ground nearby, turns into dust.
At the train station, Enrique says goodbye to Marta. No, he decides to stay at the last minute. Happy ending!
Brian’s Commentary
The bat transformations are very low-tech, but they’re also very well done. It’s quite good; it’s got an involved plot that all makes sense, the characters are distinct and interesting, and the acting is decent. The repetitive music is annoying but bearable.
Don’t park your coffin where the sun shines. You’re supposed to hide it in a dark place. How did Maria just strangle Eloise? She even told us the rules for killing vampires.
Considering it’s a Mexican-made horror movie made in the 50s, it’s surprisingly good!
Kevin’s Commentary
Spelling Duval backward as Lavud is every bit as sneaky as pretending to be Count Alucard. This was thoroughly enjoyable for an oldie. I thought the story was well put together, the cast is decent, and the effects get the job done.
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