“I got plenty of reasons, Willy. Three deaths in three days.”
With the rise of the Atomic Age in the 1940’s, classic monsters such as vampires, werewolves, and Frankenstein’s monster gave way to giant monster films such as Godzilla, Them, The Blob, and Robot Monster in the 1950’s. The 50’s also gave us sci-fi horror films about experiments gone wrong, man meddling with nature, and more. Hoping to breathe new life into the fading traditional monsters, United Artists gave us 1957’s The Vampire. The film puts a sci-fi spin on the classic vampire tale and the results are actually quite nice.
The film tells the story of Paul Beecher, a kindly town doctor who serves his community and is trusted by everyone. When a local scientist, Dr. Campbell, falls ill, Dr. Beecher visits him at his lab to help him. Beecher is too late and Campbell passes away. Before dying, Campbell tells Beecher about an experimental drug that he has developed through his research. When Beecher gets a migraine later that day, his daughter, Betsy, erroneously gives him one of the experimental pills. It triggers animal-like desires in Beecher and he begins to hunt down victims in the night.
Beecher blacks out every evening and cannot remember committing the murders but as the body count rises, he becomes desperate to stop himself. Does he succeed in fighting off his need for the highly addictive drugs? Are his cravings for blood sated? You’ll have to watch The Vampire to find out!
The film blends Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde‘s morality tale with the neck-biting modus operandi of Dracula. The make-up effects are pretty good, especially for a 1950’s flick. The film’s cast includes John Beal as Dr. Beecher, Coleen Gray as Nurse Butler, Lydia Reed as Dr. Beecher’s daughter, Betsy, and James Griffith as the enigmatic Henry Winston.
Sharp-eyed fans will recognize Dabbs Greer as Dr. Will Beaumont, a colleague of Dr. Beecher who attempts to save Beecher’s life. Greer is perhaps best known for his role as Reverend Alden in Little House On The Prairie or from his many guest appearances in series such as The Rifleman, The Brady Bunch, and even Lizzie McGuire, which was his last screen performance. Also of note is the performance of Kenneth Tobey (above, right) who plays Sheriff Buckley in the film. Tobey was a prominent actor in 50’s horror and sci-fi films such as The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms and The Thing From Another World.
The film stands out for its attempt to blend science with traditional horror. While it wasn’t the first film to do this, it is definitely one of the better ones. I honestly didn’t expect much out of this film but it was a nice surprise that I happened to catch on Tubi. I definitely recommend it to anybody that enjoys classic sci-fi horror from the 1950’s.
Thanks for checking out my post. The Vampire really was a nice surprise that up until this weekend I didn’t even know existed. Give it a shot if you can and keep an eye out for more reviews coming soon!
Ken's Alternate Universe! 