“You swooned, Master!”
Condemned To Live is a 1935 thriller that puts a new twist on the vampire myth. The supernatural elements of vampirism are stripped away and it is treated instead as if it were an illness passed through generations after someone is bitten by a vampire bat. One side effect of the illness is that those who suffer from it lack any memories of what they do while under the influence of vampirism. A small village is being terrorized by something or someone who may be suffering from this form of vampirism, but who is the culprit?
The film stars Ralph Morgan as Professor Kristan, a kind doctor who is well-loved in the small village in which he lives. His greatest ally is Zan (Mischa Auer), who protects his master at all costs and is accused of being the vampire terrorizing the village. Maxine Doyle stars as Marguerite, Professor Kristan’s fiance and the lifelong friend of David (Russell Gleason), who believes that the vampire that is attacking the villagers is nothing more than a normal human being. Pedro de Cordoba appears in the film as Dr. Bizet, who knows the real story behind the vampire murders and tries to save the one causing the murders.
The film is pretty good. The mysterious identity of the killer is quite obvious, and the plot is somewhat predictable. That said, this isn’t a bad film. It is definitely a lesser film when compared to other vampire films of the 1930s, but it is worth a look. It’s available on a number of free streaming services and on home video.
Ken's Alternate Universe! 