The Bloody Vampire (1963)

To me, this movie is perfection.

As Good As It Gets

It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

According to Mexican lore, a vampire can survive the usual wooden stake. Who knew? You must use Clammic acid, which can only be distilled from the black Mandragora flower. This flower grows only on spots over which a man was hanged. Killing vampires is tough work!A watchable Gothic horror film with some really spooky music. Perfect accompaniment to the aspirations of Count Siegfried von Frankenhausen (Carlos Agostí)., who plan to turn the whole world into vampires with himself as the head vamp in charge.Where he plans to get blood after that is anyone's guess.The Count's wife Eugenia (Erna Martha Bauman, a former Miss Mexico) is not a vampire. An interesting proposition, with some funny scenes between them.The o0verly melodramatic acting and the presence of Frau Hildegarde (Bertha Moss) make this a must see. You won't be disappointed.The best part is that they will be back in La invasión de los vampiros.

Of interest to absolutely no one this is my 100th posted review and I thought I would choose a movie that is one of my wife's favourites. We both love Mexican movies but Count Frankenhausen is her absolute favourite villain. This movie, directed by Miguel Morayta, opens promisingly enough. A black coach rumbles silently through the night, its driver is a skeleton; its passenger is Count Seigfried von Frankenhausen and he musty reach his home, the forebodingly named Haunted Hacienda, before daylight. Bellowing "Whip the horses, for Satan's sake!" they proceed through the night. This movie creates its own lore about vampires and it all works very well. A Dr. Ulysses Albaran, student of Count Cagliostro, learns that a vampire can survive having a stake driven through its heart. the only way to really kill them is by injecting Clammic Acid into their veins. What is Clammic Acid, you ask? It can be distilled only from the black Mandragora flower that grows only on spots over which a man was hanged. Sounds like killing vampires is a tougher job then we thought! Count Frankenhausen is nothing if not an over-achiever. He wants to turn everyone in the world into vampires with himself as their supreme leader! But if everyone in the world is a vampire where will they get the blood they need to survive? I don't think the Count has thought this plan through very well. He might not get to try it out anyway, Dr. Albaran and the daughter of Count Cagliostro have determined to get into the Haunted Hacienda and put an end to the Count. They have a surprise ally in the Count's still human wife who hates her blood drinking husband and keeps a wooden stake by her bed at all times. Out of this surprisingly eclectic assortment of characters watch especially for Bertha Moss as Frau Hildegard. This is a cold hearted a witch as ever graced a terror film. She protects the Count jealously against everyone. She stomps about the castle barking orders and dolling out hideous punishments to servants who transgress, like cutting the tongue out of the footman because he talked too much, and letting the Count appease his thirst on badness knows how many chambermaids. So can this vampire be stopped? Not in this movie! A sequel, INVASION OF THE VAMPIRES, came soon after. The effects are cheap but good editing makes them look more effective than they should. The impressive castle set was also used in THE BRAINIAC. The studio, Churubusco-Azteca, guards the copyrights to its movies very well so expect to search hard for this one on VHS or DVD. This film and its sequel though are well worth the hunt. They are entertaining and scary too.

i love b horror movies. i was really excited to win this on ebay for $2.00. then i put it in the dvd player and fell asleepwithin 10 mins. so the next day i try again, though i didnt fall asleep this time, i wish i had. this isnt just a b-movie, as i stated before i love those. this is pure crap, no fun to watch at all, i would rather watch paint dry, if you are looking for a good b-movie do yourself a favor and look elsewhere

For my 100th commentary I picked this little film.Another south of the border flick snapped up for a few pesos by K Gordon Murray.According to some film books this film was hacked down from its original running time but not the dvd I watched.It could have used 15 minutes trimmed.I'll get to that in a moment.This film starts out great.A coach driven by a skeleton races noiselessly through the woods. Rather spooky.In it is the dreaded vampire Count Frankenhausen.When the Count gets to his home we're treated to more fog and spookiness.Then the yakking begins.One of the Count's idiot neighbors is his sworn enemy Count Cagliostro.They've lived nearby for some time and didn't even know it!Anyway Count Cagliostro babbles endlessly about a new method to kill vampires.It isn't even used in this film but is in the sequel, Invasion Of The Vampires.Then the Count Cagliostro goes to the capitol probably to filibuster and we don't thankfully see him until the end of the film.His daughter and doctor fiance discover that the evil Count lives nearby.So Anna goes undercover as a servant to the Countess there.For some reason the Count hasn't fanged his wife but fangs servant girls brought to him by the sadistic Frau Hildegard.Well Anna turns on Frankenhausen and off we go.But in the middle of the film the vampire and the doctor have a seemingly endless conversation about COFFEE!!ARRGGH!Cut this right out of the movie please!There is some real brutality here with the whipping of servants and one has his tongue cut out of his mouth.The last twenty minutes pick up the pace and we're treated to a nice chase and some spooky shots of the vampire.When the vampire changes into a bat however he looks like a vampiric Bugs Bunny.Rabbit ears are on that bad boy!In the end there is a climactic showdown in the cave of the vampires.All in all some of the spooky scenes save this movie.The soundtrack switches from choral music to jarring electronic weirdness which is creepy.Stay tuned for info on the sequel, Invasion Of The Vampires.