The Vampire (1957) is an old fashioned tragedy: a man is cursed through no fault of his own, and, despite his best efforts, will meet his doom at the hands of the gods Er, a pill – well, that lacks punch, doesn’t it? But I might as well say it: Much like Oedipus, his fate is seemingly inescapable.
In this case a doctor in a small town is accidentally dosed with the experimental pills developed by a researcher to regress animals to more primitive states. As the evening comes along, he (inexplicably) changes into a monster that attacks whoever is nearby, indulging in an exceptionally neat neck nibble which results in their death. He awakens at home, restored physically and amnesiac, but soon tormented with visions of his fatal actions.
His victims, meanwhile, after dying decompose at an accelerated rate due to the virus the doctor carries in his saliva. It certainly takes care of any untidy extra vampires, but why this is necessary is not clear.
Finally, horrified at his nightly excursions, he decides to be honorable and commit suicide, but is delayed in this effort by a valiant nurse who he then terrorizes as he makes one more trip into the land of terrors. Eventually the police intervene and he’s put down. Uh, killed.
There is little to think about in this movie. Don’t take the pills your daughter brings you, perhaps? The characters are living their everyday lives or fighting for them; little growth is achieved. And as medical pills are substituted for the remarks of an oracle, it’s difficult to place it in a greater context. Oedipus Rex, which my Arts Editor and I saw on the stage at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival last year, is a play of horror, which in my view was written to enforce respect for the gods. This movie is more about the random horror that can occur in the most placid small American town – and it’s just not all that convincing. He can struggle all he likes – but the scriptwriter is implacable in his plans.
This is not to condemn everything. Cinematography, audio, and makeup are all good, and the acting is at least competent (although the psychiatry professor is miscast – he comes across as almost a good old boy, rather than an academic). But the story is at fault, as it throws away a couple of interesting characters without exploring them, and fails to develop the other characters to any great degree.
Perhaps others will like it more, but I cannot recommend it.
