Whilst no one could lay claim to this film being a classic, it is unusual and entertaining enough to warrant viewing, and deserves credit for being different to the norm. Obviously shot on a very limited budget, it is nevertheless smartly scripted, and has a dark and brooding atmosphere which is helped enormously by the black and white photography. Whilst some of the acting is not exactly top-drawer, the film benefits greatly from an excellent performance by Michael Pate, whose menacing presence as the vampire, Drake Robey, still manages to elicit a certain degree of sympathy with the character's plight. It would also be unfair to overlook Eric Fleming's earnest portrayal of the brave preacher. He brings the correct degree of upright integrity to the character, and the film is certainly better for having these two actors in tow. This rarely seen film is worth catching, and is very much novel of its kind.
48 Reviews
Better vampire lore than many movies
mrapol-815-79911622 October 2013
Warning: Spoilers
People have mentioned what they see as mistakes or oddities in the vampire lore of this film. In fact, the whole concept of sunlight destroying vampires was created in Hollywood and is not mirrored (no pun intended) by traditional vampire lore. I believe the idea of sunlight- kills-vampire dates from Murnau's 1922 "Nosferatu," further amplified by such films as the 1943 "The Return of the Vampire." Production codes did not allow the gory spectacle of a stake being pounded into someone's heart, or beheading, so the "clean" method of death by sunlight was invented. There's a certain magical logic to the notion, but it's not a traditional method. Remember, in Stoker's novel Count Dracula goes about London by daylight with no ill effects.
Eric Fleming's cross pin (which destroys the vampire when delivered by a .45 slug) is not from the "true cross," but as he says in the film, from a thorn tree growing in the Holy Land. In any case, it's a consecrated object.
In many cultures, suicides were in danger of coming back as vampires or revenants. That's why many suicides were buried at crossroads; upon emerging from the ground the lost soul would dither about what direction to go and not get around to doing damage to the living.
Eric Fleming's cross pin (which destroys the vampire when delivered by a .45 slug) is not from the "true cross," but as he says in the film, from a thorn tree growing in the Holy Land. In any case, it's a consecrated object.
In many cultures, suicides were in danger of coming back as vampires or revenants. That's why many suicides were buried at crossroads; upon emerging from the ground the lost soul would dither about what direction to go and not get around to doing damage to the living.
Completely ridiculous but still enjoyable.
planktonrules1 January 2016
This western is one of the strangest in movie history and its weirdness is only surpassed by the infamous "Terror of Tiny Town"-- the first (and only) all-midget western! After all, this is a western about...VAMPIRES!!!
When the film begins, there is the usual sort of plot--a local baddie is trying to take control of surrounding ranches. However, what you come to realize is that that potential range war is actually being orchestrated by a third party. Drake Robey is in actuality a vampire and is using his vampirey skills to create chaos. However, along the way he finds himself falling for a local hottie. The only thing standing between her is the local preacher...the only one who has learned Robey's dark secret.
This is just one strange mash-up--vampires AND cowboys! Strange...but also reasonably interesting and worth seeing despite a few actors who aren't exactly talented. See this one...just to see one of the most unique films to come out of Hollywood.
When the film begins, there is the usual sort of plot--a local baddie is trying to take control of surrounding ranches. However, what you come to realize is that that potential range war is actually being orchestrated by a third party. Drake Robey is in actuality a vampire and is using his vampirey skills to create chaos. However, along the way he finds himself falling for a local hottie. The only thing standing between her is the local preacher...the only one who has learned Robey's dark secret.
This is just one strange mash-up--vampires AND cowboys! Strange...but also reasonably interesting and worth seeing despite a few actors who aren't exactly talented. See this one...just to see one of the most unique films to come out of Hollywood.
Vampire rides the range.....
babeth_jr28 April 2008
The combining of westerns with horror has not always made for great films. I mean, who can forget "Billy the Kid vs. Dracula" and "Jesse James meets Frankenstein's Daughter". The exception is "Curse of the Undead". This 1959 picture stars Eric Fleming as a frontier preacher who is confronted with a vampire in the form of a hired gun, portrayed with sinister, yet sympathetic overtones by Michael Pate.
The plot has some holes in it. For example, Michael Pate's character commits suicide after murdering his brother, which in turn condemns him for all eternity as a vampire...I mean, I have never heard of this premise for a person becoming one of the "undead". Also, the vampire of this movie can walk around in the daylight with seemingly no ill effects, and everyone knows that vampires absolutely cannot be exposed to sunlight, or they will be destroyed.
Despite these minor flaws, the movie actually has a good story and some good acting by Fleming as the preacher, Pate as the vampire/gunslinger, and Kathleen Crowley as the love interest caught between the two. I highly recommend this movie.
The plot has some holes in it. For example, Michael Pate's character commits suicide after murdering his brother, which in turn condemns him for all eternity as a vampire...I mean, I have never heard of this premise for a person becoming one of the "undead". Also, the vampire of this movie can walk around in the daylight with seemingly no ill effects, and everyone knows that vampires absolutely cannot be exposed to sunlight, or they will be destroyed.
Despite these minor flaws, the movie actually has a good story and some good acting by Fleming as the preacher, Pate as the vampire/gunslinger, and Kathleen Crowley as the love interest caught between the two. I highly recommend this movie.
Surprisingly Interesting
Rainey-Dawn10 January 2016
This one came as a surprise to me - it's actually fairly interesting to watch. It's a neat idea: a vampire in the old west. Why not - vampires can pop up any place in any century. This one made for a fun afternoon film to watch.
We have a gun-slinging vampire taking over a small town. It is up to the preacher and Dolores Carter to save the town from people dying mysteriously of blood-loss and to deal with the stranger in town.
This is not the finest vampire film on the market but it is a fun one - something different than normal. I enjoyed this one.
6/10
We have a gun-slinging vampire taking over a small town. It is up to the preacher and Dolores Carter to save the town from people dying mysteriously of blood-loss and to deal with the stranger in town.
This is not the finest vampire film on the market but it is a fun one - something different than normal. I enjoyed this one.
6/10
"The Dead Don't Bother Me, It's The Living That Give Me Trouble!"...
azathothpwiggins12 October 2020
CURSE OF THE UNDEAD is a vampire western, complete with victims drained of blood and plenty of atmospheric woo-woo music. It's sort of like watching a typical TV western from the period, with the vampire elements added for fun. Does it work? Well, yes.
It's obvious who the bloodsucker is early on, since he sits on his horse mysteriously, and said horse moves in slow-motion. He's a gunslinger named Drake Robey (Michael Pate), who just happens to sleep in a coffin. When local woman Dolores Carter (Kathleen Crowley) offers a reward for the death of whomever murdered her father, Robey shows up, in spite of the fact that dad had a few familiar holes in his neck. Once in town, Robey runs afoul of the local preacher (Eric Fleming), setting up a true good vs. eeevil showdown.
This movie has a nice backstory, explaining Robey's accursed origin. Though there have been other such "crossover" films, this is certainly one of the best...
It's obvious who the bloodsucker is early on, since he sits on his horse mysteriously, and said horse moves in slow-motion. He's a gunslinger named Drake Robey (Michael Pate), who just happens to sleep in a coffin. When local woman Dolores Carter (Kathleen Crowley) offers a reward for the death of whomever murdered her father, Robey shows up, in spite of the fact that dad had a few familiar holes in his neck. Once in town, Robey runs afoul of the local preacher (Eric Fleming), setting up a true good vs. eeevil showdown.
This movie has a nice backstory, explaining Robey's accursed origin. Though there have been other such "crossover" films, this is certainly one of the best...
A logical role for a vampire in the old west.
features128 February 2004
I was just a kid when I saw this so, my memory could be shading my judgment. However, after viewing some of the "Highlander" TV series, this western is along the lines of a tale told in flashback about an immortal who lived through the time of the old west. In the case of this film, the immortal happens to be a vampire. What a great gig for a vampire--be THE best gunslinger in the west. Even if you are a slow draw, you can never lose.
I also was impressed with the use of a preacher as the protagonist. I remember a very positive portrayal. I haven't too much a memory about the acting, though. A good gage would be to conjure up memories of the lead actor when he played Gil Favor the trail boss on TV's "Rawhide."
I also was impressed with the use of a preacher as the protagonist. I remember a very positive portrayal. I haven't too much a memory about the acting, though. A good gage would be to conjure up memories of the lead actor when he played Gil Favor the trail boss on TV's "Rawhide."
Preacher Dan Takes Out A Vampire
bkoganbing24 May 2007
Warning: Spoilers
This is one of those classic cult films that get a devoted following from repeated viewings. I remember seeing it on television for the first time, hosted by that vampire fiend, Zacherley.
Michael Pate is a mysterious gunfighter who seems invincible and there's a good reason for it, he's a vampire. Though he dresses in western garb, he's still an old world type vampire.
Right after this film Eric Fleming got slated to play the lead in the long running western series Rawhide with that well known co-star of his, Clint Eastwood. He's the town preacher and he figures out what the town is plagued with.
I think that when Fleming strapped on the six gun and faced Michael Pate in a gunfight, armed with revolver loaded with silver bullets, it was one of the great camp moments in film history. The bullets of course were on loan from the Lone Ranger.
For that reason, this film gets as high a rating as six stars and should not be missed whenever it's broadcast.
Michael Pate is a mysterious gunfighter who seems invincible and there's a good reason for it, he's a vampire. Though he dresses in western garb, he's still an old world type vampire.
Right after this film Eric Fleming got slated to play the lead in the long running western series Rawhide with that well known co-star of his, Clint Eastwood. He's the town preacher and he figures out what the town is plagued with.
I think that when Fleming strapped on the six gun and faced Michael Pate in a gunfight, armed with revolver loaded with silver bullets, it was one of the great camp moments in film history. The bullets of course were on loan from the Lone Ranger.
For that reason, this film gets as high a rating as six stars and should not be missed whenever it's broadcast.
an excellent blend of two genres
monsterlover58-112 June 2005
Warning: Spoilers
As I sit here, I'm watching this film, Which I recorded off of AMC a few years back. I remember how big western TV series were back in the late 50's "although I was'nt born until 1958" so I saw most in re-runs. This film I feel played well off the popularity of that TV genre. Eric "Gil Favor" Fleming plays well as the Preacher Who goes after the bloodthirsty Vampire, portrayed By Michael Pate...The story seems a lot like any other western, with the exception of the head gunslinger also being the "Undead". As usual Universal Produced a nice little Horror? flick, With a solid cast for "B" fare. I would recommend this for all "Hardcore" horror fans of the 50's genre. As a side note I also remember a couple of episodes Of Rawhide that dealt with Ghost's & the supernatural... makes me wonder if the producers of those episodes had'nt recently viewed "Curse Of The Undead"
Cowboys and vampires do not mix.
rlymzv16 May 2021
Classy little chiller
angelynx19 January 1999
I've always liked this movie: it takes a theme that could easily have been preposterous (a vampire Western?) and handles it with restraint, dignity, a nice feel for its two respective folklores, and deep, handsome B&W photography. It's an easy step from natural to supernatural for that classic Western icon, the mysterious, black-clad gunslinger who rides into town by night, and the rest of the movie is just as comfortable a blend. The laconic vampire, Drake Robey ("The dead don't bother me, ma'am, it's the living that give me trouble") is a noble monster who first preys on, then falls for the feisty rancher heroine, and there's a neat iconic scene involving a bullet mounted with Preacher Dan's precious fragment of the True Cross. Really a classy little movie and most unfairly overlooked - I can't believe this is the first comment on it!
Fun, enjoyable but problematic vampire/western
kannibalcorpsegrinder22 October 2013
Trying to resolve matters in a land-border dispute, a family's hiring of a strange gunslinger eventually causes them to realize he's the culprit behind a series of ghastly murders around town by draining women of blood and race to stop him before he completes his task.
This is an overall curious and quite enjoyable effort. Basically this here turns out to be a cunning combination of Western and vampire horror, but for once the mixture is not a detriment to the other as they usually result in forsaking one part of the story for the other if the two chosen topics really have little in common with each other. Here, we get a typical Western about a ranch family involved in a border dispute with their neighbors who resorts to underhanded tactics to keep his side of the property without repercussions, involved in numerous shady deals with the authorities to keep himself in line and offers up plenty of shoot-outs, beatings and scenes of everyone wandering around on horse- back to fulfill that part of the storyline, and basically turns the script around by having the loner coming in to deal with the situation being a vampire. By still incorporating those tactics, where he resides in coffins, can't stay out in the sunlight for long periods of time and resorts to blood-drinking to carry out his orders all fall in line with known vampire lore, as well as the defense tactics used to stop his rampage that carries out on the outskirts of the story before being brought in by the land dispute where everything finally makes sense. The only real problems here is the last half, where the vampire far more often than necessary taunts the hero with long-winded speeches about humanity and faith of God, which really hurts his effectiveness as a villain since it all comes off so lame and stupid. Overall, though, it more than makes up for that one little flaw.
Today's Rating/PG: Violence.
This is an overall curious and quite enjoyable effort. Basically this here turns out to be a cunning combination of Western and vampire horror, but for once the mixture is not a detriment to the other as they usually result in forsaking one part of the story for the other if the two chosen topics really have little in common with each other. Here, we get a typical Western about a ranch family involved in a border dispute with their neighbors who resorts to underhanded tactics to keep his side of the property without repercussions, involved in numerous shady deals with the authorities to keep himself in line and offers up plenty of shoot-outs, beatings and scenes of everyone wandering around on horse- back to fulfill that part of the storyline, and basically turns the script around by having the loner coming in to deal with the situation being a vampire. By still incorporating those tactics, where he resides in coffins, can't stay out in the sunlight for long periods of time and resorts to blood-drinking to carry out his orders all fall in line with known vampire lore, as well as the defense tactics used to stop his rampage that carries out on the outskirts of the story before being brought in by the land dispute where everything finally makes sense. The only real problems here is the last half, where the vampire far more often than necessary taunts the hero with long-winded speeches about humanity and faith of God, which really hurts his effectiveness as a villain since it all comes off so lame and stupid. Overall, though, it more than makes up for that one little flaw.
Today's Rating/PG: Violence.
Great performances can't save horrible directing and writing
drystyx21 October 2013
This is even worse than one might think. It's a silly premise, the mixing of Western and vampire, and it could have worked with a better idea.
However, Edward Dein, director of this movie, also writer, is heavy handed with a Nazi idealism, the Hitler ideal of the blond woman surviving in Nature, while all the dark haired damsels are destroyed. He shows this heavy handed hatred in THE LEECH WOMAN, where he contrives the story to purposely kill the innocent brunette for no apparent reason, except to satisfy his Hitler worship. It's impossible to ignore, because he hits us with a hammer over the head with it.
It's sad, too, because many of the most charismatic actors signed on in this movie, and probably had no idea they were engaged in this sort of propaganda. Rawhide's Eric Fleming, Frank Nitti actor Bruce Gordon, and the evil henchman of THE BLACK CASTLE, Michael Pate obviously saw this as a stepping stone to greater things, with big roles, and their acting was superb, as were all the actors, but the script was just so heavy handed with this contrived Nazi ideology, that there just wasn't anything else communicated.
Annoying and dull scripts and directing cannot be saved by great acting.
However, Edward Dein, director of this movie, also writer, is heavy handed with a Nazi idealism, the Hitler ideal of the blond woman surviving in Nature, while all the dark haired damsels are destroyed. He shows this heavy handed hatred in THE LEECH WOMAN, where he contrives the story to purposely kill the innocent brunette for no apparent reason, except to satisfy his Hitler worship. It's impossible to ignore, because he hits us with a hammer over the head with it.
It's sad, too, because many of the most charismatic actors signed on in this movie, and probably had no idea they were engaged in this sort of propaganda. Rawhide's Eric Fleming, Frank Nitti actor Bruce Gordon, and the evil henchman of THE BLACK CASTLE, Michael Pate obviously saw this as a stepping stone to greater things, with big roles, and their acting was superb, as were all the actors, but the script was just so heavy handed with this contrived Nazi ideology, that there just wasn't anything else communicated.
Annoying and dull scripts and directing cannot be saved by great acting.
An unlikely classic
lor_16 February 2024
One of my sci-fi/horror/fantasy reviews written 50 years ago: Directed by Edward Dein; Produced by Joseph Gershenson for Universal-International Pictures release. Screenplay by Edward and Mildred Dein; Photography by Ellis Carter; Edited by George Gittens; Music by Irving Gertz. Starring: Eric Fleming, Michael Pate, Kathleen Crowley, Edward Binns, John Hoyt, Bruce Gordon and Jimmy Murphy.
The first combo Western-horror film, in which a vampire, dressed in black, terrorizes the West in the guise of a gunfighter and is faced-down by an iron-willed man of the cloth. Transference of the vampire legend is well-done and Pate is exceptionally good as the fast-draw Drac.
The first combo Western-horror film, in which a vampire, dressed in black, terrorizes the West in the guise of a gunfighter and is faced-down by an iron-willed man of the cloth. Transference of the vampire legend is well-done and Pate is exceptionally good as the fast-draw Drac.
CURSE OF THE UNDEAD (Edward Dein, 1959) **1/2
Bunuel197623 January 2010
Warning: Spoilers
This was another long-awaited acquaintance (acquired literally a couple of days ago) after having pored over a giant still from it in one of my father's books since childhood. Luckily for me, the film turned out to be worth waiting for - unlike BLOOD OF Dracula (1957) - and a good deal more successful in its anachronistic combination of the Western and Horror genres than THE BEAST OF HOLLOW MOUNTAIN (1956) had been, not to mention the similar 'Vampire-Out-West' concept later seen in BILLY THE KID VS. Dracula (1966). Shot in atmospheric black-and-white by long-standing genre exponents Universal, it also features an effectively eerie (if a little too obvious) theremin-led score. The director is best-known for his oddball noir SHACK OUT ON 101 (1955; which is still lying in my unwatched pile) and would go on to helm THE LEECH WOMAN the following year (and which I will be watching presently). The cast here is quite decent: Australian actor Michael Pate is suitably menacing as the undead Mexican aristocrat posing as a gunslinger(!); John Hoyt as the town doctor is killed off rather too early; and a similar fate awaits no-nonsense Sheriff Edward Binns. The film's romantic leads are, for once, not a liability either: preacher Eric Fleming and Hoyt's vengeful daughter Kathleen Crowley. We have the usual Western scenario - a feud between two families, bar-room shoot-outs and open-air duels - and the expected horror elements - graveyard disturbances, night-time attacks (Pate is seen indiscriminately going for both male and female victims!) and love-starved vampires. The one major blunder that the film commits (and which, regrettably, made me lop off half-a-star from my rating) was the fact that Pate (after having been repeatedly seen sleeping in his coffin and complaining about how the sun affects his eyesight), he still accepts the preacher's invitation for a high-noon duel - where he is felled by a cross-marked bullet supposedly made out of Christ's very own crown of thorns!! Unfortunately, the copy I watched plagued with excessive combing but seeing how the film is inexplicably M. I. A. On DVD, it will have to do for some time to come.
Vampires in the old West
chris_gaskin1239 January 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Curse of the Undead is another of those movies that I had been after for a long time and have just obtained a copy. I found this quite good.
A series of strange deaths in a small town in the West turn out to be the responsibility of a gunslinger. This gunslinger turns out to be a vampire as all his victims, including the Sheriff have bite marks on their necks. The town's preacher manages to bump him off at the end.
This movie has an eerie music score which moves it along nicely.
The cast includes Eric Fleming (Conquest of Space, Queen of Outer Space), Michael Pate (The Black Castle), Kathleen Crowley (Target Earth) and sci-fi/horror regular John Hoyt (The Lost Continent, Attack of the Puppet People).
Curse of the Undead is worth checking out. Excellent.
Rating: 3 stars out of 3.
A series of strange deaths in a small town in the West turn out to be the responsibility of a gunslinger. This gunslinger turns out to be a vampire as all his victims, including the Sheriff have bite marks on their necks. The town's preacher manages to bump him off at the end.
This movie has an eerie music score which moves it along nicely.
The cast includes Eric Fleming (Conquest of Space, Queen of Outer Space), Michael Pate (The Black Castle), Kathleen Crowley (Target Earth) and sci-fi/horror regular John Hoyt (The Lost Continent, Attack of the Puppet People).
Curse of the Undead is worth checking out. Excellent.
Rating: 3 stars out of 3.
Slightly unusual characters enhance an otherwise too familiar plot flow.
kensai-530 December 2020
To be frank...I watched about 15 minutes of the movie and decided I was done with it, because nothing exciting, entertaining or at least interesting happened. It just seemed like a rather lackluster attempt at a vampire movie, that was counting on winning viewers by placing it in the late 19th century of the USA. The initial roster of characters primarily consists of low-brow townsfolk, some of which quickly display an inability to cope with conflict in any other way other than violence.
Accordingly, I thought I knew where the story was headed. Luckily, I skipped forward by a few minutes, instead of just hitting the stop button. The movie has quite a few subtle surprises, by featuring dialog and depth of character that are rather unusual in this budget range and genre. Especially Michael Pate, an actor known for playing villains with astounding charisma, is making the plot a lot more intriguing than I expected. I was also pulled in by Edward Binns' portrayal of the sheriff, who doesn't look like the part, but convinces in dialog and action.
Two things that disappoint despite the pros. Missing almost entirely from the events is any horror. The movie mostly plays out like any western. It just adds a touch of the supernatural without sufficient depth to it. Additionally, the story never steers from the clichéd path, to explore a slightly different narrative than "good vs evil". It doesn't have all of the same character tropes as other movies of the time, thus a different outcome might have helped it gain more attention.
Two things that disappoint despite the pros. Missing almost entirely from the events is any horror. The movie mostly plays out like any western. It just adds a touch of the supernatural without sufficient depth to it. Additionally, the story never steers from the clichéd path, to explore a slightly different narrative than "good vs evil". It doesn't have all of the same character tropes as other movies of the time, thus a different outcome might have helped it gain more attention.
Pate is a very sensual Vampire
QueenoftheGoons15 July 2021
Pate would have made a good Dracula. He has all the sexualness about him. The Preacher Man annoyed me beyond tolerance and the chick i could have done without too. I didn't finish the movie. I saw Dekker (Bruce Gordon) die and i knew Pate would die and the chick would go with Preacher Man instead of how it should be. She go with him. But yes Pate pulled off the vampire move, shame he didn't do more.
Good idea badly handled
preppy-321 March 2002
I caught this boring film on late night TV many many years ago. The plot sounded interesting so I tuned in. Boy, was that a mistake! I hate Westerns but I love horror movies--I though this would concentrate on both genres. WRONG! It's a low-budget Western all the way with a few mild vampire touches thrown in. The only mildly horrific scene was when the vampire was shown in his coffin...but that's it. No blood, no fangs and a vampire that can walk around in daylight! Also very VERY dull. The acting was actually very good--that's what kept me watching.
So, if you like odd Westerns this is for you. If you're a horror movie fan, stay away. (Unless you like boring horror films)
So, if you like odd Westerns this is for you. If you're a horror movie fan, stay away. (Unless you like boring horror films)
A vampire cowboy film
vtcavuoto9 September 2005
Warning: Spoilers
I have to say that this film did a good job merging two popular movie genres: Western and Horror. A stranger named Drake Robey arrives and the murders start. Innocent victims are drained of blood. Thinking her father was murdered by a cattle rustler, a women enlists Robey to kill him. He does toward the end of the film. Later in the movie, it is revealed that Drake Robey is really Don Drago Robles. He killed his brother and then committed suicide. It was this act that turned him into a Vampire. He is destroyed in a rather unique way. Excellent acting by everyone. The only thing wrong with this film is that there isn't enough action. Otherwise, this would be better.
Middling mix of western and horror
Leofwine_draca29 December 2020
Warning: Spoilers
CURSE OF THE UNDEAD is a Universal vampire flick with a difference - a Wild West backdrop! In fact, the western elements of the story, involving rich landowners, gun fights, rivalry and an ineffectual sheriff turn out to be more layered and involving than the very basic vampire material, which seems to go down the romantic route, perhaps inspired by Christopher Lee's dark, suave anti-hero of the previous year. The actors give it their all but the film itself is only so-so, with lots of mildly tedious scenes in the middle part that don't add much in the way of excitement, intrigue or suspense. It picks up for a decent climax, but the end result is average at best.
Interesting Vampire Mythology
domino100314 June 2005
Warning: Spoilers
"Curse Of The Undead" was released in a very interesting period in horror history. Hammer was on the verge of creating new horror and Universal was trying to stay in the game. Since westerns were popular at this time, the powers-that-be decided to give the western a twist: make the bad guy a REAL bad guy. Meet Drake Robey (Michael Pate), a gunslinger in black. Since his arrival, there has been some mysterious deaths involving young girls. Dr. Carter(John Hoyt)tells the local minister, Dan Young (Eric Fleming) about his suspicions, including the marks on the neck. Soon, the good doctor winds up dead. Thinking that the local bully/Land Baron Buffer (Bruce Gordon)was responsible, the doctor's hot headed son Tim (Jim Murphy)tries to kill Buffer, but ends up dead. Soon, Dolores (Kathleen Crowley)is putting up signs for a gun-for-hire to finish off Buffer. Robey comes into the picture and has more than a friendly interest in Dolores, and Dan begins to suspect Robey's involvement in the deaths in town.
What's interesting about this film, other than one of the first blends of westerns and vampires (It would be years before "Billy The Kid Vs. Dracula.").,is the use of a little known vampire myth. According to myth, a person can become a vampire if they've committed suicide. When Dan finds the diary of Robey's father, he finds out that Robey killed his own brother and himself out of grief, thereby cursing him into an undead existence.
The ending is just as interesting: Robey challenges the preacher to a gunfight. Since vampires are impervious to bullets, you have a feeling who is going to win. In a typical twist, good triumphs over evil.
Great Saturday Afternoon fare. Safe for the kids and nostalgic for adults.
What's interesting about this film, other than one of the first blends of westerns and vampires (It would be years before "Billy The Kid Vs. Dracula.").,is the use of a little known vampire myth. According to myth, a person can become a vampire if they've committed suicide. When Dan finds the diary of Robey's father, he finds out that Robey killed his own brother and himself out of grief, thereby cursing him into an undead existence.
The ending is just as interesting: Robey challenges the preacher to a gunfight. Since vampires are impervious to bullets, you have a feeling who is going to win. In a typical twist, good triumphs over evil.
Great Saturday Afternoon fare. Safe for the kids and nostalgic for adults.
Cool vampire western!
parkerbcn21 July 2021
This is the first vampire western in cinema and surprisingly it's better than I was expecting. Far from a masterpiece, but also far from a joke, and with a very good atmosphere, music and mood. The story is a quite convoluted and we are in Universal Pictures 50's B-Territory, but it will make for a great Halloween midnight session at any moment and even has some very clever ideas spread throughoutout.
Curse Of The Undead Is That Good.
frank_of_druids_keep3 April 2008
Warning: Spoilers
I believe the attraction of this movie is the charisma of Michael Pate which is very strong being directed into drawing sympathy for the supposed bad guy in a very classic and novel formula.One expects (in a western )the bad guy to lose.In a vampire movie one expects a vampire to be the the bad guy(at least in most of the earlier movies).Bring these two presupposed notions together and the formula is already preset for the viewer. But intentionally or not,this movie turns things upside down.The antagonist vampire is noble and intelligent.Michael Pate gives Robey a rough class and graciousness akin to Richard Boone's Paladin(Have Gun Will Travel).He was not really evil in life and made a mistake which the guilt of drove him to suicide.Now he manfully(or is that maturely...or both?)faces up to what he did ,what he is and what he must do to survive. Buffer is despicable but human.that should make him better than the vampire?He is more of a killer(for personal and monetary gain) than Robey(who kills to survive) Preacher Dan who is immature,insecure and inconsequential.Not attributes for a good priest.And he takes his relationship with Dolores for granted as if nothing ever changes once set in motion.Maybe she was with him in the first place because he had a respectable position in the community and she was of one of the richest families in the area.Or maybe because he bathed more regularly than the other men in the town.I like Eric Fleming but Preacher Dan is like a bowl of unflavored oatmeal with a bit too much water mixed in,in flavor,context and character.Which made me doubt his true motives. Dolores,mixed up and pining for a real man,perhaps. Brother Tim,well does Emo mean anything to you dear readers?He should have stayed home with his Nintendo and Hot Topics coupons.As screwed up as he was and desperate to prove himself as a man he would have ended up worse a person than Buffer. And it seems that everybody else in the town are also majorically insecure,not just our main players.And I have learned that one should not trust anyone to any degree when they are that insecure.
Except for Drago Roblais(I hope I spelled that right,I love Michael Pate and Robey is one of my favorite characters in any and all movies I've seen)He was aware of his faults and realized some thing could not be changed ...But dealt with them instead of avoidance,denial or withdrawal(as everybody else in the movie)and so showing a positive strength of character and almost benign resolve. In this movie I was rooting for the supposed bad guy(well,baddest...MOST evil).Was He evil?Before death or even as Undead? And with that impulse it turns the female for most vampire(or monster)movies and most westerns upside down and inside out.Yet the studios make the movies to sell to the audiences and therefore the movies have to be salable,or thought of as such so the studios make what they think the viewers will buy a ticket to see(these days don't forget the vhstapes,Dvds and soundtracks) I think the end of the movie was such because of the female of the genres. Was it the good guy who won?
Except for Drago Roblais(I hope I spelled that right,I love Michael Pate and Robey is one of my favorite characters in any and all movies I've seen)He was aware of his faults and realized some thing could not be changed ...But dealt with them instead of avoidance,denial or withdrawal(as everybody else in the movie)and so showing a positive strength of character and almost benign resolve. In this movie I was rooting for the supposed bad guy(well,baddest...MOST evil).Was He evil?Before death or even as Undead? And with that impulse it turns the female for most vampire(or monster)movies and most westerns upside down and inside out.Yet the studios make the movies to sell to the audiences and therefore the movies have to be salable,or thought of as such so the studios make what they think the viewers will buy a ticket to see(these days don't forget the vhstapes,Dvds and soundtracks) I think the end of the movie was such because of the female of the genres. Was it the good guy who won?
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