Curse of the Undead (1959)

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

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.

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)

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!