The Vampire (1957)

When a small town doctor accidentally takes pills developed by an animal researcher, he develops an affinity for the blood of the townsfolk. That’s the premise of 1957’s The Vampire, a low-budget horror flick directed by Paul Landres.

What sets The Vampire apart from most other low-budget quickie horror films of it’s ilk is an emotional performance from John Beal as Dr. Paul Beecher. As he discovers the effects of the pills his daughter gave him by mistake, he’s genuinely horrified and guilt-ridden. What could have been a by-the-numbers monster show becomes a story of a man’s struggle as he comes to terms with the fact that he’s murdering his friends and neighbors.

The story, of course, remains far-fetched and many of the tropes of 1950s horror films abound. Yet, the script, written by Pat Fielder, includes unusual touches that give The Vampire an odd charm. My favorite is Dr. Henry Winston (James Griffith,) a gruff, socially-inept researcher who always wears sunglasses due to light sensitivity. Based on how he’s presented, one might think he’s a villain or an adversary. Nope. He’s just strange. The dialogue is littered with humorous throwaway lines as well.

Bolstered by an excellent supporting cast including Kenneth Tobey (The Thing from Another World), Coleen Gray (Nightmare Alley), and Dabbs Greer (TV’s Little House on the Prairie), the acting belies the fact that the movie was shot in six days.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the score by the prolific Gerald Fried (Curse of the Faceless Man). Some of the musical passages briefly recall John Williams’ memorable Jaws motif. Of course, Fried’s was written two decades earlier. I couldn’t help but wonder if the music influenced Mr. Williams award-winning motif.

While it’s not terribly scary, The Vampire provides an excellent example of one of the many hidden gems of 1950s horror.