The Bloody Vampire is a 1962 Mexican horror film about Count Cagliostro, whose family has tried for generations to rid the world of vampires.
Written and directed by Miguel Morayta (Capulina vs. the Monsters; Doctor Satan; The Invasion of the Vampires), the movie stars Begoña Palacios, Erna Martha Bauman, Raúl Farell, Bertha Moss and Carlos Agostí (The Invasion of the Vampires). The original title is El vampiro sangriento.
Reviews:
“If you are a fan of the old Universal style of horror moviemaking, you will no doubt have a good time with the overflowing lava of atmosphere the Mexi-horrors have to display for audiences. In spite of overly silly dubbed dialog, the actual dubbing itself is generally well done in these films. Lovers of cheese will have much to chew on here and those in search for old fashioned thrills and scares need look no further for something very different.” Cool Ass Cinema
“There’s a real horror hag homage to Son of Dracula‘s Queen Zimba, great sets, and you’ll crap when you see Frankenhausen’s bat transformations! When the Count decides to fly, the bat is so big you’ll think Rodan must have taken a side trip from Tokyo to Mexico City! The vampires even drink coffee in this one (think it’ll keep ’em up all night?) An uppity maid even comes after Frau Hildegard with a long wooden stake proving she’s not about to take sh*t from anybody, even the Diva herself!” DVD Drive-In
“Thick atmosphere, bad dubbing, and the largest vampire bat transformation on record. The DVD I watched out was pretty washed out, but it’s’ threadbare charms managed to shine through. And now I know why vampires don’t drink wine. They are more of an after-dinner coffee breed.” Eltopo68
“This movie begins with an incredibly atmospheric sequence involving a carriage moving silently in slow motion; it’s a simple effect, but wonderfully mood-setting. The rest of the movie can’t equal it; it is talky and slow-moving, with some interesting ideas and moments, but it’s too long for its own good.” Fantastic Musings and Ramblings
“Satisfactory addition to the MexGothic horror cycle; it doesn’t stand out, particularly, but the sets and the chiaroscuro are on-point and Carlos Agosti owns that vampiric mind-control hypnosis stare.” Lencho of the Apes
“Decent stuff, but nothing all that great. The story is… just kind of meandering. I kept waiting for it to pick up, but it just kind of drifted along. It is the lazy river of screenplays. That said, it isn’t a bad story per se. The acting is good and the sets look nice. It has a nice atmosphere, which is good when the story doesn’t have much to it.” Mondo Bizarro
Choice dialogue:
“Get those animals to travel faster. Our time’s running out, the moon’s nearly full now. Whip the horses, for Satan’s sake.”
“It’s better to see the enemy near you. That way you know his plans.”
“You make me tired of talking. And I don’t care to talk about it.”
Cast and characters:
Begoña Palacios … Ines Cagliostro
Erna Martha Bauman … Countess Eugenia Frankenhausen
Raúl Farell … Doctor Riccardo Peisser
Bertha Moss … Frau Hildegarde
Carlos Agostí … Count Siegfried von Frankenhausen
Francisco A. Cordova … Justus
Antonio Raxel … Count Valsamo de Cagliostro
Enrique Lucero … Lazaro
Lupe Carriles … Lupe, the innkeeper
Nathanael León … Interrogation Chamber Master
