L'uomo senza corpo

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.

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!

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.

A black-clad, gaunt stranger (Michael Pate) arrives in town, becomes a farmhand for a pretty rancher (Kathleen Crowley), eventually turns out to be the vampire terrorizing the countryside. This really is a clever, moody piece, another well-done 1950s Universal-International terror film, featuring good performances, creepy music, and an astonishing climax.

Glad I found this. A vampire western, might possibly be the first ever of it's kind. A pretty run of the mill Western story-line with a bloodsucking demon added for good measure. The acting and script are nothing great but enough to keep you amused. For lovers of horror, this really is a must see.