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Monday, April 9, 2018

Cave Of The Living Dead (1964)

Starring Adrian Hoven, Erika Remberg, Carl Mohner, Wolfgang Preiss, Karin Field
Directed by Akos Rathonyi
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A police detective is sent to a village where a series of young women have been murdered, and finds the village's superstitious residents are all certain it is the work of vampires.

A stylish German horror film with an engaging cast, the production doesn't show too much you haven't seen before in other vampire films, but I was captivated by it, and found it to be an enjoyable watch.  Having seen only the English-dubbed re-edited release of the film, it's hard to exactly gauge how different the original film is from the version I saw.  However, I was fond of the eerie night scenes, heightened by the absence of all but ambient music from the soundtrack, and the rich cast of characters, each of which I found memorable and distinctive.  Remberg is a dynamite knockout as Hoven's love interest, Mohner is intriguing as the doctor who refutes the supernatural, and the actor playing the kindly innkeeper, whom I unfortunately couldn't find credited anywhere, gives a very charming performance.  It's regrettable that a black character is treated with prejudice and hatred by the other characters in scenes that seemed unnecessary, although actor John Kitzmiller ironically makes him a friendly and likable sort, earning the audience's sympathy.  The film leaves some unanswered questions, but I still felt satisfied with it, and look forward to revisiting it again.

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