Starring John Abbott, Charles Gordon, Peggy Stewart, Grant Withers, Emmett Vogan
Directed by Lesley Selander
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
Mysterious murders in Africa lead a plantation foreman to recruit the aid of a saloon owner in touch with the underground, failing to realize he's a vampire and responsible for all the murders.
One of a handful of horror films put out by Republic Pictures in the 1940s, and arguably the best of them, the film has atmosphere and style, as well as a charismatic star in John Abbott. Abbott, who brought a cultured voice and a memorable countenance to many film roles, is ideally cast as vampire Webb Fallon, who is given some elegant dialogue, and his often heavy-lidded eyes convey both the weariness of his 400 year existence as well as an unsettling stare when hypnotizing his victims. Vampire lore isn't strictly adhered to in the screenplay, with Fallon doing just fine in sunlight if wearing sunglasses, and although he's not visible in mirrors, his clothes are. The cinematography by Robert Pittack and Bud Thackery makes good use of shadow for heightening the vampire's menace, while keeping Fallon's attacks off screen until his climactic assault on leading lady Stewart. All together, it's a worthy horror picture with an unusual jungle setting, and a lead performance to remember.
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