Mark of the Vampire

All of the essential ingredients for a good vampire film are here, but I guessed who the culprit was from the beginning (and even his motive), but I wasn't prepared for the nice twist in the surprise ending.

The story about a vampire stalking people in a picturesque village is handsomely photographed by none other than James Wong Howe and the settings rival any of those used in the original "Dracula" film. This time ELIZABETH ALLAN is the frightened heroine while BELA LUGOSI and LIONEL ATWILL fill their standard horror film assignments in fine form.

LIONEL BARRYMORE is Prof. Zelin and seems to have great difficulty in standing on two feet rather than being in a wheel-chair, so early was he inflicted with his rheumatism that forced him to be seated in most of his films by the end of the '30s, notably as Dr. Gillespie in those Dr. Kildare films. He's obviously a replacement for the usual Van Helsing character assigned to solve the vampire mysteries.

With a running time of 1 hr. 1 min. there's no time to be bored. A neat little thriller with good supporting roles from character actors like Jessie Ralph and Donald Meek--with all of the histrionics strictly in broad '30s horror style. One of Tod Browning's better films.

The atmospheric sets and shadowy but crisp B&W photography are beyond reproach.

The MARK OF THE VAMPIRE lies heavily upon the terrified inhabitants of a lonely European manor house.

In 1935 director Tod Browning set about the remaking of his 1927 silent Lon Chaney shocker LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT. The final result was rather an odd film for the MGM roster, but it benefited by being given the Studio's first class production values and casting. It is a tremendously entertaining film to watch even now, full of chills & suspense.

However, at a running time of barely one hour it has been obviously heavily edited. This does not help the already ludicrous plot, many of whose elements simply do not make the slightest sense. It is perhaps just as well to enjoy what the film does have to offer and not to harp about the incongruities of the storyline. The ending will come as a surprise to many viewers - some will be delighted at the turn of events, others will feel betrayed at the final fadeout.

The cast is excellent. Lionel Barrymore is at his most eccentrically watchable as the elderly vampire stalker. And who could play the Undead better than Bela Lugosi? Although he speaks not a word until the final seconds of the film he is pure menace throughout, stalking along cobwebed corridors, associating with giant bats and radiating pure evil. Lionel Atwill as a stern police inspector and gentle Jean Hersholt as a befuddled baron complete the quartet of leading actors.

Elizabeth Allan is lovely as the menaced young lady, while Carol Borland is properly mysterious as Lugosi's vampiress. Various members of the supporting cast are allowed moments to shine - Donald Meek as the frightened local doctor; Ivan Simpson as the manor's old butler and Leila Bennett as a rather hysterical maid. Movie mavens will spot an unbilled Christian Rub as a deaf peasant at the coroner's inquest.

The film's editing sadly left several very fine character actors on the cutting room floor, including Robert Greig, Eily Maylon, Zeffie Tilbury & Jessie Ralph (whose name still appears in the credits).

James Wong Howe's excellent cinematography should be mentioned, as should also the creepy special effects which add immensely to the atmosphere.

Tod Browning's return to the genre that made him famous brings along Bela Lugosi to reprise his role as a sinister Count. This vampiric tale is mixed in with a murder mystery. I found the end results to be very weird, unusual and entertaining. What I thought was going to be a routine horror story has a very funny twist. To give it away would be telling. If you're in the mood for something different then by all means watch.

Recommended.

B+

This is an ingenious, delicious film that offers a different take on the vampire tale. It's a remake of director Tod Brownings' 1927 silent "London After Midnight", one of the most sought after "lost" films of all time. It features a number of the trappings of the vampire sub genre, and establishes a respectfully sinister atmosphere.

When a man named Sir Karell (Holmes Herbert) is found murdered, an investigation is launched by intrepid Inspector Neumann (Lionel Atwill, who's in fine huffy form). When it's believed that the death was a murder perpetrated by a vampire, an occult expert (a hilarious, delightful Lionel Barrymore) is called in to provide all the advice they could need.

And for a while, this plays out the way we would expect a vampire movie TO play out. Our blood suckers are played by Bela Lugosi, once again cast in a perfect sort of role for him, and Carroll Borland, whose striking, long haired Luna can easily be seen as a forerunner to characters like Vampira and Morticia Addams. The cast is rounded out with people such as Elizabeth Allan as the distraught Irena, Henry Wadsworth as her suitor, Jean Hersholt as her uncle (the worried Baron), Donald Meek as Dr. Doskill, Ivan F. Simpson as Jan the butler, and comedy relief provider Leila Bennett as Maria the maid.

One can't help but notice just how short this movie is - it runs barely over an hour - and in fact approximately 20 minutes of footage was cut after the preview. Unfortunately, because Brownings' previous film "Freaks" had flopped upon its release, he wasn't able to object to these studio decisions. Still, even in the movies' current incarnation, it works pretty well, with decent special effects and typically solid work by cinematographer James Wong Howe. But the reason why this should be so entertaining is the unexpected ending, which does a fine job of pulling the rug out from under us and turning into a different type of film altogether. Even the actors weren't informed of the big twist ending until it was time to shoot it, which does nothing but add to the effectiveness of their performances.

Overall, "Mark of the Vampire" is great fun and a worthy viewing for any fan of old school black & white genre entertainment.

Eight out of 10.

Count Mora has a scar on his temple. It's a gunshot wound acquired when after having incest with his daughter he committed suicide. That was meant to explain to the audiences how he and his daughter became vampires. But censors demanded the deletion of references to both the incest and the suicide.