This is a real gem of a vampire movie - an intense, tight, brilliant, and satisfying movie set 1950s small town America. As other reviewers have noted, the story is essentially identical to Alfred Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt, but with the added twist of vampirism.
The Gothic angle is absent, which might turn off some traditionalists. In its place is a setting featuring two cultural icons of late 1950s movies - idyllic small town/suburbia threatened by outside forces; and teenagers taking control in times of crisis and mastering challenges. (It is fun to see the youth movement and rebellion of the 1960s foreshadowed in the late 1950s).
The vampire, played expertly by Frances Lederer, is charming and sophisticated, but in each sentence he utters, there are suspicious undertones. There is a creepy feeling every moment this guy is on the screen. Lederer gives a brilliant vampire performance, one might even argue he is one of the best vampires ever. The young woman threatened by this vampire also gives an excellent performance. Her character has to move from schoolgirlish, to suspicious and finally to terror. She is quite convincing. The other actors do a fine job in support.
The movie is well filmed, and there are several fun little moments of surprise and terror. The dialog is good, and there are some fun bits of vampire cosmology tossed in here and there, with lines like, "If my behavior seems different, perhaps it is because it serves a higher purpose than to find acceptance in this dull and useless world." For some reason, crosses are extremely important and powerful in this movie. A cross is an instant vampire-stopper. In contrast, a vampire's most powerful weapon in this movie is his hypnotic power. Therefore, a constant battle of hypnotism verses cross is present from start to finish, with the climactic confrontation scene featuring a final duel.
This ending scene was a bit unsatisfying to me, it must be a tough one to film - how do you capture hypnotism verses willpower and make it visually dramatic? However, in spite of a slightly weak ending, this is a heck of a vampire movie. If you like vampires, this movie belongs in your collection.
The Gothic angle is absent, which might turn off some traditionalists. In its place is a setting featuring two cultural icons of late 1950s movies - idyllic small town/suburbia threatened by outside forces; and teenagers taking control in times of crisis and mastering challenges. (It is fun to see the youth movement and rebellion of the 1960s foreshadowed in the late 1950s).
The vampire, played expertly by Frances Lederer, is charming and sophisticated, but in each sentence he utters, there are suspicious undertones. There is a creepy feeling every moment this guy is on the screen. Lederer gives a brilliant vampire performance, one might even argue he is one of the best vampires ever. The young woman threatened by this vampire also gives an excellent performance. Her character has to move from schoolgirlish, to suspicious and finally to terror. She is quite convincing. The other actors do a fine job in support.
The movie is well filmed, and there are several fun little moments of surprise and terror. The dialog is good, and there are some fun bits of vampire cosmology tossed in here and there, with lines like, "If my behavior seems different, perhaps it is because it serves a higher purpose than to find acceptance in this dull and useless world." For some reason, crosses are extremely important and powerful in this movie. A cross is an instant vampire-stopper. In contrast, a vampire's most powerful weapon in this movie is his hypnotic power. Therefore, a constant battle of hypnotism verses cross is present from start to finish, with the climactic confrontation scene featuring a final duel.
This ending scene was a bit unsatisfying to me, it must be a tough one to film - how do you capture hypnotism verses willpower and make it visually dramatic? However, in spite of a slightly weak ending, this is a heck of a vampire movie. If you like vampires, this movie belongs in your collection.