LouHomey From my favorite movies..

TrueHello Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

Livestonth I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

pcarr1960 A stylish and well-made film, with German Robles, playing Dracula in all but name, giving a more impressive vampire performance than Carlos Villares in Universal's Spanish-language Dracula. Curiously, some reviewers have suggested that this film influenced Hammer's Dracula, which is mere wishful thinking: El Vampiro was released in October 1957, when Hammer's Dracula was already in pre-production. It's very unlikely that Hammer or Lee were even aware of this film's existence, and Lee is on record stating that he deliberately did not watch any other film in preparation for his role. Their performances do have something in common, however: both Robles and Lee show that it is possible to give a sinister and credible portrayal of a vampire without resorting to the leering, posing and over-ripe delivery of Lugosi.

mlevans In a way the brilliant 1931 Spanish version of 'Dracula' and this fine 1957 Spanish-language film have similar strengths and weaknesses. Both lack a Lugosi or Lee in the title role, but both have outstanding cinematography, atmosphere and supporting casts.While the English and Spanish 1931 films are often compared, it seems reasonable to compare 'El Vampiro' to Christopher Lee's 'The Horror of Dracula,' a contemporary work. German Robles is no Christopher Lee. Almost effeminate in his count's formal attire, one suspects that if he had succeeded in bringing his dead brother back to life, the brother would immediately have taken charge. He almost seems uncomfortable with his mouthful of fangs.A weak vampire is not enough to derail an otherwise outstanding film, however. The cast overall is quite good and the black and white cinematography much creepier than the bloody Hammer color. Simply put, this movie just plain works. The sets out great, the costumes and makeup are great and the cast is very sound, including Ariadna Welter as Marta, Abel Salazar as Dr. Enrique, Jose Luis Jimenez as Emilio, Carmen Montejo as Eloisa and Alicia Montoya as Maria Teresa. Montejo, as the vampire follower of Duval and Montoya as the near-crazed Maria Teresa are especially outstanding. Montoya somehow makes me think of Morticia Addams or Lilly Munster on a bad hair/makeup day! Even the servants are quite good.The music is just a tad over-the-top, loud and repetitive. Still, it is effective in setting the mood…and mood is the name of the game in 'El Vampiro.' With its creepy crypts, spooky woods, spider webs and ancient books, it captures an eeriness that color films have trouble matching. The lighting and camera work accentuate this and help make 'El Vampiro' one of the half dozen or so better vampire films ever made. It is certainly among the creepiest and most atmospheric.

insomniac_rod ...and probably the best one to date.Surprisingly creepy and atmospheric black and white Vampire movie. This looked like the Coffin Joe series at times because it has excellent settings, music, and cinematography. On the other hand, the movie has some parts that were meant to be funny but that's just Mexican typical humor that maybe some others won't understand. The direction is truly memorable, it deserves a special mention because it is very stylish and atmospheric. For example, whenever the vampire is about to attack, you can clearly see advanced camera and lightning techniques (for it's time). The way the lightning focuses on Robles' face is creepy. The events are fast paced but in a suspenseful manner. The vampire characterization is pretty good as our main hero (or villain?) is a sui generis Mexican vampire. Germàn Robles delivers a fantastic performance based on erotism, and creepiness. Believe me, he is a unique vampire, like none other you haven't seen. Once he said that he liked how this vampire is an erotic, dark character because he appears at night, 99.9% of his victims are women that use sexy lingerie, and he likes to possess souls through their blood. His presence is creepy enough. As one of the reviewers said, this movie obviously inspired the Hammer vampire flicks. That makes me proud as I'm Mexican and I'm a big fan of Hammer.This movie is heavily underrated to the point that only avid Horror fans from around the world know about it; not even Mexicans seem to recall this cult Horror movie.Please, watch this movie and you will be pleased. Recommended for Vampire Horror fans, and Horror fans of Black and White movies.

evilskip This is probably the best Mexican vampire movie. The sets are great(Azteca Studio).The atmosphere is dank with swirling fog and mist. A young girl returns to her childhood home with a doctor she met on a train. The doctor holds a secret. The girl's family has an aunt under the spell of the vampire. The Count sets his sights on Marta and plans to resurrect his long dead brother. The mood and the music are fantastic. Only thing keeping this from a 10 is the cheesy dubbed dialogue. Hard to find but well worth it.