SnoReptilePlenty Memorable, crazy movie

Cleveronix A different way of telling a story

Curapedi I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Geraldine The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

gavin6942 Graverobbers stumble upon the tomb of a vampire, who turns them into zombies to do his bidding, which is to stalk and capture beautiful women.Dear Abel Salazar, you are an amazing actor with a great face. I wish you had been better-known to American horror audiences. Films like this, and especially "The Brainiac", have either been forgotten or became cult classics far too late.When people speak of foreign horror, they often talk of Italian, or sometimes Japanese. These days Korean horror has become more fashionable, and the latest wave (as of 2015) is New Zealand. But who is out there blowing the trumpet for Mexico?

ferbs54 In the ordinary course of things, a movie sequel begins production only after the original film has proved itself a success at the box office. This, however, was not the case with the sequel to the 1957 Mexican film "El Vampiro." Producer Abel Salazar, apparently, felt so confident that his film would be a hit--and it was; tremendously so--that he began work on that picture's follow-up even before the first one saw the light of day. That sequel, released in '58, was called "The Vampire's Coffin," and does what all good sequels should: expand on the story line and themes of the original, bring back characters from the first (four, in this case), and do its darnedest to top its predecessor. Like its more famous forebear, "The Vampire's Coffin," directed again by Fernando Mendez, must be deemed a complete success.When we last saw the Count Duval (played here again by Spanish émigré German Robles)--revealed to actually be the vampire Lavud--in the first film, he was lying in his coffin with a stake through his heart, courtesy of the elderly Aunt Maria (Alicia Montoya). The sequel picks up days, possibly weeks, later, when Aunt Maria unsuccessfully tries to stop a pair of crypt robbers from stealing the titular coffin. The casket is coincidentally brought to the very hospital where Dr. Enrique (whose actual name, we learn in this film, is Enrique Saldivar, played again by Abel himself), the hero of the first film, works, and where his current flame, showgirl Marta (Ariadna Welter, who played the damsel in distress in film #1), is for some strange reason helping him out. Trouble looms, however, when one of the tomb raiders, Barraza, removes the stake from Lavud's chest, reanimating the undead bloodsucker and commencing all the nastiness once again...."The Vampire's Coffin" has a very different feel than its original. Whereas that first film took place in the countryside, with an emphasis on its hacienda in the middle of nowhere, the sequel feels more urban, and transpires in what seems to be a small city. The main selling points of the first film--the remarkably dreary sets of Gunther Gerszo, the stunning B&W cinematography of Rosalio Solano, and those amazing, stationary mists--are largely absent in the second; though Gerszo also worked on the sequel, his sets here are more mundane, but fortunately, Victor Herrera's lensing is often quite remarkable. What this film can justifiably boast is some very impressive use of light and shadow, most especially in the scene where Lavud chases a young woman down a nighttime street. Still, the first film LOOKS better than the second; it is more artfully composed, with numerous scenes that you just want to freeze and admire. But the second film, if more prosaic, certainly moves quicker, and is more action oriented. Among the many exciting sequences is the one in which Aunt Maria tries to escape from Lavud and his hypnotized, thuggish henchman in a dreary wax museum, replete with fully functioning guillotine and iron maiden; the one where Enrique fights that same henchman, Barraza, on a high ladder perched atop a playhouse; and the wonderful finale, in the wax museum again, where Enrique fights it out with Lavud (as he had in the first film) whilst Maria lies nearby, in dire peril. Some truly exciting sequences in this follow-up, to be sure!Truth to tell, when I first watched the film in question, I was somewhat appalled at how stupid Enrique was acting. In several scenes, he voices the opinion that--despite everything he had witnessed in the first film--Lavud is not a genuine vampire, but merely a normal man who likes blood! Wha? How can any reasonable man be so naive? A repeat viewing, however, made me realize that Enrique was merely trying to cover up before his coworker, Dr. Mendoza (the other tomb raider), as well as dispel Marta's fears and concerns; Enrique redeemed, and all that. Abel, as usual (I have also seen him in such wonderful Mexican films as "The Brainiac," "The Man and the Monster" and "The Curse of the Crying Woman"), is a nicely ingratiating performer, and I was relieved to realize that his character had an ulterior motive for his seeming callowness. Still, Enrique does come off a bit goofier in this film, by dint of the picture's emphasis on amusing situations, such as Enrique being unable to explain to his hospital boss just HOW that coffin has disappeared, and his failed attempts to convince the police that there IS a vampire flapping about. Fortunately, the film never devolves into silliness, and the amusing bits are kept in check. One strange inconsistency that I did notice, in what is otherwise a seamless continuation of the original, is the matter of Lavud's reflectiveness in mirrors. In the first film, he is completely invisible in a mirror--as is Marta's vampiress Aunt Eloisa, too, for that matter--but here, he appears as a skeleton in a reflecting surface; only his skin is invisible. Don't ask me to explain; maybe it has something to do with being staked and coming back? But despite this possible glitch, and despite the film's aforementioned difference in tone and feel, "The Vampire's Coffin" remains a very fine sequel; a perfect double feature, natch, when viewed following the original. And thanks to the good folks at Casa Negra, both films are currently available on great-looking, extras-packed DVDs. Not for the first time, thus, am I being compelled to say, with gratitude, "Gracias, Casa Negra!"

The_Void I'm guessing that Fernando Méndez's "El Vampiro" was at least a fairly big success in its native Mexico as the director wasted no time in regrouping the main players from the cast of the aforementioned film and cobbling together this cheap sequel. Not as much care and attention has gone into this one; the film lacks the excellent atmospheric night-time shots of the original and the plot is not as well defined, but in spite of these things; The Vampire's Coffin is certainly an enjoyable romp that fans of the original should at least appreciate. The film starts off rather well with a sequence that sees a bunch of grave robbers accidentally resurrect the evil Count Karol de Lavud (an influence on Dracula 2000?) by removing the stake from his heart. The Count soon decides to turn his liberators into zombies, and proceeds to resume his mission from the first film. Naturally, it all falls down to the heroic Dr. Enrique Saldívar (Abel Salazar, returning to his role from the first film) to rescue the girl, kill the count and save the day.This film reminded me of the Universal classics much more than the original did. As mentioned, the Gothic atmosphere does not make a comeback in this film and it's been replaced by a dose of misplaced and largely unfunny humour, which is unfortunate. The outdoor shots are really missed too; I guess it must have been cheaper to film indoors and the sets don't leave much to admire. All the main cast members from the original return and fit into their roles well. The standout is obviously Germán Robles who plays the count. My main problem with him in the first film is that he never really posed a threat; and he doesn't manage it here either, although it's not so much of a problem as the film appears to want to be taken with a pinch of salt. Abel Salazar stars opposite in the 'hero' role. He doesn't really fit the model of the hero, but he has good charisma and is at least entertaining. The plot doesn't go anywhere and doesn't really provide us with any surprises by the time the film ends. However, The Vampire's Coffin is a decent follow up in spite of its flaws and I'd recommend anyone who tracks down the original sees it; they might as well anyway since it's packed in the set with El Vampiro...

Coventry Imagine yourself trapped inside a museum of the dark middle Ages and a resurrected vampire and his maniacal sidekick are chasing you. Where is the absolute last place you want to hide? I'd say inside the uncanny Virgin of Nuremberg torture device, because there's a good risk you'll get brutally spiked to death. And yet, the elderly lady in this film stupidly runs into her spiked coffin. "The Vampire's Coffin" is a rather disappointing sequel, as director Fernando Méndez doesn't re-create the Gothic atmosphere of the 1957-original but puts the emphasis on comical situations and dialogs. No more ominous castles with eerie cobwebs and dark vaults, but confused doctors and clumsy assistants that provoke laughs instead of frights. The story opens inside Count de Lavud's final resting place, where an eminent doctor and a hired assistant steal the coffin in order to examine the corpse at a private clinic. Naturally the wooden stake gets removed from his heart, and the vampire count comes to live again, immediately enslaving the petty thief to do his dirty work. The vampire has his eye on a beautiful female patient at the clinic, and it's up to Dr. Enrique Saldívar to rescue her soul and to destroy the bloodsucker. "The Vampire's Coffin" uses a limited amount of locations and there's very little action. The whole film would actually be pretty boring if it weren't for a handful of memorable sequences and decent acting performances. The photography is amazing, though, with the sublime use of shadows and darkness. This is most notably during the scene in which Count de Lavud stalks a young woman through the deserted streets of little town at night. It's the only truly worthwhile scene of the whole film, the rest is fairly mediocre and déjà-vu.