2hotFeature one of my absolute favorites!

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

ChanFamous I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Sanjeev Waters A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Scott LeBrun John Abbott plays Webb Fallon, a centuries-old vampire currently earning a living as a dive owner in an African locale called Bakunda. Coinciding with his arrival is, of course, the expected outbreak of curious murders. The heroes don't put two and two together right away, but they DO figure him out, and head into the heart of the jungle, while he attempts to obtain a female companion for his further journeys through the years."The Vampire's Ghost" is more intelligently handled than some films of its type, no doubt the result of the craftsmanship of the celebrated Leigh Brackett, who co-wrote the script based on her own original story. Still, it can't help but spend some time going over some of the standard rules involving vampires, with which so many people are familiar by now.Although a low budget production (you never do believe that the sets and actors are actually in Africa), the filmmakers, led by director Lesley Selander, make up for this with a presentation that is dependent on mood and characterization. Like many an old-school horror film, it relies on suggestion and subtlety. All we need to see are the frightened reactions of various victims. Abbott, whose buggy eyes are hard not to fixate upon, gives people such a cold stare that they meekly submit to his presence. This, even though he's not a particularly intimidating specimen physically.The cast is good overall - Charles Gordon as the young hero, the pretty Peggy Stewart (who's still alive and still working) as the leading lady, Grant Withers as a helpful priest, Emmett Vogan as Stewarts' father, the stunning Adele Mara (whose exotic dance is a highlight), and Roy Barcroft as an unlucky gambler / skipper. But Abbott tends to command most of the attention, giving a performance that is world-weary and somewhat sympathetic. Webb doesn't particularly care for his continued, haunted existence.This viewer didn't think the pacing was that tedious; the film maintained his interest for a modestly enjoyable experience running only an hour long.Seven out of 10.

Rainey Dawn The film is very loosely from John William Polidori's novel "The Vampyre." In Africa the natives are full of superstitions and, not surprisingly, they are afraid of the undead. There is a 400 year old Vampire among them, Webb Fallon, who has grown tired of "living" his life alone and seeks a bride.The book was written before Bram Stoker wrote 'Dracula'. So it's nice to see a film that is based on an earlier Vampire story - even if it is very loosely based on the book.This is not a film you hear talked about often and is hard to find a copy of... so if you love Vampires and get a chance to see the film you should grab the opportunity - it's not a bad film.7/10

dougdoepke Some good ideas in this Republic programmer, but the mix never really gels. A sort-of vampire, Fallon (Abbot), runs a seedy saloon in darkest Africa. Natives in the area keep turning up dead, partially drained of blood. Meanwhile, Fallon has other-worldly designs on delectable Julie (Stewart) if only he can get past her boyfriend Roy (Gordon) and hulking priest Father Gilchrist (Withers). Oddly, there's a hint of regret in Fallon's evil side that suggests a conflict in his divided make-up. Abbott can bug his eyes with the best, but there's nothing scary about his Fallon. Nor is he shown engaged in creepy depredations. Instead, his attacks are only implied in anonymous shadow. As a result, he's more like a unimposing lost soul trying to navigate two worlds. Thus the movie's fear factor is near zero. Neither is there much suspense to grab onto. Instead, the story simply unfolds in erratic fashion. Then too, that backdrop mountain painting that director Selander's camera emphasizes certainly doesn't help. Plus, poor lead actor Gordon tries, but is simply inept, driving a hole through much of the 59-minutes. (I agree- he does look like Buster Crabbe, maybe the best thing about his presence.) However, after that wild acrobatic dance, I'm on my way to see if Adele Mara's native girl left any female descendants.All in all it looks like Republic was trying to cut in on Universal's horror film monopoly. Except Universal was either lucky enough or good enough to get top-notch production crews for Dracula (1931) and Frankenstein (1931), to name two. The Vampire's Ghost gets a plus for trying to be different. Trouble is, it just doesn't come off.

Dewey1960 Republic Pictures cranked out a ton of "B" pictures in virtually every genre during the 1940s, many of which were (at best) barely watchable. There were, however, any number of mystery and horror titles which rose above the typical meager standards and achieved a special kind of wonderfulness all their own. One such example is THE VAMPIRE'S GHOST, a low budget horror film written by the legendary science fiction and horror scribe Leigh Brackett. The tale benefits from the exotic locale of an African plantation with the peculiarly mannered John Abbott starring as Webb Fallon, a centuries old vampire now living in Africa running a seedy saloon. The incidents in the film are quite unusual, most notably an exotic dance performed by Adele Mara in Fallon's saloon. A strange and atmospheric little gem that should appeal to fans of esoteric "B" films. Disregard all of the wrong-headed and annoyingly condescending critical evaluations in the conventional film guides (Leonard Maltin, John Stanley, etc); this film is definitely worth your time and attention.