The Vampire (1957)

A kind, small-town doctor mistakenly injests pills made from vampire bat blood and they turn him into a dangerous fanged creature

Director:

Paul Landres

Writers:

Pat Fielder (screenplay), Pat Fielder (story)

Stars:

John Beal, Coleen Gray, Kenneth Tobey

Cast

Complete credited cast:
John Beal	...	Dr. Paul Beecher
Coleen Gray	...	Carol Butler
Kenneth Tobey	...	Sheriff Buck Donnelly
Lydia Reed	...	Betsy Beecher
Dabbs Greer	...	Dr. Will Beaumont
Herb Vigran	...	George Ryan, Police Sergeant
Paul Brinegar	...	Willy Warner
Ann Staunton	...	Marion Wilkins
James Griffith	...	Henry Winston

Storyline

Dr. Matthew Campbell has been experimenting on methods to regress the mind to primitive instincts so that we can find methods to improve our brains and not get taken in by cheap horror movie hogwash. He's developed a drug made from vampire bat blood and has begun treating himself with it. But instead of improving his mind, he's become ill and addicted. He dies, but not before trying to warn fellow doctor Paul Beecher. Fortunately for us, he dies before he can say more than that pills are to blame. While still at Campbell's house, Paul finds a bottle of pills and pockets them. He's also got another bottle of pills in his other pocket that he takes for frequent migraine attacks. He goes home, puts his jacket on a rack, and then he's struck with a migraine. He asks his daughter to give him the pills in his jacket pocket, and of course she gives him the pills of evil. He is instantly addicted and he must take one pill every day. Each time he takes a pill he turns into a hairy and very ...

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Plot Keywords:

metamorphosis | death of protagonist | shot to death | death by gunshot | death by shooting | 

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Taglines:

It claws! It drains blood!

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

June 1957 (USA)

Also Known As:

It's Always Darkest Before the Dawn

Filming Locations:

10300 block of Woodbine Ave. Culver City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$115,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Gramercy Pictures (II)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

75 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Paul Landres apparently liked the character name "Dr. Paul Beecher" so he used it twice - as the main lead in this film and as a small supporting character in his follow up "The Return of Dracula" (1958) starring Francis Lederer.

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Goofs

At movie's end, when the detective departs; he doesn't retrieve his revolver.

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Quotes

Dr. Paul Beecher: Oh, Will, you told me yourself these pills were from vampire bats.
Dr. Will Beaumont: Exactly, Paul, but that doesn't make you another Dracula.

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Connections

Featured in Vincent Price's Dracula (1982)

User Reviews

Better-Than-Average 50s Vampire Fare

This is a movie that I hunted down for quite some time. A small-town doctor accidentally takes some pills developed by one of his patients that turns him into a vampire. He begins picking off the local town folk. While the editing is clumsy, the premise is a novel change from the usual vampire fare. The cast includes veteran actors John Beal, Coleen Gray (The Leech Woman), Dabbs Greer, Herb Vigran (Adventures of Superman), Paul Brinegar (How To Make A Monster) and an uncredited cameo by Louise Lewis (I Was A Teenage Werewolf; Blood Of Dracula). For those of you who don't think 50s films scare you, get ready for the scene following Carol and Paul's date at the restaurant. Believe me, it packs a punch!