The Vampire’s Ghost is a 1945 American horror film produced by Republic Pictures and directed by westerns specialist Lesley Selander from a screenplay by John K. Butler (The Phantom Speaks) and Leigh Brackett (The Big Sleep; The Empire Strikes Back). It stars John Abbott (Cry of the Werewolf, and also Dr. Frankenstein in Slapstick of Another Kind), Charles Gordon, Peggy Stewart, Grant Withers, Emmett Vogan, Adele Mara, Roy Barcroft, Martin Wilkins, Frank Jaquet and Jimmy Aubrey.
Plot teaser:
On a safari in central Africa, naive Roy Hendrick (Charles Gordon) discovers to his horror that his traveling companion Webb Fallon (John Abbott) is a centuries-old vampire. Back at Fallon’s bar, the tension begins to mount…
Reviews:
“Its vampire lore is commendably individualistic without straying so far from the standard interpretation as to provoke a Twilight-style hate-gasm from the serious fan of the sub genre. John Abbott is a weird casting choice, to be sure, but in an enjoyable way. After fifteen years of decadent aristocrats in opera capes, it’s fun to see a vampire who is instead a world-weary, low-born scoundrel. Furthermore, I got a huge kick out of Abbott’s portrayal of the character’s attitude toward his own immortality. In some scenes, Fallon is presented as being thoroughly sick of living, but he goes to great lengths to outmaneuver the various factions conspiring to destroy him anyway. That could easily have come across as incoherent characterization, but it makes perfect sense the way Abbott plays it.” 1000 Misspent Hours and Counting
“Lesley Selander has some modest sets at his disposal that are infused with a foreboding exoticism; one excursion into the jungles is especially effective in transcending its backlot and soundstage trappings. Most of the film’s horror imagery is cribbed from Lewton’s iconography, as Selander relies on shadows and contrasts to relay a handful of memorable shots, such as Fallon’s shadow swarming over and swallowing his victims. The African setting is also a nice, spooky change of pace; while there’s no ghost here, there are hints of voodoo, with the proceedings eerily accompanied by a tribal backbeat.” Brett Gallman, Oh, the Horror!
“You’ll probably wish that more screen time were devoted to the captivating Adele Mara, who plays the dancer, Lisa. Fallon speaks of her vampiric resurrection, but it would have been better to see it for ourselves. Mara would have made a fabulous vampire seductress with her dark tresses and intense, exotic beauty. Her dance number, however, remains a highlight of the picture. The ending lacks panache and might have made a better use of its villain’s inevitable demise, although the death cult temple makes a provocative setting. Despite such shortcomings, the story packs plenty of entertainment into a very compact 59 minutes of running time.” Jennifer Garlen, Virtual Virago
Despite being set in Africa, the voodoo drums are relentless and effective, thus providing a foreboding aural backdrop to Brit actor John Abbott’s depiction of a vampire who is clearly suffering as if he’s addicted and yet has a survival instinct that puts this Republic production years ahead of its time, possibly due to Leigh Brackett’s involvement in its narrative development? The ‘natives’ are also given more credence than in similar movies of the period and suss out that Fallon is a vampire long before their white counterparts. Lesley Selander was a westerns director but at least seems to try to emulate the style of Val Lewton’s RKO productions. The Vampire’s Ghost is worth a look, if you can track it down.
Adrian J Smith, Horrorpedia
Choice dialogue:
“The Devil himself couldn’t have such good luck.”
“I’ve never seen such violent delirium.”
IMDb | Image credits: Wrong Side of the Art!
