As I have stated before, I'm a vampire chick. Zombie's freak me out and werewolves seem cheesy to me (sorry Nix, they just aren't my thing), but vampires always seem to draw me in. I suppose it's due to the nature that as a vampire the only real change in you is that you have to avoid sunlight and drink blood, that keeps me from fearing them. They are always in control of their actions. So, when i see a vampire movie come on tv (even if it's an old classic) I set my friend Mr. Tivo to record it. That is how I discovered Mark of the Vampire.
Summarizing this film is rather easy. In a quaint town, a nobleman named Sir Karell Borotyn has died. His body is found with nothing wrong about it, except for two puncture marks on his neck. After he’s pronounced dead, a superstitious doctor declares it was a vampire’s doing. So, the grounded Inspector, declaring that there is no such thing as vampires, brings in an expert named Professor Zelen to determine if there really is a vampire and, if there is, to stop it and kill it. As with most movies I'm drawn to, this ends with a wonderful and unpredictable twist that just... gives you a good laugh.
The hard part about reviewing a classic movie is that you can't really complain at how cheesy the effects are, or how horrible the acting seems to be. This movie, like any other of its time, did all the pioneering for every film we go to the box office to see now. So, though I found the flying bats (with obvious strings) annoying, the puppet spider crawling a bit too much, and the strange looking rat completely fake, I have to give them props for the idea behind it all. As for the acting, most of the actors and actresses of the day were probably stage trained (being that movies were still new then) and thus the extra dramatics would be needed.
The story did have a bit of a lull to it. With all the talk used to "build up" to the vampires, it kinda has you aching to see something or anything happen. I don't think this movie started really grabbing my attention till the last 1/2 hour (and it's only a 75 minute film). Still, it was classic in its creepiness. Any film with Bela Lugosi tends to keep that creepy nature. So... it was creepy, but not scary. Good, but not scary. Classic, but not scary. I can't complain though... I've yet to see a classic horror film that was really scary.
In short, I enjoyed this film. I think it's a good beginner flick. I might actually introduce my son to it.
H.O.P.E.L.E.S.S. Rating: 
- It's an old film, you can really tear it apart due to how accustomed we all are to modern special effects and music. It's an “
MST3K” film, no doubt about it.
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