EL VAMPIRO: Two Bloodsucking Tales From Mexico On Blu-ray From Indicator

 

Last year Indicator released a four-film Blu-ray set entitled MEXICO MACABRE. The set contained a quartet of some of the best classic horror films made in Mexico during the late 1950s and early 1960s. It was an impressive release, filled with extras, and each of the four features looked magnificent. For whatever reason, I never got around to writing a blog post on it. 

Indicator has followed up that set with two more Mexican monster classics, both featuring "El Vampiro", aka Count Lavud, played by the Spanish actor German Robles. The 1957 EL VAMPIRO (THE VAMPIRE) and its 1958 direct sequel, EL ATAUD DEL VAMPIRO (THE VAMPIRE'S COFFIN) both get a deluxe treatment here, with each film remastered and plenty of extras included. 

THE VAMPIRE takes place in the Mexican countryside, where a young woman named Marta (Ariadna Welter) goes to visit her aunts at a lonely large hacienda. Accompanied by a Dr. Enrique (Abel Salazar), Marta finds out that her Aunt Eloisa (Carmen Montejo) has fallen under the spell of the mysterious Count Lavud (German Robles), a Hungarian who has plans to bring the entire household under his undead thrall. 

THE VAMPIRE'S COFFIN takes place in an urban setting, but it opens with the remains of Count Lavud being taken from his resting place to the hospital that Dr. Enrique works at. A colleague of Enrique intends to experiment with the remnants of Lavud, but, as one would expect, the vampire is resurrected, and once again Marta's life is in peril. 

THE VAMPIRE was actually made before HORROR OF DRACULA. It has atmospheric black & white photography by Rosalio Solano, and excellent art direction by Gunther Gerszo. THE VAMPIRE, like most of the Mexican horror films made during this period, was heavily influenced by the classic Universal monster movies. But the Mexican horrors had a number of quirky plot elements that made them notable and interesting. 

THE VAMPIRE'S COFFIN isn't as effective as THE VAMPIRE, but it still has plenty of memorable moments. Victor Herrera is responsible for the shadowy cinematography here, with Gunther Gerszo returning on the art direction. Both the THE VAMPIRE and THE VAMPIRE'S COFFIN were directed by Fernando Mendez, written by Ramon Obon, and produced by Abel Salazar. What helps both features is that they are played mostly straight--there are some light comedic moments from Abel Salazar in each, but they don't overwhelm the overall tone. Ariadna Welter makes a fine south-of-the-border scream queen, and Carmen Montejo nearly steals THE VAMPIRE as the treacherous Aunt. The vampire myth works quite well in the Mexican countryside. 

The real standout for each film is German Robles as El Vampiro. The actor wasn't even 30 years old when he started work on THE VAMPIRE, but he's outstanding as the coolly aristocratic Count Lavud. One thing a performer needs when playing a vampire is a major screen presence, and Robles had that in each of these films. He was able to understand that playing a vampire requires doing a lot by not doing much at all. Robles was also one of the first screen vampires to actually show fangs. As many of the extras in this set detail, a third El Vampiro story was in the works but Robles decided not to play the character again. The actor didn't want to be typecast, but ironically Count Lavud was by far the role he became remembered for. 

Both THE VAMPIRE and THE VAMPIRE'S COFFIN get their own disc in this set, and both films look fantastic. Each film has the original Spanish soundtrack, with newly translated English subtitles, and an English dialogue track. Both features also come with their original Mexican trailers and an image gallery. THE VAMPIRE is presented in its original 1.37:1 aspect ratio, while THE VAMPIRE'S COFFIN has a ratio of 1.75:1. This is a Region-Free set. 

THE VAMPIRE has a 22-minute program featuring two of Abel Salazar's daughters, who discuss life with their father and his legacy in the Mexican film industry. There's also a half-hour program on the acting career of Carmen Montejo. A 2007 audio commentary by German Robles is also included, in which the actor talks about the challenges of playing a vampire, his acceptance of being known as El Vampiro, and how much he enjoys watching the film again. 

THE VAMPIRE'S COFFIN has short programs on screenwriter Ramon Obon and artist and production designer Gunther Gerszo, and a discussion of how German Robles affected the representation of vampires in Mexican horror cinema. There are also images from a French photonovel of the movie. All the programs on the two discs present plenty of detail and insight into the making of the films and the main talent involved in them. 

The set also comes with an 80-page booklet, heavily illustrated, that has essays on various aspects of the features and vintage interviews with Carmen Montejo and Ariadna Welter. 

The Classic Mexican horror films from the 1950s and 60s have a reputation for being cheap and cheesy, due to their mediocre showings on late-night American television. If one is able to view them uncut, with impressive transfers, and with the original Spanish voice tracks, one realizes how well crafted these films are, and how unusual and notable their storylines can be. Indicator's EL VAMPIRO and MEXICO MACABRE box sets will be a revelation to horror film fans who have not delved into Mexican Gothic territory.