Neal Scroggs One reviewer had this to say as a critique of alleged plot holes in "Curse of the Undead": "...I have never heard of this premise for a person becoming one of the undead. Also, the vampire of this movie can walk around in the daylight with seemingly no ill effects, and everyone knows that vampires absolutely cannot be exposed to sunlight, or they will be destroyed."Actually suicide is the most important cause of vampirism according to the primary folklore sources used by 19th century writers such as John Polidori, Sheridan Le Fanu, and Bram Stoker. The idea that a victim of a vampire inevitably rises as a vampire himself is not widely supported in folklore. Stoker played up this rather atypical aspect of vampire legend mainly for dramatic purposes.As for the common movie trope of the vampire's allergy to sunlight, this too is not supported by the primary sources. According to most Western folklore vampires are unconscious during the daylight hours, resting in their coffins much like the ordinary dead except that they show no evidence of decay or wasting. If exposed to daylight their bodies react exactly like dead bodies, which is to say they react not at all. Polidori, Le Fanu, and Stoker contrived to allow their vampires occasional daylight forays as a means to advance the plot and to sustain suspense. The Hollywood cliché that vampires first into flames or wither into dust a the mere touch of sunlight is entire that — a film cliché which dates from F.W. Murnau's "Nosferatu" (1922)."Curse of the Undead" may have plot holes, but they don't derive from vampire folklore. In fact this movie is more faithful to the legends than anything filmed by Hollywood in decades.

drystyx This is even worse than one might think. It's a silly premise, the mixing of Western and vampire, and it could have worked with a better idea.However, Edward Dein, director of this movie, also writer, is heavy handed with a Nazi idealism, the Hitler ideal of the blond woman surviving in Nature, while all the dark haired damsels are destroyed. He shows this heavy handed hatred in THE LEECH WOMAN, where he contrives the story to purposely kill the innocent brunette for no apparent reason, except to satisfy his Hitler worship. It's impossible to ignore, because he hits us with a hammer over the head with it.It's sad, too, because many of the most charismatic actors signed on in this movie, and probably had no idea they were engaged in this sort of propaganda. Rawhide's Eric Fleming, Frank Nitti actor Bruce Gordon, and the evil henchman of THE BLACK CASTLE, Michael Pate obviously saw this as a stepping stone to greater things, with big roles, and their acting was superb, as were all the actors, but the script was just so heavy handed with this contrived Nazi ideology, that there just wasn't anything else communicated.Annoying and dull scripts and directing cannot be saved by great acting.

bkoganbing This is one of those classic cult films that get a devoted following from repeated viewings. I remember seeing it on television for the first time, hosted by that vampire fiend, Zacherley.Michael Pate is a mysterious gunfighter who seems invincible and there's a good reason for it, he's a vampire. Though he dresses in western garb, he's still an old world type vampire. Right after this film Eric Fleming got slated to play the lead in the long running western series Rawhide with that well known co-star of his, Clint Eastwood. He's the town preacher and he figures out what the town is plagued with.I think that when Fleming strapped on the six gun and faced Michael Pate in a gunfight, armed with revolver loaded with silver bullets, it was one of the great camp moments in film history. The bullets of course were on loan from the Lone Ranger. For that reason, this film gets as high a rating as six stars and should not be missed whenever it's broadcast.

domino1003 "Curse Of The Undead" was released in a very interesting period in horror history. Hammer was on the verge of creating new horror and Universal was trying to stay in the game. Since westerns were popular at this time, the powers-that-be decided to give the western a twist: make the bad guy a REAL bad guy. Meet Drake Robey (Michael Pate), a gunslinger in black. Since his arrival, there has been some mysterious deaths involving young girls. Dr. Carter(John Hoyt)tells the local minister, Dan Young (Eric Fleming) about his suspicions, including the marks on the neck. Soon, the good doctor winds up dead. Thinking that the local bully/Land Baron Buffer (Bruce Gordon)was responsible, the doctor's hot headed son Tim (Jim Murphy)tries to kill Buffer, but ends up dead. Soon, Dolores (Kathleen Crowley)is putting up signs for a gun-for-hire to finish off Buffer. Robey comes into the picture and has more than a friendly interest in Dolores, and Dan begins to suspect Robey's involvement in the deaths in town.What's interesting about this film, other than one of the first blends of westerns and vampires (It would be years before "Billy The Kid Vs. Dracula.").,is the use of a little known vampire myth. According to myth, a person can become a vampire if they've committed suicide. When Dan finds the diary of Robey's father, he finds out that Robey killed his own brother and himself out of grief, thereby cursing him into an undead existence.The ending is just as interesting: Robey challenges the preacher to a gunfight. Since vampires are impervious to bullets, you have a feeling who is going to win. In a typical twist, good triumphs over evil.Great Saturday Afternoon fare. Safe for the kids and nostalgic for adults.