Panamint Straightforward, no-nonsense vampire film that is played with skill by a cast of good actors. John Beal (who many viewers probably have never heard of) was a highly respected, experienced actor who plays this strong lead role just fine. He even gives his character some sympathetic edges.Colleen Gray is excellent eye candy, and the immortal sci-fi actor Kenneth Tobey is on hand (as he should be) in a believable performance as the Sheriff.This is a wide-screen presentation and there is a good DVD available with first-rate picture quality. Limited production budget does not detract here. This is a well-paced tightly done monster film that features genuine, sudden menace as the monster prowls the night. This is not just cheap 1950's monster schlock. It is a legit effort- it's the real deal.

AaronCapenBanner Paul Landres directed this horror tale that stars John Beal as small town Doctor Paul Beecher, who is called to the home of a dying scientist who had been experimenting with the blood of vampire bats to make a new serum for his research, that he distilled in pill form. Paul takes a bottle of the pills from his pocket, and after he makes his report, forgets about them. Later, when he has a headache, he asks his young daughter to retrieve his aspirin from his pocket, but sadly takes the bat pills instead, which have the unfortunate effect of turning him into a vampire who must kill. Paul tries desperately to understand what happened, as the police close in... Good performance by Beal, some originality, and a most tragic portrayal of a reluctant vampire, though marred by a much-too abrupt ending that is most unsatisfying.

Woodyanders Kindly small town physician Dr. John Beecher (a fine and likable performance by John Beal) gets transformed into a vicious predatory vampire after mistakenly taking an experimental drug made from the blood of vampire bats. Director Francis Lederer relates the engrossing story in an admirably taut and straightforward manner and neatly grounds the fantastic premise in a believable quiet small town setting, but unfortunately fails to generate much in the way of either suspense or creepy atmosphere. Moreover, the vampire make-up is regrettably shoddy and the pace a touch too slow. That said, this film still delivers a few tense and thrilling moments such as when Beecher chases after his loyal nurse Carol Butler (well played by the lovely Coleen Gray) through the dark streets. The climax is likewise quite exciting. Pat Fielder's concise and offbeat script offers a fresh and inspired non-Gothic modern scientific take on vampirism. The sound acting by a sturdy cast helps a lot: Beal makes for a sympathetic anguished protagonist, Kenneth Tobey is in typically fine form as the stalwart Sheriff Buck Donnelly, plus there are nice turns by Dabbs Greer as the cheery Dr. Will Beaumont, Ann Stanton as the terrified Marion Williams, and James Griffith as the aloof Dr. Henry Winston. Jack MacKenzie's crisp black and white cinematography boasts several graceful fades and dissolves. Gerald Fried's spirited shivery score does the shuddery trick. A rather flawed, but overall still solid and enjoyable movie.

Michael_Elliott Vampire, The (1957) *** (out of 4) Lightweight but entertaining horror film about a good natured doctor (John Beal) who turns into a vampire after mistakenly taking some mysterious pills. The title is a little misleading since this isn't your typical vampire film as it mixes in a lot of science fiction elements and towards the end the thing turns into another Jekyll/Hyde story, which it probably would have worked best as. Even the make up towards the end looks more like a Jekyll and Hyde thing rather than an actual vampire. This film is very minor and nothing special but Beal turns in a very good performance as the doctor and it's always nice seeing Keneth Tobey. The film runs smoothly at just around 75-minutes but I wish they would have shown the actual creature a tad bit more.