mark.waltz I found that this barely had a plot containable to reveal in a synopsis, only a discovery of evil and the conflict of the light versus the darkness. It's the story of a white man sucking the blood out of Africa and being discovered, perhaps a metaphor for slavery and oppression. John Abbott basically spends an hour calling for his desired bride, attaching only for survival, and the ultimate discovery of who is committing all the murders in this mostly native, uncivilized area of the African wilds. Mixing voodoo, superstition and an eerie atmosphere, this is no comparison to the quality of the equally dark themed Val Lewton films made at RKO. The low budget is extremely obvious, and the rushing together of a slight plot makes this almost instantly forgettable, saved by some moody photography, slightly campy dialog and a suspenseful finale that seems like that's where the only effort was made in the writing. It's a shame, otherwise, for a chlostrophobic feel that would be totally overwhelming on a big screen.

Alex da Silva The African jungle pounds with a rhythmic drumbeat throughout this film. Is it something sinister? There is a 400 year old vampire on the loose. John Abbott (Fallon) has a kind heart on the outside but don't mess with him. And don't be an attractive lady, either. Natives in the jungle are being killed and having their blood sucked from them. This is no murder mystery story – it's a genuine vampire story.The film is a quickie in that the story is related as if it were a sequence of events and it could have been better if it was longer. That would have allowed more time to develop scenes of tension and drama. As things stand, it's still an enjoyable watch but lacking in those spooky moments. We do get some and the film has an atmospheric setting in the jungle but we have a lame Charles Gordon (Roy) leading the good side against evil.Next time you play cards, walk away from the player who keeps winning, Check out the reflection in a mirror and monitor if the moonlight generates healing properties if you shoot him or her. Spot the vampire.

Mikel3 Last night we watched a 1945 film called 'The Vampire's Ghost'. It was a pick we found included on our Amazon Prime instant video membership. With a name like that I was not expecting much from the film. Instead it turned out to be a very entertaining and offbeat vampire story. It was made by Republic Pictures yet had beautifully artistic B/W cinematography reminiscent of the Universal Horror films of that same time. The title character was played by John Abbott. He will be familiar to fans of the original Star Trek series who remember the episode 'Errand of Mercy'. Mr. Abbott played the vampire as sympathetic and likable at times, unique for Vampire characters of that decade. They were usually more sinister. Still he was a pitiless monster and evil. The film is only about 59 minutes long. At the end I found myself wishing it was longer. I recommend this to fans of 1930 and 40s horror films. I give it a 7 out of 10 rating.

Dewey1960 Republic Pictures cranked out a ton of "B" pictures in virtually every genre during the 1940s, many of which were (at best) barely watchable. There were, however, any number of mystery and horror titles which rose above the typical meager standards and achieved a special kind of wonderfulness all their own. One such example is THE VAMPIRE'S GHOST, a low budget horror film written by the legendary science fiction and horror scribe Leigh Brackett. The tale benefits from the exotic locale of an African plantation with the peculiarly mannered John Abbott starring as Webb Fallon, a centuries old vampire now living in Africa running a seedy saloon. The incidents in the film are quite unusual, most notably an exotic dance performed by Adele Mara in Fallon's saloon. A strange and atmospheric little gem that should appeal to fans of esoteric "B" films. Disregard all of the wrong-headed and annoyingly condescending critical evaluations in the conventional film guides (Leonard Maltin, John Stanley, etc); this film is definitely worth your time and attention.