Review of Mark of the Vampire (1935) by Sarah F — 09 Nov 2006

One gets the distinct feel that Mark of the Vampire could and should have been really something, but sadly Browning's film fell prey to the fall-out of his own trend-setting. Mark was initially supposed to depict an incestuous relationship between the father and daughter vampires terrorising the town.

But MGM were all over Browning after the controversy caused by his masterwork Freaks, that they immediately cut that out without any consideration for how it would affect the plot. As a result, Lugosi sports a bullet-wound throughout the film for seeingly no reason.

Besides this, we endure some leaden acting and frightful staginess, irregardless of Browning's honest attempts at atmospherics. Exposition is also a problem, the events unfolding as if read from an instruction maual.

Redeemingly, the picture does sport a delightfully unusual ending and features more comedy than you'd expect, making it at the very least entertaining.