Review of Mark of the Vampire (1935) by Shantell P — 27 May 2007
Though considered a 'B' film at the time, it still delivers shock value.
The story centres around a small, fictional Hungarian village with it's inhabitants who shudder and shriek at the very mention of the word, 'vampire'.
A murder has been committed and the victim is a wealthy nobleman. The locals believe it was the fiendish hunger of Count Mora ( Bela Lugosi ) and his vampiress daughter Luna, played eerily effective by Carol Borland.
But there's more here than meets the eye !
Enter Professor Zelin ( Lionel Barrymore ), who aids in trying to solve this mysterious murder by gathering the missing pieces of the puzzle.
The script is at times abrupt and lapsed and the editing is hasty, leaving the viewer to feel cheated.
Some of the scenes are presented with no reasonable content.
Not to sell short some excellent close-up shots of Luna when she first appears at the gates by the road entrance and also a scene where she ghoulishly stares through the victim's daughter's bedroom window.
The spooky atmosphere is credited to James Wong Howe's cinematography.
The sound edits to the graveyard sequences, with it's low distorted humming moans and multiple frog churps are, indeed, flesh crawling.
There is a twist at the end of this story, but you'll have to find that out for yourselfs.
I love watching these older black and white movies keeping in mind the limited budgets ( In this case, rubber vampire bats and mice brushed with shoe polish in order to create the illusion of rats. ) and resources to project a story.
Lionel Atwill was always one of my personal favourites with his stern authoritative presence and demeanor.
The GREAT Lionel Barrymore, is mellifluous as always but with intense integrity.
As for the Incomparable Bela Lugosi ?
He was limited to only a few sentences at the very end of this film, but still manages to masterfully display his chilling artistry. Enough to ignite your nightmares.
Recommended viewing ?
Only after the witching hour on a cold damp rainy night.
This review of Mark of the Vampire (1935) was written by Shantell P on 27 May 2007.
Mark of the Vampire has generally received mixed reviews.
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