Blood of the Vampire (1958)
Blood of the Vampire is classic brooding Gothic horror, very much in the Hammer tradition, in fact the film was written by famed Hammer script writer Jimmy Sangster, who wrote the horror classics Curse of Frankenstein and Horror of Dracula. Whilst definitely not in their league, Blood of the Vampire is certainly a well constructed slice of lurid pleasure.
The film is pretty grim in its tone and its colour, giving none of the gorgeous reds and greens seen in Hammer at the time . The film has several set pieces all quite strong for the late fifties including the near rape of Barbara Shelley and the final attack on a a lead character by savage prison guard dogs.
Donald Wolfit as Dr Callistratus is quite close in looks to Bela Lugosi's Dracula . If truth be told Wolfit seems a bit too plump and well fed for a Vampire, maybe this is due to Callistratus not being a conventional Vampire. However he does give a decent scenery chewing performance. Special mention to Victor Maddern who is unrecognisable under the grotesque make up of Karl.
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