HorrorScience Fiction

Blood of the Vampire

- Nothing Like It This Side of Hell!

A man and wife are terrorized by Mad Scientist Dr. Callistratus who was executed but has returned to life with a heart transplant. Along with his crippled assistant Carl, the 'anemic' Mad Scientist, believed to be a vampire, conducts blood deficiency research on the inmates of a prison hospital for the criminally insane to sustain his return to life.

Release Date : 1958-08-25

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Artistes Alliance Ltd.

Production Country : United Kingdom

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Doctor Callistratus

Original Name : Donald Wolfit

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dr. John Pierre

Original Name : Vincent Ball

Gender : Male

Character Name : Madeleine Duval

Original Name : Barbara Shelley

Gender : Female

Character Name : Carl

Original Name : Victor Maddern

Gender : Male

Character Name : Kurt Urach

Original Name : William Devlin

Gender : Male

Character Name : Chief Guard Wetzler

Original Name : Andrew Faulds

Gender : Male

Character Name : Chief Justice

Original Name : John Le Mesurier

Gender : Male

Character Name : Monsieur Auron

Original Name : Bryan Coleman

Gender : Male

Character Name : Drunken Doctor

Original Name : Cameron Hall

Gender : Male

Character Name : First Guard

Original Name : George Murcell

Gender : Male

Character Name : Second Guard

Original Name : Julian Strange

Gender : Male

Character Name : Third Guard

Original Name : Bruce Wightman

Gender : Male

Character Name : Housekeeper

Original Name : Barbara Burke

Gender : Female

Character Name : Tall Sneak Thief

Original Name : Bernard Bresslaw

Gender : Male

Character Name : Small Sneak Thief

Original Name : Hal Osmond

Gender : Male

Character Name : Executioner

Original Name : Milton Reid

Gender : Male

Character Name : Woman

Original Name : Patricia Phoenix

Gender : Female

Character Name : Man in Court (uncredited)

Original Name : Jack Carter

Gender : Male

Reviews

Wuchak

@Wuchak

2024-05-06

**_“Vampires? We don’t need no stinkin’ vampires”_** In 1880 Carlstadt, Düsseldorf, a doctor (Vincent Ball) is sentenced to life-in-prison for malpractice in performing an emergency blood transfusion, which had never been done successfully. Instead of being sent to the prescribed penal island, he’s curiously transferred to a prison for the criminally insane where the director (Donald Wolfit) wants him to perform blood-typing research for some unknown reason. "Blood of the Vampire" (1958) was obviously inspired by the success of Hammer's “The Curse of Frankenstein” because the producers hired the same scriptwriter, Jimmy Sangster, and it includes elements of both that flick and “The Horror of Dracula,” which started filming shortly after this one. While it lacks Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, it’s on par production-wise and certainly different enough to stand on its own. It's worth seeing just for the beautiful Barbara Shelley, who plays the doctor’s fiancée and was only 25 during shooting. She went on to appear in Hammer Films’ “The Gorgon,” “Dracula, Prince of Darkness,” “Rasputin: The Mad Monk” and “Five Million Years to Earth,” aka “Quatermass and the Pit.” Victor Maddern is effective as the Quasimodo-like assistant, Carl. The extensive make-up he had to wear gave him a headache. The milieu of the grim, grimy and hellish prison hospital no doubt inspired “Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell” sixteen years later. The movie runs 1 hour, 26 minutes, and was shot at Alliance Film Studios Twickenham, southwest of London. GRADE: B-