Condemned to Live (1935)

Fresh and Exciting

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

The story-telling is good with flashbacks.The film is both funny and heartbreaking. You smile in a scene and get a soulcrushing revelation in the next.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

With a sense of style and storytelling not usually associated with the programmers like this, here is a Gothic horror tale that is a surprising delight. It all surrounds a kindly doctor (Ralph Morgan) who finds himself suffering from blackouts as a brutal vampire-like killer strikes in his small community. Morgan is in love with pretty Maxine Doyle, who admires him tremendously but is not in love with him in spite of being engaged to him. As the list of victims increases, Morgan becomes more confused by his headaches, and his hunchback assistant (a touching Mischa Auer) keeps close tabs on him. Sets of some of Universal's best Gothic thrillers are utilized for this, adding some music from "White Zombie" into the mix. Haunting photography, above average performances (for this type of film) and strident pacing make this a must for classic horror fans.

Rating films as from this era can be quite challenging. American horror films of the 1930's are notorious for unbelievable special effects, degrading female acting, and incoherent plots. This film is no exception, but Condemned to Live is still entertaining due to the care with which it was made. It isn't Karloff's Frankenstein, but it's worth a viewing.In an African cave, a pregnant woman is bitten by a vampire bat. It is implied that her child is born and sent back to a European village. He becomes a doctor and is quite respected in his town. This prestige has earned him the admiration of a young woman, Marguerite. However, Marguerite has fallen in love with her neighbor David, but feels obligated to marry doctor Kristan. Kristan is visited by a college, Dr. Bizet who discovers Kristan's affliction: he becomes ferociously violent when the lights are dimmed and has killed several people. Kristan does not recall any of these murders and thinks the culprit is a giant bat. He remains innocent due to his devoted hunchback, Zan, covering his outbursts. Both are discovered and commit suicide at the end of the film.With such a short running time, a lot happens in Condemned to Live, and most of it happens too quickly. Despite the compressed time, the film develops an intriguing antagonist. Dr. Kristan is hell-bent on discovering the perpetrator of the murders, but is unaware of his involvement in them. While it isn't difficult to see this plot twist, Strayer's incorporation of Jeckyll and Hyde personality disorder and vampirism into Ralph Morgan's character add suspense to the film. Zan also shares traditional horror elements, with his inhuman devotion to his master and his shrunken appearance. These two also have a fitting end in their joined suicide. Kristan is a knowledgeable man, and he knows he must separate himself from the village in order to continue serving the people.The special effects are also worthwhile and appear as realistic as one could expect from a film so old. The bat in the opening sequence doesn't appear fake given the film's age, which is unlike some films today (Army of Darkness is a modern film which incorporates absurdly unconvincing special effects). Morgan's portrayal as a bloodthirsty killer is also intriguing. He exhibits no obvious traits of being a vampire, but bites people as if he were. I interpret his desire to bite as a trait inherited from the bat which attacked his mother. This is why he prefers biting people on the neck, but isn't a real vampire.I may have read too much into the film, but a good film allows an audience to do that. The film does suffer from a low budget, and certain parts of it are difficult to see. If you find a single disc version, I would suggest that you watch it, since I've had better success with them. I've read the plot summary for The Vampire Bat, and feel obligated to warn you that this film is similar but they both have around a 5.0 rating on IMDb. Yes, there are several holes in the plot, but I don't think I can fairly lower the film's score given its age. While Condemned to Live is dated, it is still a great way to spend 67 minutes of your time.

Professor Paul Kriston(Ralph Morgan) is a well liked and respected doctor in his tiny village. The beautiful Marguerite(Maxine Doyle)is willing to be his bride in spite of being in love with another man, David(Russell Gleason). The doctor has a hunchbacked servant(Mischa Auer);this is the clue that this is a horror flick. Kriston has suffered a vampire curse his whole life and is not even aware that he has a blood-sucking habit at night. Miss Marguerite discovers her fiancée's secret, only after she realizes she's actually in love with her other man. Things have already turned sinister.This 30's chiller is directed by Frank Strayer. Other players include: Pedro de Cardoba, Lucy Beaumont and Carl Stockdale.

Vampiresque tale of a madman loose in a small village in the middle of the 19th century.Someone is tearing the throats out of villagers after dark. Who could it be and how does it relate to the events years earlier when a shipwrecked pregnant woman was bitten on the neck by a vampire bat? Well made melodrama with horrific overtones take many horror conventions and breathes just a bit of new life in them, Give this movie a good many points for daring to be different in its supernatural tinged tale. Add to it a great cast headed by Frank Morgan and Misha Auer (as a hunchback) and you get a fine little lost film. Sure it won't win any awards but as a movie to watch on a dark and stormy night with the lights on low its gangbusters Worth seeing, especially if you program a night of moldy oldie horror films.