Curse of the Undead (1959)

Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

This is even worse than one might think. It's a silly premise, the mixing of Western and vampire, and it could have worked with a better idea.However, Edward Dein, director of this movie, also writer, is heavy handed with a Nazi idealism, the Hitler ideal of the blond woman surviving in Nature, while all the dark haired damsels are destroyed. He shows this heavy handed hatred in THE LEECH WOMAN, where he contrives the story to purposely kill the innocent brunette for no apparent reason, except to satisfy his Hitler worship. It's impossible to ignore, because he hits us with a hammer over the head with it.It's sad, too, because many of the most charismatic actors signed on in this movie, and probably had no idea they were engaged in this sort of propaganda. Rawhide's Eric Fleming, Frank Nitti actor Bruce Gordon, and the evil henchman of THE BLACK CASTLE, Michael Pate obviously saw this as a stepping stone to greater things, with big roles, and their acting was superb, as were all the actors, but the script was just so heavy handed with this contrived Nazi ideology, that there just wasn't anything else communicated.Annoying and dull scripts and directing cannot be saved by great acting.

The combining of westerns with horror has not always made for great films. I mean, who can forget "Billy the Kid vs. Dracula" and "Jesse James meets Frankenstein's Daughter". The exception is "Curse of the Undead". This 1959 picture stars Eric Fleming as a frontier preacher who is confronted with a vampire in the form of a hired gun, portrayed with sinister, yet sympathetic overtones by Michael Pate.The plot has some holes in it. For example, Michael Pate's character commits suicide after murdering his brother, which in turn condemns him for all eternity as a vampire...I mean, I have never heard of this premise for a person becoming one of the "undead". Also, the vampire of this movie can walk around in the daylight with seemingly no ill effects, and everyone knows that vampires absolutely cannot be exposed to sunlight, or they will be destroyed.Despite these minor flaws, the movie actually has a good story and some good acting by Fleming as the preacher, Pate as the vampire/gunslinger, and Kathleen Crowley as the love interest caught between the two. I highly recommend this movie.

This is one of those classic cult films that get a devoted following from repeated viewings. I remember seeing it on television for the first time, hosted by that vampire fiend, Zacherley.Michael Pate is a mysterious gunfighter who seems invincible and there's a good reason for it, he's a vampire. Though he dresses in western garb, he's still an old world type vampire. Right after this film Eric Fleming got slated to play the lead in the long running western series Rawhide with that well known co-star of his, Clint Eastwood. He's the town preacher and he figures out what the town is plagued with.I think that when Fleming strapped on the six gun and faced Michael Pate in a gunfight, armed with revolver loaded with silver bullets, it was one of the great camp moments in film history. The bullets of course were on loan from the Lone Ranger. For that reason, this film gets as high a rating as six stars and should not be missed whenever it's broadcast.

A black-clad, gaunt stranger (Michael Pate) arrives in town, becomes a farmhand for a pretty rancher (Kathleen Crowley), eventually turns out to be the vampire terrorizing the countryside. This really is a clever, moody piece, another well-done 1950s Universal-International terror film, featuring good performances, creepy music, and an astonishing climax.