Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good

Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

MusicChat It's complicated... I really like the directing, acting and writing but, there are issues with the way it's shot that I just can't deny. As much as I love the storytelling and the fantastic performance but, there are also certain scenes that didn't need to exist.

Derrick Gibbons An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Scott LeBrun John Abbott plays Webb Fallon, a centuries-old vampire currently earning a living as a dive owner in an African locale called Bakunda. Coinciding with his arrival is, of course, the expected outbreak of curious murders. The heroes don't put two and two together right away, but they DO figure him out, and head into the heart of the jungle, while he attempts to obtain a female companion for his further journeys through the years."The Vampire's Ghost" is more intelligently handled than some films of its type, no doubt the result of the craftsmanship of the celebrated Leigh Brackett, who co-wrote the script based on her own original story. Still, it can't help but spend some time going over some of the standard rules involving vampires, with which so many people are familiar by now.Although a low budget production (you never do believe that the sets and actors are actually in Africa), the filmmakers, led by director Lesley Selander, make up for this with a presentation that is dependent on mood and characterization. Like many an old-school horror film, it relies on suggestion and subtlety. All we need to see are the frightened reactions of various victims. Abbott, whose buggy eyes are hard not to fixate upon, gives people such a cold stare that they meekly submit to his presence. This, even though he's not a particularly intimidating specimen physically.The cast is good overall - Charles Gordon as the young hero, the pretty Peggy Stewart (who's still alive and still working) as the leading lady, Grant Withers as a helpful priest, Emmett Vogan as Stewarts' father, the stunning Adele Mara (whose exotic dance is a highlight), and Roy Barcroft as an unlucky gambler / skipper. But Abbott tends to command most of the attention, giving a performance that is world-weary and somewhat sympathetic. Webb doesn't particularly care for his continued, haunted existence.This viewer didn't think the pacing was that tedious; the film maintained his interest for a modestly enjoyable experience running only an hour long.Seven out of 10.

snicewanger This is a shocker from Republic Studio's with John Abbott as the undead blood sucker. Abbott gives a bit of a different slant to his vampire. His Webb Fallon is not truly a monster and his attitude of melancholy resignation about his existence speaks volume's of the sadness of his unnatural immortally. The arrival of Julie Vance played by Peggy Stewart gives Fallon hope that he can relieve his loneliness by making her his companion in eternity.Republic specialized in western's and serials. John Wayne was their top star. However, when WWII started studio executives noticed that some of the other smaller studio's were making a nice profit with horror and chiller films so a few few were added to the production schedule. Lesley Selander was director of B-westerns and a pro at staying with the budget and staying on schedule but had little experience with the horror gender. Abbott was a stage trained actor with a dour look and a crisp, clear voice and while he couldn't convey physical menace he could project a sinister quality. Vampire's Ghost being set in Africa is a different kind of locale for this kind of a tale and the vampire is not bound by some of the traditional movie clichés such as moving about in the daylight which adds to the interest. It does moves a little slowly and has a bit too much talk to be a really frightening horror film. Not much FX either. But a solid cast helps it along and it's an entertaining way to spend an hour.

Mikel3 Last night we watched a 1945 film called 'The Vampire's Ghost'. It was a pick we found included on our Amazon Prime instant video membership. With a name like that I was not expecting much from the film. Instead it turned out to be a very entertaining and offbeat vampire story. It was made by Republic Pictures yet had beautifully artistic B/W cinematography reminiscent of the Universal Horror films of that same time. The title character was played by John Abbott. He will be familiar to fans of the original Star Trek series who remember the episode 'Errand of Mercy'. Mr. Abbott played the vampire as sympathetic and likable at times, unique for Vampire characters of that decade. They were usually more sinister. Still he was a pitiless monster and evil. The film is only about 59 minutes long. At the end I found myself wishing it was longer. I recommend this to fans of 1930 and 40s horror films. I give it a 7 out of 10 rating.

gavin6942 In a small African port, a tawdry bar is run by a old man named Webb Fallon (John Abbott). Fallon is actually a vampire, but he is becoming weary of his "life" of the past few hundred years.This film has no one you ever heard of attached -- writer, director, actor, producer. It is completely without anyone worth mentioning. Yet, the film was well-made and looks crisp. Other films of the 1940s, with bigger stars, have not stood the test of time. This one has done so just fine.The story is actually pretty good, and although it is not given much time to develop, works well with the time it has. There are not many African horror films out there, let alone African vampire films... and being made in 1945, one could make an interesting point about colonization, too. I will not try, however.