Curse of the Undead
| Curse of the Undead | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Directed by | Edward Dein |
| Produced by | Joseph Gershenson |
| Written by | Edward Dein Mildred Dein |
| Starring |
Eric Fleming Michael Pate Kathleen Crowley |
| Music by | Irving Gertz |
| Cinematography | Ellis W. Carter |
| Edited by | George Gittens |
|
Production
company |
Universal Pictures
|
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
|
Release date
|
|
|
Running time
|
79 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Curse of the Undead is a 1959 American vampire/Western film directed by Edward Dein starring Eric Fleming, Michael Pate and Kathleen Crowley.
Returning to their ranch, Doc Carter finds his son Tim (Jimmy Murphy) extremely upset after the actions of their neighbor Buffer, including damming a stream on the Carter ranch and having his men assault anyone who complains. Doc drives back into town to see the local sheriff (Edward Binns). The Sheriff’s discussion with Buffer (Bruce Gordon) proves unsuccessful, however, and a black-clad stranger (Michael Pate) follows Doc Carter’s buckboard. By the time he gets home, the Doc is dead, his throat bloody...
Grief-stricken, Tim snaps after learning a fence has been torn down and cattle are escaping. Convinced Buffer is responsible, Tim goes after him and is killed by Buffer.
Dolores hangs up "Gun Wanted" posters all over town, offering $100 to anyone who can gun down the "murderer"; After the stranger promises to kill Buffer, one of the rancher's men shoots at the stranger. As the stranger leaves, Buffer sacks the man despite his insisting he hit his target dead center.
The stranger, calling himself Drake Robey, arrives at the Carter ranch. He reacts to a thorn cross on a button worn by Dan. When asked, Dan says it was an ordination gift; the thorn coming from the site of the Crucifixion. Despite Dan’s protests, Dolores hires Robey. He moves into the house, and that night, Robey sneaks into Dolores’ room and drinks some of her blood.
Next morning, Dan finds Dolores looking tired, complaining of cold and very compliant. Dolores and Dan spend the day looking for her father's will. They find a map showing the property had once belonged to a Spanish family, the Robles, sold it suffering "some kind of tragedy". Dan takes the paperwork, including a locked safety box, home with him to continue the search.
After Dan leaves, Robey comes to see Dolores and he talks Dolores into hiring him as a night range-rider who can keep an eye on Buffer and his men. She offers him the cemetery caretaker’s cottage to stay in if he doesn’t mind being near the dead; Robey says "The dead don’t bother me – it’s the living that causes me trouble."
At home, Dan knocks over the safety box, cracking it open. Within it, he finds the 1860 diary of Don Miguel Robles (Edward Colmans), the former owner of the land. According to the diary, Don Robles sent his son Drago to Madrid on business without his new bride Isabella (Jeanna Cross). Isabella turned to Drago's brother Roberto (Henry Delgado) for companionship. When Drago returns and learns of their relationship, he killed his brother with a dagger; distraught, Drago later committed suicide with the same dagger. Over the next six months, mysterious deaths of young girls take place. One night Don Robles hears Isabella scream and went to her room, finding a man bent over her – Drago Robles, who fled, leaving Isabella drained of blood. To end the curse, Don Robles plunged a silver dagger through Drago’s heart as he lay in his coffin. After confessing his actions to the priest he learned a wooden stake is needed to destroy a vampire – he returns but finds the coffin empty except for the dagger. Hidden within the diary is a photograph of Drago Robles – it is Drake Robey in Spanish clothing...
...
Wikipedia