THE HORRIBLE SEXY VAMPIRE (1971)

 

PHENOMENALITY: *marvelous*
MYTHICITY: *poor*
FRYEAN MYTHOS: *drama*
CAMPBELLIAN FUNCTION: *metaphysical*

Though not expecting much, I'd long wanted to see this Spanish vampire flick just for the daffiness of the English title alone. I'm sure I'll never watch it again, but my verdict is that it was moderately entertaining for one pass, as long as one's expectations are low.

One online review found it the dullest vampire film on record, and that can't be, since I already reviewed the dullest, the 1967 talkfest BLOOD OF THE VIRGINS. In contrast to that snoozer, SEXY at least has a basic backbone of incidents and a dab of characterization.

Even though the German undead Count Winnegar is outfitted in the usual Lugosi-esque regalia, he actually does not come off as sexy at any time. He's first "seen" as an invisible force violently attacking a couple at a motel somewhere around Stuttgart, and these scenes are modestly effective, even if he was invisible just to save money. A would-be vampire-hunting mortician convinces a local commissioner to investigate the long uninhabited castle of Winnegar, but they have no time to learn anything, for Winnegar is up and about and kills them both. The bodies are found but the other cops just think it's a serial killer at work.

Then a young fellow, Count Oblensky, shows up to discuss his inheritance of the castle with the new commissioner. Oblensky claims to be the great-grandson of Winnegar, and he looks just like him, so surely he's just the vampire masquerading as a regular aristocrat. But no, when Oblensky moves into his new digs, he soon finds that he's got an unwelcome ancestor hanging around. He tries to tell the cops but they just think he's drunk.

He's joined in the castle by his girlfriend, but she doesn't believe him either. By now the audience may be wondering why the resident vampire hasn't knocked off his descendant, but toward the end of the film Winnegar belatedly tells Oblensky that he's tired of being a bloodsucker and hopes the young man will end his cursed life. However, Winnegar changes his mind when he sees the cute blonde babe and decides to convert her to his side. Oblensky manages to destroy him, and for another minor surprise, the girlfriend does NOT end the film by revealing that Winnegar made her fang-happy.

Though Winnegar is the central character he's pretty dully conceived and acted, though German actor Wal Davis does considerably better with Oblensky. There's a creditable amount of female nudity in the film, though one victim, killed just after emerging from a shower, may hold the record for shortest shower in a horror film.