In a Nutshell. Mini reviews of movies old and new. No fuss. No spoilers. And often no sleep.

Saturday 8 July 2017

Mark of the Vampire (1935)

In a loose sound adaptation of the silent London After Midnight (1927), Tod Browning remakes his own film. Anyone with knowledge of the original's plot can surmise this film's twist, but vampires are to blame for a murder in an indeterminate Scandinavian land. With an original runtime around 80 minutes, studio meddling left it at a mere 60. The result is a less than coherent story. Character motives are foggy, supporting roles are abbreviated, and extreme jumps in tone occur between scenes. On repeat viewings one will easily notice massive plot holes. The film must be taken at face value: a slightly parodied take on the vampire superstition. MotV does however include enough hypnotizing scenes of creepy-crawlies, Bela Lugosi's trademark glare, and one brief but truly haunting vision of a vampire's aerial descent to be considered a memorable horror classic.

3 bat horns out of 5

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