Mark of the
Vampire
(USA, 1935, B/W)
Alternative Titles:
The Werewolf of Paris
The Vampire of Prague
Running Time: 65
minutes
Video Certificate:
15
Directed By: Tod
Browning
Starring: Lionel Barrymore, Bela Lugosi, Elizabeth Allan, Lionel
Atwill, Jean Hersholt and Carol Borland
Genre:
Thriller
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Gallery
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In the same vein...
London After Midnight (1927) Browning's lost masterpiece (Mark
of the Vampire is a remake)
Plot:
Sir Karell
Borrowdon is murdered and two puncture wounds are found on his neck.
However, the culprit is far from supernatural, he is a shifty friend of
the family called Baron Otto. The Baron turned to murder when his plan to
marry Karrellâs daughter Irena was thwarted, as she engaged herself to a
young Man named Fredo. The police concoct an elaborate plot to reveal the
killer, they hire showfolk Bela Lugosi and Luna the batwoman and make
believe there is a real vampire on the loose. With the aid of a Professor
with a talent for hypnotism, Baron Otto is revealed as a murderer and duly
apprehended. Lugosi and Luna go back to the theatre and everyone lives
happily ever after, safe in the knowledge that vampires are nonsence.
Vampire: Despite not having any real vampires the film boasts plenty
of vampire mythology. A mysterious herb called Bat-thorn has the same
effect as garlic usually does, keeping vampires at bay. A vampire can only
be killed in the hours of daylight. While it is night vampires cannot be
harmed or destroyed. They can only be killed in a corpse like state, not
as a bat or other animal. The only way to kill a vampire is to sever the
head with a single stroke and place a sprig of bat-thorn in the gaping
wound.
Hunter: The hunters in this case are not after the vampire but a
murderer. There are the police, who of course donât believe in vampires,
but more interestingly there is the Professor with an interest in the
supernatural and a sideline in hypnotism. Right.
Love interest: Irena
Borrowdon, is a dutiful daughter intent on catching her fatherâs murderer.
In perfect English, she is constantly reminded of "the horror of it all"
and spends a considerable amount of time swooning and lying in bed in a
negligee.
High
Points:
![]()
The one thing that really makes this film stand out is Carol
Borlandâs performance as bat woman Luna. She says not one word until
the end of the film and yet is by far the most memorable character.
The scene when she morphs into a bat is awesome. She prompts extreme
reaction like the poor young lady who has come to buy the house:
"Iâve been a good girl, Iâve been a good girl all my life, donât let
her get me!" While Lugosi goes around hardly noticed.
| ![]() | ![]() The
atmosphere is really creepy, from the opening shot of the cross on the
church, to the old woman gathering firewood there is an eerie tension.
Draculaâs castle makes up what it lacks in exterior with cobwebs and a
host of bats, bugs, spiders, scorpions, rats and other unidentifiable
rodents. You can cut the atmosphere with a knife! The cat jumping out of
the rattling suit of armour gag, seen here for the very first time, adds
to the creepy atmosphere.
Low Points:
![]() The
trite ending to this film is an anticlimax and bitter disappointment after
the atmosphere built up throughout the rest of the film.
![]() The
bats are so fake that they are really funny, in several shots you can see
the strings and the squeaking sounds are definitely mechanical and not
sonar.
![]() Anyone
named Otto is bound to be shifty so it doesnât take a genius to work out
whodunit.
![]() The
dialogue is fairly stilted
![]() This
film also suffers from far too many characters with very little depth to
any of them, confusing and dull to watch.
Logic
let me introduce you...
If the
Professor was going to hypnotise Barron Otto anyway, why bother with the
elaborate vampire scheme? They could have lured him back with some simpler
ploy surely?
What on Earth have the creepy Transylvanian/Romanian
village people and the old woman gathering firewood got to do with
anything?
How on Earth does Luna transform into a bat? The film
glibly explains her away as part of the bat-woman theatre, but I think
even with todayâs technology such a stunt would be very difficult on
stage.
Say What? Cool
Quotes:
How terribly
exciting!
"Fancy Ronny, Vampires in
the twentieth century!"
"Ripping. Theyâll never believe that at the
club!"
Frailty, thy name is woman:
"I felt her deadly cold breath on my throatâ I must
have faintedâ I knew no more."
Just so youâre in no doubt:
Vampires are evil.
"There is no
more foul or relentless enemy of Man in the occult world than this
dead/alive creature, spewed up from the grave."
Disease
Imagery:
"The vampire is a
pestilence that grows."
She lives to swoon
again:
"The horror of it
made me faint."
Propriety must be upheldâ Irena to her
fiance Fredo:
"Now you run along
downstairs, Iâll get out of this negligee, I havenât
had a dress on for ages."
Best line out of
context:
"Whatâs wrong? Last night
you were terrified and now youâre gay and cheerful."
Bela Lugosi gets the last word:
"Did you watch me? I gave all of me. I was greater than
any real vampire."
References:
This film is
a remake of Browningâs silent London at Midnight (1927) - possibly
the most sought-after vampire movie of all time. Alas it is lost in the
annuls of time, all that remain are stills, and of course this re-make.
Browningâs career was floundering, he needed another Dracula (1931)
so he decided to do a remake, upping the importance of vampires using
the crowd pulling Lugosi and having the added attraction of sound.
While London at Midnight (1927) is no longer in existence,
the 2nd draft of the script has survived.
Script Anorak Connections:
Tod Browning is the most influential director of
vampire films, his credits including London at Midnight (1927) and
Dracula (1931)
Bela Lugosi once again digs out Dracula's
cape. Lugosi starred in five other vampire films:
In 1956, director Ed
Wood wanted Lugosi to star in another vampire film to be called "The
Vampire's Tomb". 10 minutes of footage was shot before Lugosi died on
August 16th 1956. Wood decided not to waste the footage and used it in
Plan 9 From Outerspace (1959) lovingly regarded as the worst movie
of all time.
Lionel Atwill also appeared in The Vampire Bat
(1933) and House of
Dracula (1945) as well as many Frankenstein movies.
Lionel
Barrymore is part of the Barrymore dynasty and grandfather to Drew
Barrymore, star of many horror films including Scream and The Crow.
Gratuity Rating:
Sex/Nudity: None
Bites: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() unseen
Screams: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
Human deaths: ![]()
Humans Turned: None
Vampire deaths:None
Final
Word:
This film has outstanding
atmosphere, with the unmissable scene of Luna morphing into a bat (amazing
considering this was made in the 1930s). However, the dialogue is often
stilted, the ending appalling. It certainly makes you wonder what
London after Midnight must have been like.
Verdict: 5/10
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Come one come all Mortals who are willing to stick their neck out for a vampire to feed upon. We will be willing to share our Dark Gift to you mortals if you pass our test.
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