This one came as a surprise to me - it's actually fairly interesting to watch. It's a neat idea: a vampire in the old west. Why not - vampires can pop up any place in any century. This one made for a fun afternoon film to watch.

We have a gun-slinging vampire taking over a small town. It is up to the preacher and Dolores Carter to save the town from people dying mysteriously of blood-loss and to deal with the stranger in town.

This is not the finest vampire film on the market but it is a fun one - something different than normal. I enjoyed this one.

6/10

People have mentioned what they see as mistakes or oddities in the vampire lore of this film. In fact, the whole concept of sunlight destroying vampires was created in Hollywood and is not mirrored (no pun intended) by traditional vampire lore. I believe the idea of sunlight- kills-vampire dates from Murnau's 1922 "Nosferatu," further amplified by such films as the 1943 "The Return of the Vampire." Production codes did not allow the gory spectacle of a stake being pounded into someone's heart, or beheading, so the "clean" method of death by sunlight was invented. There's a certain magical logic to the notion, but it's not a traditional method. Remember, in Stoker's novel Count Dracula goes about London by daylight with no ill effects.

Eric Fleming's cross pin (which destroys the vampire when delivered by a .45 slug) is not from the "true cross," but as he says in the film, from a thorn tree growing in the Holy Land. In any case, it's a consecrated object.

In many cultures, suicides were in danger of coming back as vampires or revenants. That's why many suicides were buried at crossroads; upon emerging from the ground the lost soul would dither about what direction to go and not get around to doing damage to the living.

CURSE OF THE UNDEAD is a Universal vampire flick with a difference - a Wild West backdrop! In fact, the western elements of the story, involving rich landowners, gun fights, rivalry and an ineffectual sheriff turn out to be more layered and involving than the very basic vampire material, which seems to go down the romantic route, perhaps inspired by Christopher Lee's dark, suave anti-hero of the previous year. The actors give it their all but the film itself is only so-so, with lots of mildly tedious scenes in the middle part that don't add much in the way of excitement, intrigue or suspense. It picks up for a decent climax, but the end result is average at best.