Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors: Vampire (1965)
At last, we have come to the fifth and final stop on a most bizarre train journey wherein tarot card reader Dr. Shreck (Peter Cushing) “entertains” his fellow passengers with glimpses of their not-so-cheery futures. Check out our previous four posts Werewolf, Creeping Vine, Voodoo, and Disembodied Hand to get caught up.
Dr. Schreck now turns his attention to the one person yet to be subject to a reading, Dr. Bob Carroll (Donald Sutherland). Up to this point Bob seems the most relaxed and nonplussed about the strange fates being suggested by the deck. Let’s flip the cards and see if that chill facade holds up.
Bob Carroll (Donald Sutherland)
Vampire
Cast:
Donald Sutherland – Dr. Bob Carroll
Jennifer Jayne – Nicolle Carroll
Max Adrian – Dr. Blake
Al Mulock – Detective
Newlyweds Bob and Nicolle Carroll (Jennifer Jayne) have just arrived in the fictional New England town of Pemberton. Bob is a mild-mannered family physician who practices at the local clinic with his colleague Dr. Blake, a mysterious man with a somewhat nondescript accent. We know very little about Nicolle other than that she is French and seems to adore Bob. Unbeknownst to Bob, she also happens to be a vampire, which is established pretty much from the get-go. How do we know this? For starters, Bob cuts his finger while preparing a snack and Nicolle, staring at the blood in a ravenous lust, simply offers: “let me” before proceeding to drink from the wound. She also sneaks out of bed when Bob is asleep, turns into a bat, and heads into the night. So, yeah, there’s that.
At their clinic, Bob and Dr. Blake encounter a young anemic boy with two distinct bite marks on his neck. Dr. Blake references vampire lore but ultimately laughs it off as an absurd idea. With the strange case left unsolved, Dr. Blake proceeds to run some tests in the middle of the night at his dark and desolate lab. As he is about to wrap up, a large bat with glowing eyes swoops in to attack the good doctor, who inadvertently makes the sign of the cross and winds up repelling the creature. This and subsequent experiences are enough to convince Dr. Blake that vampires exist; he even goes as far as suggesting that Nicolle might be one given what Bob has mentioned about his wife’s quirks.
Already incredulous at the mere suggestion, Bob is further horrified as Dr. Blake shares what he knows about vampires, especially the methods for conquering them. Yes, it’s the classic wooden stake-through-the-heart approach here. And just to put a finer “point” on things (sorry, I had to), the good doctor carves a wooden stake to use later—what a sport. But would Bob, who has been fawning over his new bride up to this point (sorry, again) really use it? Tune in to find out!
My brief take
In terms of pure enjoyment, I would say “Vampire” sits in the middle of the pack for me. It features brisk “don’t sweat the details” type of story telling similar to the other vignettes, which I have come to appreciate in anthology films. However, the distinct lack of vampire action is a little disappointing. I imagine this might have been at least somewhat budget related, but nonetheless. While I wouldn’t necessarily expect to see Van Helsing and Dracula throw down in the Pemberton town square, it was odd to find virtually no visual vamp representation other than the bats. Ahh those stiff, awkwardly flapping bats, hovering about—so ubiquitous in vampire-themed horror films and TV programs of the classic era! Depending on the production, these charming prop puppets could be well crafted and articulated or downright chintzy. Either way, we love ’em here at Concentric Cinema.
While casual film fans might be surprised to see a young Donald Sutherland pop up in a movie like this, sci-fi and horror nerds surely recognize his legit genre credentials. Sutherland appears in Castle of the Living Dead (1964), an Italy-based gothic horror production in which he plays multiple roles and appears alongside his Dr. Terror co-star Christopher Lee. Sutherland also stars in the paranoia crime thriller Klute (1971) with Jane Fonda, the intimate and offbeat horror film Don’t Look Now (1973), and the excellent if dour remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978). More recently the revered Canadian actor played the authoritarian President Coriolanus Snow in the four original Hunger Games films. One of my favorite roles for Sutherland was Calvin Jarrett in the gutting family drama Ordinary People (1980). The versatile and prolific actor passed away in 2024 at the age of 88.
Like “Werewolf,” this closing vignette is punctuated by a macabre yet playful final twist that serves as a nice little kicker for the series. Of course, the journey is not quite over with “Vampire,” as the train pulls into the station and our five confused travelers disembark at their destination. Meanwhile Dr. Shreck finally puts all his cards on the table, in a matter of speaking. I don’t want to spoil the ending, only to say that it is bathed in the requisite atmosphere (think low-hanging fog and eerie mood lighting) and features a final reveal worthy of the subgenre. Stay tuned for more anthology features down the line as there are much more to enjoy.
