Abel Salazar produced this 1957 film and stars as the hero, a Van Helsing-type. Ariadna Welter is the heroine, and German Robles is Count Laszlo Lavud, a Hungarian nobleman who lives in Mexico on a large estate. The film takes many cues from 1943's Son of Dracula, including a name switch early on.
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The Good: Given Robles' appearance, it may be tempting to say that this film was a rip-off of Horror of Dracula, but it was actually released a year before Lee donned the famous cape. Which makes El Vampiro notable in that the vampire has fangs before Lee did. And what fangs they are. The film is not a "cheapie" by any means. It was made with sincere effort, and the overall effect is like being inside a haunted house. And there are compelling twists to the story.
The Bad: Ariadna Welter's screams are obviously dubbed. It was typical in the mid-Fifties to dub Fay Wray's screams in horror movies, so maybe this can be forgiven.
The Ugly: Don't bother with the English dub. It's pretty hard on the ears.
Don't bother with other versions. Casa Negra has the only one worth having. Their release includes both El Vampiro and El Ataud del Vampiro (The Vampire's Coffin), in which Robles is revived to pursue his enemies once more.
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