The Vampire's Coffin (El ataúd del Vampiro) is the sequel to The Vampire (El vampiro). Together, they are a pair of Mexican horror films from 1957 and 1958 about a vampire hypnotizing and claiming beautiful young women in a small village. Unfortunately for us, The Vampire is not very easy to find in 2015. The good news is that The Vampire's Coffin actually holds up as a stand alone horror film. It does pick up where the previous story left off, but does enough simple exposition to connect the dots for those who haven't seen the original.
After surviving Count Karol de Lavud's brutal attacks, Dr. Enrique Saldivar returns to his medical practice, bringing near-victim Marta with him. Doctor Mendoza, enraptured by Salvdivar's tales of the vampire, hires a criminal to help him steal the Count's coffin and return to the hospital. The criminal is not satisfied with his payment and returns to steal the Count's hypnotic medallion, accidentally reviving the Count to wreak havoc again.
The Vampire's Coffin has a really great sense of style to its use of the vampire figure. Count Karol de Lavud has all the powers that most cinematic vampires aren't given. His powers are focused on hypnotism, not seduction, and it is through his mirrored charm that he gains his power. Further, this vampire is all about disappearing into the shadows and traveling without being noticed. His primary motivator is beauty over blood.
There's a lovely sense of melodrama to the proceedings, too. The actors all play their characters just a little broader than you might expect. It's a heightened reality where anything can happen.
The vampire story is not as interesting as the subplot in the film. Marta was so traumatized by her experience with Count Karol de Lavud in the previous story that everyone worries for her sanity. She's the last person to find out that the vampire has returned, and even after seeing him, everyone else at the medical center tries to protect her. Her survival is more important than their safety as they know the Count is driven by her beauty. It's a different take on the vampire's main target that adds some interesting tension to a pretty straightforward tale.
The Vampire's Coffin is not a particularly innovative horror, but it is a stylish black and white chiller. It combines a lot of unexpected settings with familiar vampire archetypes to scare. It's the perfect little antidote to the modern spins that try to fight against the more unbelievable elements of the myths.
The Vampire's Coffin is currently streaming on Netflix.