A quaint Spanish village is in the grips of a paralyzing fear. Seems a crumbling castle on the outskirts of the town is living up to its myths of vampirism, and thus its inhabitants begin terrorizing the superstitious villagers. One family is particularly vulnerable to the nocturnal attacks, as their frail, diseased daughter (HORROR RISES FROM THE TOMB's Emma Cohen) Catherine appears to be linked to the ghastly castle. She soon becomes tied to the castle's assumed diseased Count Rudolf, and subsequently becomes part of an alternate lifestyle like no other.

Toothy smiles abound in veteran genre director Leon Klimovsky's 1975 film. Although Klimovsky enjoyed critical acclaim for his excellent contributions to Spanish horror superstar Paul Naschy's filmography (including 1972's DR. JEKYLL AND THE WEREWOLF) he is far less successful here. The film suffers from an acute listlessness seriously disrupting the rhythm of the narrative. The lack of forward momentum stems from a multitude of fascinating themes that Klimovsky never allows to fully blossom. Major plot threads (such as Catherine's seduction into the vampiric lifestyle) are all but forgotten at times in the film's relatively short genre running time. Other themes of interest that spring up throughout, such as the town doctor's everyday battle between his scientific beliefs and the town's crippling superstitions (garlic wreaths on doors, crosses scratched on windows), receive an unfortunate premature burial. This outcome is especially frustrating, considering the far more insightful treatment of this premise in Mario Bava's 1966 film KILL, BABY KILL.

It certainly can't help if the central story-Catherine's inevitable initiation into the vampiric cult- isn't strong enough to uphold a scant 93 minutes. This main focus of the film again falls victim to needless digressions, including a lame love story between Catherine and her boyfriend, John. Even this digression is sidetracked by still more distractions, such as the many eavesdroppings on the affairs of the villagers. The village color provides petty entertainment, and viewers will undoubtedly see the various vignettes for the filibuster they are when compared to the decidedly superior vampire sequences. The many village dialogues are further malnourished by largely flat and lifeless direction, rather atypical for Klimovsky. Apart from a few well-framed shots of funeral processions and the admittedly excellent castle scenery, the visual field is pretty well tamed here.

But just when the viewer is prepared to drive a stake in the film and declare it done, the main attraction (the vampires, of course) comes to the rescue. The musty rotting cemeteries fat with the undead undeniably steal the show. The atmosphere (and dry ice machines) is turned on full blast when the cloaked vampires rise to stalk the town. One scene in particular, where a fanged one shuffles to Catherine's bedroom window, both startles and invigorates the viewer, whom has inevitably been lulled to sleep beforehand. Both the climatic vampire hunt and vampire ball pack visual wallops as well. The castle interior, although rarely glimpsed until the final third of the film, is indeed a sight to behold. Tattered curtains, decaying walls, and silky cobwebs all fit the mold exceedingly well.

Unfortunately, it's just too little, too late. The sequences of vampiric horror, so essential to the film, are unfortunately in the minority. The film is further weakened by a strange score, an ultimately ineffectual mix of heavy rock and more traditionally thematic and overdone library cues. Finally, Catherine's many changes of heart simply don't ring true. The film never grants a satisfying reason as to why she finds the vampire lifestyle so alluring, and thus her doomed love with Count Rudolf seems forced and tacky. Similarly, the gruesome death of her boyfriend John by the hands of ravenous vampires lacks the essential pathos simply because their relationship is not allotted enough screen time to grow. What the viewer is left with is a largely unsuccessful patchwork of potentially intriguing ideas left out to rot or forgotten entirely. Only the excellent bloodsucking scenes allow the film the promise it has, but with so many other similar films of the period boasting far more robust interpretations of vampirism, it's hard for this largely flawed effort to claim its place in the horror graveyard.