El Vampiro de la Autopista (1971)



(AKA:The Vampire of the Freeway, and The Horrible Sexy Vampire) This Spanish vampire film features a blood sucker who resembles an eighties slasher more than your standard vampire. The creature serves to simply knock off one hapless victim after another - with a special ability to turn invisible.

















































CHARACTERS
RATING: ☆☆☆☆☆ 5/10

REVIEW: This was a really fun vampire movie - and also a bit of an odd one; definitely not your cookie-cutter vampire flick. The big complaint is that there are a lot of mind-numbingly boring scenes. For instance, the initial scene where the medical examiner talks to the inspector - this goes on for ten full minutes. Then we have a ton of scenes with the German detectives going on and on about who-cares-what. A shame. This could have been a cult favorite, but I think those boring bits are too often and too long to hold the attention of an audience. Still, I enjoyed it. As Greg says on On Cinema at the Cinema, this is a "five bagger".


PAUSE ALERT


You'll have to be pretty quick with the pause button on this one. As the vampire rips off Mary Trovar's panties, we get quite a view - but it's only for a split second. There were two very distinct versions released of this film due to Franco's regime making sleaze a capital offense. I'm guessing this wasn't in the Franco version. And here's a bit of VZ1 trivia for you - I lived in Spain during this time! 


SYNOPSIS


Regina (Ada Tauler) and her husband stop in at a lonely hotel along a dark deserted road. They hear a noise, but it's just an open window. Regina gets ready for a bath. But it's her husband that ends up getting killed in the shower. You see, this vampire can turn invisible! A medical examiner shows the inspector Regina's marking on her neck. Later, he hands the inspector Bram Stoker's Dracula and tells him that he suspects the killer is a vampire. Every twenty-eight years since the 1800s victims have died in a similar manner. He suspects the killer is Count Winneger who supposedly died long ago. They inspect Count Winneger's tomb.He seems to be safely dead. Surprise! Count Winneger is back from the dead. He kills them both.

Count Winneger's heir has come to Germany to claim his ancestral estate. But first he's got to get currency and a rental car. Marianne (Patricia Loran) comes home from work. She gets undressed for a shower. Hearing a noise, she investigates. It's Count Winneger! Marianne is dead. Count Oblensky (Wal Davis) arrives at his ancestral estate and notes a painting of Count Winneger. A detective (Barta Barri) and his assistant (José Marco) have a few questions for Oblensky. A barmaid is about to end her shift. She gets changed into something special for her boyfriend. They have sex and she goes to the bathroom to brush her hair. Count Winneger strikes. He kills the boyfriend and then the barmaid.

The detective continues to probe Oblensky. Oblensky's main squeeze, Susan (Susan Carvasal), arrives. She enters his bedroom in a see-through nightie, which she quickly removes. We meet another barmaid (Mary Trovar). She goes to meet her boyfriend, but never quite makes it there. Count Winneger kills her and lays her on a table. He rips off her panties.

Susan takes a bath. She hears a noise. Count Winneger approaches invisible. Oblensky comes to her rescue, but is punched around by the invisible vampire. It does give Susan enough time to run to safety. Oblensky whips out the crucifix. He then slams a stake through the vampire's chest. As if that wasn't cool enough, he does it while wearing a snakeskin jacket. Count Winneger has been vanquished. Susan and Oblensky live happily, vampire-free. THE END


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