Americans who are familiar with Mexican horror films of the '50s, '60s and '70s probably know the genre best from the movies imported to the U.S. by K. Gordon Murray. Flicks like The Brainiac, Wrestling Women Vs. the Aztec Mummy and the many films featuring masked wrestler Santo were often crudely dubbed before playing U.S. theaters or going directly to television. CasaNegra Films is giving audiences a chance to see several Mexican scare classics in their native Spanish with English subtitles for the first time. I recently viewed their release of The Black Pit of Dr. M, and it plays like a lost Universal horror flick. The Vampire Collection, releasing on Halloween day, contains the 1957 film El Vampiro (The Vampire) and its sequel 1958's El Ataúd del Vampiro (The Vampire's Coffin) on a two-disk set.

The first film tells the tale of young Marta (Ariadna Welter) who learns that her family is under the demonic control of Count Luvad (Germán Robles). As he feeds on the blood of the locals and aims to raise his brother from the dead, Marta and the mysterious Dr. Enrique (Abel Salazar) threaten the Count. The wrath of El Vampiro then reigns down upon them. In the sequel, Count Luvad returns thanks to those unsung heroes of many a horror film: bumbling grave robbers. Once free, El Vampirio is thirsty for both hemoglobin and revenge. Guillermo Del Toro calls director Fernando Mendez (who also directed the aforementioned The Black Pit of Dr. M) "one of the Mexican masters of fantastic cinema," which is recommendation enough for me.

As if having these two obscure gems on DVD wasn't enough, the package is liberally dosed with extra features including:
  • Original Uncut Versions
  • Both Films Completely Re-Mastered Picture & Sound from Newly Restored Vault Elements
  • Bilingual Menus in English & Spanish
  • Audio Commentary by Robert Cotter, Author of The Mexican Masked Wrestler & Monster Filmography
  • Photo Essay: Fear a la Mexicana! Mexican Horror Cinema, 1953 to 1965
  • DVD ROM: Complete 1976 French Photo Novel of The Vampire's Coffin
  • The Original U.S. Theatrical Release Radio Spots
  • Exclusive CasaNegra Loteria Game Card
  • Abel Salazar's 1995 Obituary from The Boston Globe
  • Cast Biographies
  • Extensive Poster and Stills Gallery