[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Cave of the Living Dead (1964)

Jess Franco regular Adrian Hoven stars as a police inspector investigating the deaths of seven girls from suspected vampirism in a sleepy old village.

Whilst the plot is pretty unoriginal, Cave of the Living Dead or Night of the Vampires as it was originally titled outside America, still manages to entertain. The plot whilst talky is fairly pacy and the film is nicely acted despite some atrocious dubbing which turns some characters into hilarious comedy stereotypes - see the innkeeper as a prime example.

Fortunately there are enough spooky Gothic subtleties on offer to counteract the unintentional humour. Witness gnarly hands clawing at a window and enough night time stalkings to make even the most hardened traveler prefer an evening chatting to the innkeeper in glorious overdub.