The Black Vampire
A 1953 Argentine film noir inspired by Fritz Lang's M.
Román Viñoly Barreto directed this 1953 Argentine film noir, a classical-era piece starring Olga Zubarry and Roberto Escalada. It takes its inspiration from Fritz Lang’s *M*.
Amalia, a glamorous nightclub singer, sees a man drop a small body into a storm drain through the barred window of her basement dressing room. The police call this man the vampire serial killer; he has been murdering little girls and vanishing without a trace. Prosecutor Dr. Bernard questions Amalia, but she falsely claims she saw nothing. If her job as a nightclub singer—seen as disreputable—comes to light, she could lose custody of her daughter. A merchant seaman spotted lurking near the crime scene gets arrested first, but he is only an adulterer having an affair. Dr. Bernard realizes he is innocent.
Meanwhile, a shy, self-effacing language teacher named Professor Ulber, always in a black overcoat, stalks a little girl. He disables the elevator in her building, catches her on the stairs, and kills her. The police set a trap: they stake out a girl on a sidewalk while watching from a car. Ulber is tempted but narrowly escapes. By chance, Ulber admires Cora, one of Amalia’s coworkers at the nightclub. He visits her often but only stares, pathologically inhibited. Cora tolerates and ridicules him, which worsens his deviant lust for children’s blood.
Dr. Bernard, sexually frustrated, cares for his saintly wife, who uses a wheelchair. When he questions Amalia again, sure she lied, he cannot resist seizing and kissing her. She rebuffs him. Amalia then admits she saw the vampire and explains why she stayed silent. The police suspect the nightclub owner, Gastón, has returned to drug trafficking. They raid the club, shoot and kill him, and close it. Jobless, Amalia brings her daughter home from school and leaves her with Cora while running an errand.
Professor Ulber visits Cora, who does not know he is the vampire. She sends him away by telling him to take Amalia’s daughter for a walk. He takes the girl to an amusement park, creating suspense that he might kill her. Ulber habitually whistles a tune—one of the numbers from Edvard Grieg’s *Peer Gynt* Suite, “In the Hall of the Mountain King.” Some homeless street beggars heard this tune while he escorted another little girl he later killed. One beggar, a Norwegian, recognizes it. When he hears it again as Ulber walks by with Amalia’s daughte
- title
- The Black Vampire
- original_title
- El vampiro negro
- year
- 1953
- country
- Argentina
- director
- Román Viñoly Barreto
- genre
- Film noir
- based_on
- Fritz Lang's M
Lore & Background
The film follows Amalia, a glamorous nightclub singer, who witnesses a man dumping a small body into a storm drain. The man, nicknamed the vampire serial killer, has been murdering little girls. Amalia falsely denies seeing anything to protect her custody of her daughter. Government Prosecutor Dr. Bernard questions her and later seizes and kisses her, but she rebuffs him and eventually admits what she saw.
Reader's Guide
The Black Vampire is an adaptation of Fritz Lang's M, but it alters the ending: unlike M, where the trial outcome is untold, Ulber is sentenced to death by hanging. The Film Noir Foundation regards it as 'extraordinary in every respect.' The film is notable for its suspenseful sequence where the killer whistles a tune from Edvard Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite, 'The Hall of the Mountain King,' which leads to his capture by beggars and police.
Did You Know?
- The film is inspired by Fritz Lang's M.
- The killer whistles a tune from Edvard Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite, 'The Hall of the Mountain King.'
- Unlike M, the killer is sentenced to death by hanging.
- The Film Noir Foundation regards the film as 'extraordinary in every respect.'
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is The Black Vampire?
The Black Vampire is the police nickname for a human serial killer who murders young girls and vanishes after every crime. He is not a supernatural creature; the label is simply what investigators call him while they try to track him down in 1950s Buenos Aires.
What powers or abilities does The Black Vampire have?
He possesses no supernatural traits at all—his 'vampire' name is purely a police designation. His real edge is an almost uncanny ability to disappear without a trace after each killing, leaving no fingerprints or witnesses behind.
How does The Black Vampire's story end?
Mirroring the structure of Fritz Lang's M, the killer is ultimately cornered and brought to justice rather than being defeated by any mystical force. The film resolves through human investigation and the testimony of its witnesses.
Why is The Black Vampire significant in Argentine cinema?
It is a rare 1953 Argentine film noir that openly adapts the narrative framework of Fritz Lang's M, making it a landmark of classical-era Latin American crime filmmaking. Director Román Viñoly Barreto used the story to explore urban paranoia, social stigma, and the suspicion faced by working-class women.
Who stars in The Black Vampire and who directed it?
Román Viñoly Barreto directed the picture, with Olga Zubarry playing Amalia, the nightclub singer who witnesses the killer deposit a body into a storm drain, and Roberto Escalada appearing alongside her in the cast.
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