The Black Vampire

The Black Vampire

Year: 1953

Runtime: 90 mins

Language: Spanish

Director: Román Viñoly Barreto

ThrillerDrama

A cabaret performer tries to protect her daughter from a mysterious killer while resisting the advances of the prosecutor pursuing the criminal.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – The Black Vampire (1953)

Explore the full timeline and setting of The Black Vampire (1953). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

Nightclub basement dressing room, alley behind the nightclub, storm drain, amusement park

The story unfolds across an urban clutter of spaces surrounding a nightclub: a dim basement dressing room, a shadowy alley with a storm drain, and an eerie amusement park where danger lingers. These locations create a tense backdrop for a killer stalking children and for the witnesses who might expose him. The contrast between glamorous nightlife and grim crime highlights the dual nature of the city in which the characters move.

🌃 Urban night scene 🎭 Noir atmosphere 🕵️ Crime investigation

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 15:01

Main Characters – The Black Vampire (1953)

Meet the key characters of The Black Vampire (1953), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Amalia Keitel (Olga Zubarry)

Amalia is a glamorous nightclub singer who witnesses the killer disposing of a body through a barred basement window. She hesitates to speak to the prosecutor for fear of losing custody of her daughter, revealing a protective, pragmatic side. Her courage grows as the investigation unfolds, showing resilience under pressure and a willingness to confront danger for her child’s sake.

🎤 Glamorous nightclub singer 🛡️ Protective mother 🕵️ Witness under pressure

Gastón (Pascual Pellicciotta)

Gastón is the nightclub owner under suspicion of narcotics trafficking. His involvement with the club places him at the heart of the investigation, and his sudden death during a police raid removes a key suspect and raises the stakes for everyone involved.

🎩 Nightclub owner 🕵️ Suspected in narcotics case 💥 Victim of raid

Teodoro Ulber (Nathán Pinzón)

Teodoro Ulber is a shy, overcoat-clad language teacher who leads a double life as a vampire killer. His inhibited demeanor masks a predatory psyche that exhales through stalking and murder, marked by a distinct whistle and a grim, methodical approach. He is ultimately captured and sentenced to death by hanging, marking the film’s stark end to his reign of terror.

🧠 Pathologically inhibited killer 🕵️ Silent predator 🎭 Dual life

Dr. Bernard (Roberto Escalada)

Dr. Bernard is the government prosecutor who questions Amalia and shows personal vulnerability through his devotion to his wheelchair-bound wife. He is sexually frustrated, and his desire creates tension with Amalia, complicating the professional boundaries of the investigation. He embodies the moral ambiguities present in the pursuit of justice.

⚖️ Prosecutor 🗝️ Moral ambiguity 🫂 Personal conflict

Cora (Nelly Panizza)

Cora is Amalia’s co-worker at the nightclub who endures Ulber’s unsettling attention. She interacts with the killer in a way that exposes the social circle surrounding Amalia and provides a human perspective on the dangers hidden within everyday life. Her steady presence contrasts with the film’s more sensational thriller elements.

🎤 Nightclub coworker 🫂 Loyal ally 👀 Observant

El noruego (Enrique Fava)

The Norwegian beggar who recognizes Ulber’s whistle from Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite and raises the alarm. His observation helps connect the killer’s pattern to a broader urban network of witnesses, illustrating how ordinary bystanders can influence the pursuit of a serial killer.

🧩 Clue to case 👂 Attentive witness

Presunto culpable (Georges Rivière)

The merchant seaman arrested as the first suspect represents the early misdirections in the investigation. He is ultimately not the killer, highlighting how initial leads can mislead investigators before the truth is uncovered.

🕵️ Suspect ⚖️ Early lead

Juez (Ricardo Argemí)

The judge presides over the case, signifying the formal machinery of law in the film’s narrative. His role anchors the story’s legal dimensions and the final judgment of Ulber.

⚖️ Judge 🏛️ Judicial authority

Sra. Bernard (Gloria Castilla)

Mrs. Bernard is the wheelchair-bound wife of Dr. Bernard, portrayed as a figure of saintly virtue. Her presence underscores the domestic stakes that drive the prosecutor’s actions and moral choices.

🛡️ Wife 💪 Saintly virtue

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 15:01

Major Themes – The Black Vampire (1953)

Explore the central themes of The Black Vampire (1953), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

⚖️ Justice

The film centers on the pursuit of justice for murdered children and the complexities of ensuring it through official channels. Amalia’s testimony and the prosecutor’s actions drive the investigation, while the threat to her custody adds personal stakes to the legal process. The resolution culminates in a harsh form of punishment for the killer, underscoring the film’s decisive stance on justice. Yet the drama also reveals how personal flaws can complicate pursuit of the truth.

🌀 Obsession

Teodoro Ulber is driven by a pathological fixation that manifests as a compulsion to kill, revealing the dangerous side of repressed desire. His shy, controlled exterior belies a violent impulse that he cannot fully contain, marked by symbols like the whistle from Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite. The pursuit hinges on recognizing patterns—behavior, setting, and inescapable clues—that eventually unravel his mask. The theme explores how obsession can contaminate both the killer and those entangled in his crimes.

🎭 Duality

The narrative juxtaposes glamour with menace, showing Amalia’s glittering nightclub world against the city’s hidden violence. Characters outwardly respectable—like a teaching professional—are revealed to harbor dangerous impulses, while ordinary spaces (stairwells, elevators, sidewalks) become stages for peril. This duality extends to justice and surveillance, where appearances mask insecurities and motives. The film uses urban life to illustrate how danger hides in plain sight.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 15:01

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The Black Vampire Summary

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The Black Vampire Summary

The Black Vampire Timeline

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The Black Vampire Timeline

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