SI MUERO ANTES DE DESPERTAR (1952)
aka The Lurking Vampire, El vampiro acecha
Article 4340 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 10-18-2013
Directed by Carlos Hugo Christensen
Featuring Nestor Zavarce, Blanca del Prado, Floren Delbene
Country: Argentina
What it is: Thriller

A child believes he has a clue to the identity of a man who killed one of his classmates, but he is either unable to tell or unable to convince the authorities. Can he prevent another child from being the next victim?

This movie entered my list under the title THE LURKING VAMPIRE, and for several years, I was unable to match it to any title on IMDB; searches on the given alternate title and on some of the cast members also proved fruitless. It’s only recently that IMDB matched the alternate title (EL VAMPIRO ACECHA) to the correct movie, and I realized that part of the problem was that my other sources claimed that certain actors listed (specifically, German Robles and Abel Salazar) were not, in fact, in the cast. The above plot description is a bit of a guess, as my copy of the movie is in Spanish without subtitles, but I did know a few facts to help me along; I knew the story involved a child murderer and a boy had to battle him. The Walt Lee guide says there are a few touches that make the killer potentially supernatural, and some of the scenes look spooky enough to back that up. I really wish I could have followed this one better; it looks like a tense little thriller, and there’s a memorable nightmare sequence in the middle of the movie. It’s apparently based on a story by Cornell Woolrich. This is one I really hope shows up for me someday with English subtitles and a good print.