While a malady is claiming the lives of young women in a Western town, a sinister gunslinger-for-hire Drake Robey is really a vampire, and it's up to Preacher Dan to save the town and girlfriend Dolores Carter.
The cinema's first vampire Western! Young women in a small Western town are dying one by one of an unknown malady involving massive blood loss. The Carter family's ranch is being terrorized by ruthless land baron Buffer. And a mysterious black-clad gunfighter with an aversion to sunlight has just arrived in town.—Marty McKee <[email protected]>
The Old West, 1860. Don Robles sent his son Drago to Spain onbusiness, necessitating that he leave behind his new bride Isabella. InDrago's absence, Isabella turned to Drago's brother Roberto forcompanionship. When Drago returned and discovered their relationship, hekilled his brother. Unable to live with his deed, Drago then killedhimself. But that wasn't the end of Drago Robles.
About 20 years later. Water has always been a priceless commodity toranchers and farmers in the American West. He who owns the rights to wateris often an important figure in the community. Even more important,however, is that he share that water with those less fortunate. Much bloodhas been spilled over water rights and between those who had water andthose who did not. So it is, between Dr John Carter [John Hoyt] and his neighbor,Buffer [Bruce Gordon]. Buffer has water, and he is doing everything possible, includingplacing a dam on the stream, to drive out Doc Carter so that he can gethis hands on the Carter ranch.
But Doc Carter has another problem just now. Young girls all overtown are dying of some mysterious epidemic. The Fuller girl died an hourago, but it looks like young Cora [Nancy Kilgas] is going to pull through. Preacher DanYoung [Eric Fleming] has not stirred from her side all night, and she is doing betterthis morning. When offered some coffee and breakfast, Dan realizes howhungry he is and joins everyone in the kitchen. They were just pouring thecoffee when Cora's scream is heard. By the time Dan gets to her bedside,Cora is dead. As he kneels down to pray, Dan notices two small, bloodyholes in her neck.
Since there is nothing more he can do, Doc Carter rides out to hisranch where he lives with daughter Dolores [Kathleen Crowley] and son Tim [Jimmy Murphy]. Tim is extremelyupset when Doc arrives. He tells his father how Buffer's men body-beat himafter he tried to bust down the dam, and then Buffer fired four bulletsthrough his hat. Doc Carter decides to ride back into town to talk withSheriff Bill [Edward Binns], who promises to do something about Buffer. By the time theDoc's buckboard gets home, however, he is dead. After his funeral the nextday, the vampire beds down in Doc's coffin.
Grief-stricken over the loss of his father, Tim flies into a ragewhen he learns that the fence at the back 40 has been torn down and thecattle are escaping. Certain that Buffer is behind it, Tim plies himselfwith booze and then goes gunning for Buffer. Unfortunately, Bufferresponds to Tim's challenge, and Tim suffers the consequences. Alone now,Dolores hangs Gun Wanted posters all over town, offering $100 to anyonewho can gun down the murderer. Drake Robey [Michael Pate] answers the call, but notbefore he has a talk with Buffer. Buffer identifies himself as the"murderer" in the poster, and Robey promises that he will kill Buffer ifhe takes the job. Buffer considers this a threat on his life, so one ofhis men fires a shot at Robey. He swears he hit Robey dead center, yetRobey just walks away.
Robey takes the job and moves onto the Carter ranch, much to PreacherDan's concern. That night, Robey sucks a little blood from Dolores whileshe sleeps.
Buff is worried. He wants the sheriff to run Robey out of town, butDan points out that there's nothing the sheriff can do until Robey breaksthe law. Dan offers Buffer an alternative. He is to put up $5,000 in gold.Anytime anything goes wrong on Dolores' ranch, even one nail falling fromone fencepost, it's going to cost Buffer $1,000. Buff isn't happy with thedeal, but he goes along with it.
The next morning, Dan stops at the Carter ranch to tell Dolores aboutthe deal with Buffer. He is surprised to find her looking tired,complaining of the cold and very compliant with his request that she fireRobey, after she practically threw Dan out last night when he expressedhis mind about her hiring Robey in the first place. Dolores releases Robeyfrom his contract, and he leaves. Dolores and Dan spend the day going overDoc's papers, looking for his will. It's growing late, so Dan takes thesafety box home with him to get the papers in order and record them at thecounty seat. After Dan leaves, Robey comes to see Dolores. He claims to be losingthe ability to see in sunlight and offers his services as a nightrange-rider who can keep an eye on Buffer and his men while the rest ofthe ranch-hands are sleeping. Dolores gives him the job.
Meanwhile, Dan is looking through the papers in the box when he comesacross a map that shows the Carter ranch as part of Rancho Robles and adiary written by Don Robles that details the story of his son Drago. Ittells how, shortly after Drago's death, the young girls in town begandying mysteriously and how Don Robles heard Isabella scream one night andfound his dead son Drago drinking her blood. In an attempt to end the workof the devil, Don Robles plunged a knife through the heart of his son ashe lay in his coffin. The next day, only the dagger remained.
Drago Robles...Drake Robey...Dan is beginning to piece it together.When he tells Dolores about his discovery, plus the fact that Robey cameto him later that night and stole the map, Dolores doesn't believe him, sothey go to the crypt to look for the body of Drago Robles. His coffin isempty...except for a silver dagger. When Dan suggests they look in all thecoffins, including those of her father and brother, Dolores goes ballisticand refuses. Dan leaves to get a court order. Dolores, apparently weakfrom loss of blood as well as from throwing a fit over the opening of thecoffins, collapses on the floor of the crypt. Robey pops out of the Doc'scoffin, drinks a little more blood from Dolores, then carries her backhome to her bed.
When Dolores awakens, she is disoriented, not knowing how she gothome from the crypt, and she is angry at Robey...until he shows her themap of Rancho Robles and points out that the stream Buffer has beendamming up is actually on HER property. Robey goes into town to show themap to Buffer. Buffer doesn't buy it . He draws a gun on Robey, shoots,and hits him; Robey shoots back, kills Buffer, and walks away.
Dolores tells Robey that Dan is going to get a court order to openthe graves. Robey promises to stop him. He goes into town to talk Dan outof it, but Dan won't be stopped. They challenge each other to a shoot-out.Since Robey has the advantage with the gun, he gratiously offers Dan theright to call the turn. Robey begins to walk away. Dan calls the shot.Robey turns, Dan shoots, Robey shoots, but it's too late. Dan's bullethits, and Robey falls to the ground and turns to dust...right in front ofDolores. Dan walks over to where Robey's clothes remain and fetches hisbullet...the one with the cross on it. [Original Synopsis by bj_kuehl]
