A mad scientist and his bevy of vampires terrorize a German village. A detective and a witch set out to stop them.
A European village is alarmed by a number of unexplained deaths that the local police are unable to solve. The authorities call in Inspector Doren of Interpol, and the only clue the Chief Constable can give the detective is the fact that, each time a murder was committed, the electric lights in the whole neighborhood went out. The locals believe that the killings of the young girls are linked to the vague shadows in the caves under the local castle and to the mysterious Curse of the Green Eyes. They distrust the inspector and offer no assistance when still another murder takes place at the village inn---in the room next to that occupied by the inspector---and the body disappears. There are many suspects: the chattering innkeeper; the mysterious Professor Adelsberg; his manservant John ; the deaf-and-dumb Tom; and the inscrutable doctor, who has been issuing strange death certificates. Doren moves to the castle, where Professor Adelsberg is carrying out some scientific studies. There he meets the Professor's pretty assistant Karin. She is marked as the next victim.—Les Adams <[email protected]>
While he's supposed to be on vacation, Inspector Frank Dorin [Adrian Hoven] is sentto investigate the deaths of six women. In all cases, the village doctor [Carl Mohner]has ruled the deaths as natural (heart failure), and the only thingsuspicious is 1) they were all between the ages of 18 and 22, and 2) eachdeath was accompanied by a one-hour blackout of all electrical power inthe village. On the inspector's first night in the village, his car goesdead, his flashlight battery dies, he meets Karin Schumann [Karin Field] who is workingas a secretary to Professor von Adelsberg [Wolfgang Preiss] who is conducting blood researchin the castle on the hill, the Professor's assistant Maria is murdered in the room next tohis at the inn, his infrared viewer is stolen from his car by the village deaf guy,Thomas [Emmerich Schrenk], and he learns of the local superstition about vampiresliving in the nearby grottoes.
The next morning, on the advice of the innkeeper, Inspector Doringoes to see Old Nanny , the village witch. Nanny tells him that thevampires were forced by a curse into the grottoes over 200 years ago andthat each night they come forth at midnight for one hour minus one minutelooking for blood. Nanny gives Dorin a cross to protect him from thevampires and a bag of powdered thorns from mountain roses picked at fullbloom on Walpurgisnacht, which will reverse the curse of vampirism ifsprinkled on a freshly-made wound.
After his visit with Old Nanny, Dorin is visited by the Professor's manservantJohn [John Kitzmiller], who invites him to come and stay at the castle. Dorinaccepts, but first he investigates the grottoes, with John accompanyinghim. Other than some loose stalagtites, their search reveals nothing. Uponreturning from the caves, Dorin gets a message from headquartersinstructing him to get a blood test on Maria. Unfortunately, she hasreawakened as a vampire, and her body has disappeared
That night, Dorin moves over to the castle and is pleased to begreeted by Karin. Later, as Karin changes into her nightgown and preparesfor bed, she notices for the first time that the professor opens lockeddoors and casts no reflection in her mirror. As Dorin sleeps, twovampiresses enter his room through a secret passage behind a largepicture, but they are thwarted by Nanny's cross around his neck.
The next morning, Dorin notices the picture, which opens up to reveala passage into the caves. Before he gets a chance to explore it, however,the police drop by to inform him that Maria's body has been found at thebottom of a well. This allows the doctor to get his blood sample, whichNanny pours on a snake. The snake dies, and Nanny acclaims it as proof ofvampire blood. Today is also Karin's last day working for the professor.When she gives him her resignation, he asks her to do one last thing--rundown to the crypt and bring up an old bible.
On her way down...down...down the spider-ridden passage to the crypt,a gate suddenly swings shut, and Karin is trapped. Fortunately, Johnnotices that Karin has vanished, tells Dorin, and Dorin goes looking forher. In making their way out of the crypt, they happen upon a coffin thatlooks recently slept in and contains a book of instructions for vampires.As they read the book, the doctor arrives with the news that Maria's bodyhas disappeared again and that the power is out to the whole village. Theysearch for Maria's body but find nothing, so they send Karin back to thecastle while they continue to search.
Along the way back to the castle, Karin is attacked by Maria. Herscreams bring Dorin and the doctor running, but it is too late.Fortunately, Dorin remembers Nanny's antivampire powder, sprinkles it onKarin's wounds, and she is saved. Nanny then gives Dorin a stake andhammer and explains how to use them on the Master in order to free thevillage of the vampires' curse. The doctor and the villagers search thevillage while Dorin, John, and Karin (with her shirt open and black brashowing) search the grottoes. They find the professor lying in his coffinand easily stake him. As he bursts into flames, Maria dies again and Doringives Karin his jacket to cover up her bra. As John carries Maria's bodyout of the grotto, he turns back to Dorin and says, "Vampires...I dobelieve!"
Original Synopsis by bj_kuehl
