Old Mother Riley Meets the Vampire. Bela Lugosi plays a mad scientist with plans for world domination by creating an army of comical looking robots. He also sleeps in a coffin but whether he is an actual vampire isn't so clear. Can Mother Riley, played by Arthur Lucan in drag, thwart his evil plan? It's common knowledge that Lugosi's health went down hill at this time, as did the quality of the films that he appeared in, and this, in my opinion, is the worst. It's a British slapstick comedy which may have been funny in the 1950s but now is just a chore to watch. OK, there are a few funny moments, just not enough. Couldn't wait for The End. Interesting to see a young Hattie Jacques from the Carry On films. Had Lugosi not been in this film then I wouldn't have bothered to watch it. And I certainly won't again.

Arthur Lucan plays the female lead, "Mother Riley", and Lucan's schtick involved playing an old hag in both a series of films as well as on stage. Unfortunately, Lucan looked and sounded nothing like an old woman and instead seemed to be one of the least talented "actors" ever to grace the silver screen. What made it worse was the way that the film's director and producer added "funny" sound effects and optical effects in order to supposedly heighten the humor. All this really did was loudly and very unconvincingly announce "this is really funny--look everyone--isn't this hilarious?!". The film had all the subtlety and charm of an obnoxious four year-old who thinks everyone wants to watch him recite and tell jokes. Also included for "laughs" are a giant stupid robot (a sure sign the movie is in trouble), a "hilarious" song by that accursed Mother Riley and opening credits that feature a song that might encourage suicide. If Anmesty International got wind of all this, they might try to condemn the movie as a form of cruel and unusual punishment.Unfortunately, as a result of all this badness, Bela Lugosi is 100% wasted in the film and generally looks rather lost. He could have been funny or scary (like he was in ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN), but the Mother Riley character was so pushy, detestable and awful that Lugosi's performance (as well as a plot) are completely overwhelmed by the eminently hate-able Lucan. You just wanted it all to end!After seeing this film, I wonder why Bela Lugosi's last film (PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE) is so famous for being the worst movie ever made. Sure, it's very incompetently made and inept in every way--but at least it's fun to watch. On the other hand, MOTHER RILEY MEETS THE VAMPIRE might be one of the most annoying and pathetically unfunny films ever made and watching it will likely induce a humongous migraine!! Painfully bad and awful in every possible way!! I hated this movie and hate everyone who made it. I really wish I could give it a score lower than 1!!! Curse all of you responsible for this bilge.Did I mention that I didn't like it?!

I, too, first saw this film at the Classic Cinema in Hammersmith. And to me, it was hilarious. But for so many of us growing up in England, the Old Mother Riley films were always a definite treat so that it's not surprising that so many of them were made. And at the time, I'd never even heard of Bela Lugosi. There is no question that the humour in this film is understood best by those of us born and raised in England. And having lived in New York for many years, it's only in recent months that I finally saw, once again, the original version of the film. It's also remarkable for its fine cast of British character actors which includes the now legendary Dora Bryan who, after many years, remains unknown to Americans. I just don't think that Americans could ever truly appreciate or understand the full significance of this film and its importance as the final screen appearance of a British cinema legend. And yes, in the scene where a trolley bus is standing at a traffic light, it does, indeed, appear to be a 660 which I would have used to get home from the cinema after the film was over.

Yes this really is something of a clinker. A real poverty row, "quota quickie" that is really only of interest because of the bizarre teaming of British variety veteran Arthur Lucan (Old Mother Riley) and horror movie icon Bela Lugosi. Both are well past their prime and the knowledge that poor old Bela was quite ill at the time makes the whole thing quite a melancholy experience. However that being said there is a kind of earthy British working class exuberance to be found in some of the comedy. Lucan and his veteran writer Valentine,knew his audience and their preoccupations as exemplified in the early scenes in Mother Riley's corner shop. Jokes about post war rationing, living on "tick" (a slang term for credit Mr and Mrs America)etc. would've been fairly well received. (But the actual set for the shop is tawdry and really displays the cheapness of the budget). Still Lugosi does seem to enjoy the Vaudeville banter with Lucan. In Lucan's case this was probably more a matter of sheer professionalism rather than genuine enthusiasm as at the time he was, by all accounts, a deeply unhappy man due to an acrimonious split from his wife and former stage partner Kitty Mc Shane. The U.S. version starts incongruously with a song by Allen Sherman (I'll bet he never even saw the film)and some sketchy cartoon graphics that simply do not fit in with the narrative that follows. It's all a bit of a rag bag of second hand, slightly misunderstood horror movie cliché's (vampires, mad scientists, robots etc.)recycled in a half hearted kind of way but not totally without interest. Although of more interest to ageing Brits, like myself than to anyone else, I suspect. Only buy a copy if it's really cheap. It's a one screening curio. You'd have to be a serious masochist or else have no life to really want to see it more than once.