Vampires
James Woods, Daniel Baldwin, Sheryl Lee
Grade: C+
After a lengthy hiatus from celluloid, vampires are back with a vengeance, attacking the local multiplexes and sucking the blood out of the box office (see if you can count all the puns in that last sentence). Earlier this year, we were treated to an interesting mix of comic book action with vampire trademark cliches, and now we are presented with John Carpenter’s Vampires, which is a mix of classic western cliches and vampire trademark cliches. This time, however, the mix is only half successful.
The plot basically involves vampire hunter Jack Crow (James Woods in a clever piece of casting) trying to track down the "first and most powerful" Master Bloodsucker Valek (Thomas Ian Griffith), after the previously mentioned vamp wipes out his entire team of slayers. There is a strong sense of the western showdown (with high noon replaced by midnight) to be seen here, and, while the film isn’t exactly an epitome of originality, it does have a few things to add to the vampire creation. But, in the end, this is just another attempt to drain some blood out of a monster that has been exhausted by cinema to the point that it has eventually become ridiculous.
John Carpetner has a nice way of mixing atmospheric horror at its best (Halloween) with tough, macho guy action at its best (Escape From New York), but his touch seems to be wearing with time. He had some good early success with The Thing and phenomenal success with cult classics such as Halloween and Escape From New York. Recently however, the "master of terror" seems to be slipping, as his sequel Escape From LA was a disappointment in terms of quality and box office. And while Vampires may not be as bad as Escape From LA, it sure isn’t Halloween, and James Woods, despite all of his talent, is no Kurt Russel.
Performances are good all around, which helps add to the tension a little bit, but the good acting in Vampires is mainly relfected through the film’s sense of humor. Even while blood is gusing, heads are rolling, and monsters are spontaneously combusting, John Carpenter and his cast keep the jokes flying in a manner so nonchalant that they become funny solely due to their impassive nature. James Woods is especially good as the tough talking master slayer who dedicates his life (or at least the film) to tracking and killing the master vampire, played very well by Thomas Ian Griffith. The buddy movie sidekick and the prostitute with the telepathic link to Valek are also played well by Daniel Baldwin and Sheryl Lee, respectively. But it’s Thomas Ian Griffith as the smirking, glaring, insanely tall master vampire who truly steals the show.
When I left the theater I was overhwhelmed by all the faults and imperfections with the film, but, during the running time, I wasn’t bored. Having said that, I must say that if I have to sit through another movie that consists of a) psycho Roman Catholic drivel, b) magic crosses/wooden stakes, or c) even the mention of drinking blood... I’m going to have to start writing some letters.
Movie Reviews starting with "V"
James Brundage's Review of Vampires