There was a weird period in the aughts where movie studios were becoming more and more open to adapting superhero and comic book movies, but weren’t quite committed just yet. Meanwhile they did release some movies that were comic book like in nature and concept, and while they kind of bombed critically and or financially, I enjoyed them quite a bit. A few of them were even ahead of their time in many respects. Here are five that I think are woefully under appreciated, and deserve more notice, even if they aren’t what I’d call flawless or masterpieces.
Author Archives: Felix Vasquez
King On Screen (2023)
The best thing about “King on Screen” is the prologue by Daphne Baiwir which finds her walking in to a shop called the “Creepshop” where she hopes to show a painting she’d purchased. The setting, the characters, and the items in the shop are all subtle visual and verbal references to Stephen King and elements of Stephen King’s stories. It’s something that hooked me in right away and I quite loved the entire effects of Baiwir being savvy to King enough to deliver something of an ode to King. It compensates for “King on Screen” which, in its root, is another basic talking head documentary.
The Tomb of Dracula (Yami no Teiō: Kyūketsuki Dorakyura) (1985)
DRACULA WEEK
Also known as “Dracula Sovereign of the Damned,” and “The Emperor of Darkness: The Vampire Dracula,” Toei’s “Tomb of Dracula” is loosely adapted from the “The Tomb of Dracula” Marvel Book comic series published from 1972 to 1979. I like to think the Marvel comics are so much better than what Toei has offered fans, as they squeeze in all of those stories in to such a hastily made ninety minute movie. And you can tell there’s so much here added in a rush as the movie is so badly made.
Ranking the Classic Movie Monster Reboots from Best to Worst
DRACULA WEEK
With “The Last Voyage of the Demeter” coming to theaters on Friday, we’re going to see a pretty interesting interpretation of Dracula. I am quite excited to see what it has to offer horror fans and have re-visited a lot of the classic movie monsters and the studios’ efforts to reboot and re-imagine a lot of their classic IP’s. While I’m hoping “The Last Voyage of Demeter” makes Dracula horrifying again, I ranked all of the attempts at Rebooting Classic Movie Monsters from Best to Worst.
Dracula Untold (2014)
DRACULA WEEK
It’s a damn shame that Universal just didn’t have enough confidence in Gary Shore’s treatment of Dracula to warrant it a follow up. “Dracula Untold” is a good enough movie all on its own, but it was also teeming with so much potential for a larger scale sequel that reversed all roles. Where as Dracula is the hero of “Untold” and Dominic Cooper the villain as Mehmed, the Turkish Sultan, it would have been fun to see the descendant of Mehmed, played by Cooper also, as now a law abiding police officer who engages in a new war with the modern version of Dracula. That’s just the writer in me building on head canon, but “Dracula Untold” is a very good interpretation of Bram Stoker’s novel.
Dan Curtis’ Dracula (1974)
DRACULA WEEK
Also known as “Dracula,” and “Bram Stoker’s Dracula,” Dan Curtis, the creator of “Dark Shadows” adapts (I use the term loosely) the bare essentials of Bram Stoker’s iconic novel. I say “the bare essentials” because for a movie written by Richard Matheson, there isn’t much that the movie strives for beside delivering a Dracula movie and nothing else. There’s no re-interpretation, or any kind of drastic changes to the narrative, save for Jonathan Harker’s fate, which is quite gruesome.
Dear Dracula (2012)
DRACULA WEEK
I think I recall “Dear Dracula” airing on cable television back in 2012, but I never paid it much attention. It’s too bad because considering its obviously small budget, “Dear Dracula” is a fun and funny animated film. Maybe it’s because I can relate to young hero Sam and his love for characters like Dracula and the Wolfman over characters like Santa or the Tooth Fairy.