Blood Relatives (2023)

I’m surprised with how much I enjoyed “Blood Relatives,” since it’s not so much a horror film, as it is more of a road trip drama comedy about two vampires. That’s not meant to disparage “Blood Relatives” at all, I found Noah Segan’s horror comedy to be quite good and a very engaging tale about a father and daughter learning to love one another and bond. What makes their dynamic even more difficult is that they have the whole vampire thing wedging between them, which amounts to considerable dramatic tension. Thankfully none of the dynamic ever really feels forced, as Noah Segan and Natalie Moroles have great chemistry.

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Subspecies V: Blood Rise (2023)

Playing at 26 Alamo Drafthouse locations for a special engagement on Monday, May 15th; the presentation will include an exclusive introduction and pre-recorded post-screening Q&A with members of the cast and director, Ted Nicolaou. Tickets available now at drafthouse.com

I have to give it to director Ted Nicolaou, he really does give his return to the “Subspecies” series what seems to be his very best. The “Subspecies” vampire series was one of the crowning jewels of Full Moon Films back in their heyday and cult director Ted Nicolaou re-visits it once more to complete the story of the villainous albeit tragic vampire lord Radu.

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Orchestrator of Storms: The Fantastique World of Jean Rollin (2022) [Fantasia 2022] 

In this documentary, the life and works of French filmmaker Jean Rollin is explored through interviews with contemporaries, film experts, and people who were close to him. Through scenes from his films, photos of life, and these interviews, viewers get to know the man and what inspired him. 

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Morbius (2022)

“Morbius, The Living Vampire” is one of those third tier Spider-Man villains who were never quite iconic, but also never someone you could write off as a lightweight. While he originated with Spider-Man he fit more in to the horror corner of the Marvel universe, and much like Marvel, his feature film debut doesn’t really know what to do with him, exactly. The movie audiences never seem to lose their appetites for stylish vampire movies, and “Morbius” had franchise written all over him to where could have served as an unofficial companion to the “Blade” movie series. It’s hard to believe that Sony could get “Morbius, the Living Vampire” so wrong from the gate.

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Hotel Transylvania: Transformania (2022) [Digital]

After four “Hotel Transylvania” movies it’s pretty obvious that by now, even Genndy Tartakovsky. I think despite his name being plastered all over this new sequel that he probably didn’t have much to do with its creation. Now that the series is four movies deep, along with a short lived TV series, “Transformania” feels so much less like a high stakes sequel, and a lot more like an extension of the TV series. Watching it, it felt like the studios merely took four scripts for the cancelled series, and stapled them together to create this hodgepodge adventure.

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The Vampire Lovers (1970): Collector’s Edition [Blu-Ray]

A replacement disc program is currently available for this disc. FOLLOW THIS LINK to request one. The cut of the film featured on the first pressing has an alternate edit of the iconic moment of Ingrid Pitt rising from the bathtub.

Filmmakers, writers, and artists alike have always been enamored with the legend of the vampire Carmilla. She’s a mystifying vampire and seductress who bewitches literally every woman she comes across, and “The Vampire Lovers” sets her front and center. While Ingrid Pitt as Carmillla is arguably the central character, she’s hardly what you would define as a heroine. She exists to feast on men and indulge in other women.

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