There are three reasons for “Bloodsucking Cinema” premiering on Starz! as part of the Fearfest Month. One: there’s the premiere of David Slade’s “30 Days of Night” which is, coincidentally centered around blood thirsty vampires in a terrain where night lasts for a full month. Two: Starz! is ringing in the holiday again with this great two hour documentary, and three: vampires are just flat out fantastic pieces of lore and the occult. Ever since I was a child from Bela Lugosi to Christopher Lee, vampires have been one of my primary focuses of the horror genre. They’re the easiest monster to create for the screen, and they’re the most prevalent, and that’s because there’s still so much to do with the vampire mythology.
Tag Archives: Vampires
Let’s Scare Jessica to Death (1971)
What helps “Let’s Scare Jessica to Death” pave the way as a genuine horror film, is that it’s more content with examining the pure madness of the human mind than it does splashing blood on the walls. Which is not to say there isn’t blood, but the madness of the entire premise is perfectly exemplified thanks to the often desolate set pieces before us. The farm house in which our characters reside, the small town down the road, and even the lake, are all spots that are perfectly maddening and morbid to the story.
Dracula – Masterpiece Theatre (2007)
It’s a requirement that anyone playing Lucy Westenra should possess a great deal of sexual allure, for the simple fact that it gives logic to Dracula’s hunt on her before going after Mina. And Sophia Myles hands the requirement like a pro. Myles is utterly ravishing in “Dracula” and she’s lusted after, for good reason, throughout much of the film, possessing her usual charm and likable charisma that makes her such a memorable actress. Myles also has a palpable chemistry with Leonidas, who manages to portray the charming innocence with Myles as the blonde siren that eventually gets bitey.
Crimson (2007)
Ah, good deeds. Don’t believe the hype folks. Sure it’s good for your karma, but it will inevitably come back to kick your ass every now and then. Have you ever heard the term “No Good Deed Goes Unpunished”? That’s the basic premise behind the short feature film from Richard Poche who builds his entire story around this chestnut that couldn’t prove any truer. “Crimson” is the story of women performing a good deed, and inevitably getting much more than they bargained for, and I have to tell you that I was admittedly excited upon viewing what Poche had to offer. And surely enough, Poche has an appealing visual style that makes “Crimson” a constantly vibrant production.
Blade: The Series
After a rather unspectacular opening, it’s pretty clear where we stand. The budget is low, and Sticky Fingaz (rapper turned actor) is basically imitating Wesley Snipes doing Blade. Rather than take his own personality and attribute it to the character of Blade, Mr. Fingaz seeks only to imitate Snipes. Suggestion from the director, or his own choice, either one is still an incredible misstep. Fingaz even imitates Snipes’ slight African accent, with no avail.
The accent jumps in and out, and there are expected changes to the plot. Now Blade has an entourage comprised of your usual characters, and the wolf pack, Whistler, Deacon Frost et al are all basically forgotten, and or never mentioned. Maybe it’s permanent or maybe they’re saving it for (wishful thinking on their part) future seasons. I liked the “Blade” series. While “Blade” may not have been a masterpiece, its successors were entertaining. It was only obvious a spin-off/series would be attempted. And it’s still a great idea.
Ultraviolet (2006)
I thought “Equilibrium” was a great action science fiction film that really showed that Kurt Wimmer had the possibility to create intelligent action films, but then he created “Ultraviolet”. Rule one of being in the art field, Kurt, never create copies of your previous work. People will know. “Ultraviolet” is one part Calvin Klein models gone psycho, one part music video, and one part tired genre fodder that takes basically any and every chance to keep from being original.
Bram Stoker's Way of the Vampire (2005)
Vampire movies are perhaps the easiest of the horror genre to make aside from zombie films. Some fake fangs, contacts, immense over acting and voila (watch the actors here attempt to mutter their lines through fake teeth!). You can go to an online store and simply type in “vampire” and you’ll come up with about seventy to a hundred vampire films. What’s rare about vampire films though, is that it’s extremely difficult to find a vampire movie that’s actually worth watching. I can think of only a few. “Bram Stoker’s The Way of the Vampire” is no exception to this rule.