FANGORIA® - Celebrating 30 Years of Horror 1979-2009 - Horror Movies, Music, Comics, Books, and more. Dedicated to the Preservation of All Things Horror...

While the 1990’s offered few great Vampire films, there were a good fistful of entertaining, and enjoyable contributions. One of which, was helmed by Master of Macabre John Carpenter. Carpenter, who has made a reputation by creating outlandish, and often over-the-top genre pieces rounded up a fitting cast to once again, pull no punches.


VAMPIRES focuses on a group of joyriding vampire hunters led by the erratic Jack (James Woods) Crow. Along with Crow the posse consists of suave tough guy Anthony (Daniel Baldwin) Montoya, Father (Gregory Sierra) Giovanni, and Catlin (longtime genre veteran Mark Boone Junior, who you may recognize from such films as 30 DAYS OF NIGHT, WRISTCUTTERS, and I STILL KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER) amongst others. For this band of mercenaries, the goal is to eliminate the first, and oldest living vampire Jan Valek (Thomas Ian Griffith), before he can locate the Berziers Cross, which holds the power to enable Valek (and those succeeding him) to exist by daylight.

Believing they’ve pinpointed Valek’s hideout, Crow and his crew raid an abandoned home, and dispense of all resident blood suckers, only to discover that Valek is nowhere to be found. With the sun falling, the gang heads for shelter at a motel in rural Mexico. While the guys are celebrating a somewhat successful invasion, Crow is priming his libido with local hooker Katrina (Sheryl Lee). Katrina heads for Jack’s room, and Jack heads back to the party to announce his nightly departure. With the fiesta in full bloom, and the hunters guard down, Valek makes a surprise appearance and one by one eliminates (in splendid fashion) Crow’s entire crew save for Anthony Montoya. Severely disadvantaged, Crow and Montoya make a run for it. Realizing she’s been bitten, the two grab Katrina and head for safety.

After recruiting greenhorn priest Adam Guiteau, the remaining hunters once again hit the road. Hoping to channel the telekinetic link between vampire and victim, they bring Katrina to act as a beacon. It works like a charm. Before long Valek and Crow come face to face in a final showdown that will determine the possessor of the cross, and the ultimate fate of mankind.

One of Carpenter’s weaker efforts, VAMPIRES falls into the ‘so-bad-it’s-good’ category. The plot itself is re-recycled, the dialog consists of more ham than a Christmas dinner, and the acting, for the most part is stiff and unnatural. That being said, the cinematography is impressive, the scenery is appropriately dismal, and Edward Warschilka did a fine job of editing this piece. I’ve noted that the acting is on the sub par side, but interestingly enough it’s James Woods’ over-the-top performance that saves the film from complete innocuity. While JOHN CARPENTER’S VAMPIRES isn’t a great film, it’s a laughably fun 108 minutes that pairs up perfectly with Robert Rodriguez’ 1996 effort FROM DUSK TILL DAWN.