Horror movie mini-reviews:Vampire edition
Fright Night(1985)-A high school boy thinks a vampire moved in next door and tries to get a film vampire killer to help him. A little dated, but my favorite vampire film of the 80's.
B+
Dracula(1931)-Dracula(Bela Lugosi) goes to London and tries to make a woman his vampire bride. Okay, the direction could have been better and tighter yet this is my favorite version of this story.
A
Dracula (Spanish version-1931)-Same as above and filmed on the same sets yet with a different cast and crew. What's better than the Lugosi version? The direction is far better with different camera angles and prime use of the sets. Lupita Tovar is great as Eva (the Mina character).
What's worse?Carlos Villarias(Dracula) is no Bela Lugosi as he struggles and severely overacts. Also Eduardo Arozamena (Van Helsing) is no Edward Van Sloan
A-
Count Dracula(1970)-Count Dracula(Christopher Lee) tries to pull in a young woman into being his bride. This Italian made film claimed to be a faithful adaption of Stoker's book. There are a few parts from the book, but there is a lot of mess in this cheapie as well and even Lee can't save it.
D
John Carpenter's Vampires(1998)-Vampire hunters in the southwest run into a powerful vampire. The concept of a vampire western and the opening hunting scene are very good, but it crawls after that. Good idea is wasted on mediocre melodrama.
C-
Taste the blood of Dracula(1970)-Dracula(Christopher Lee) tries to get revenge on three men who killed one of his followers. It's obvious that Dracula was stuck in this script late in the game. However the acting is good and the sets are strong.
B
Kiss of the vampire(1963)-A cult of vampires living near a mountain town attempt to pull in a young newlywed woman. I love this film for it's approach to vampirism as a disease.
A-
Count Yorga, vampire(1970)-Young people get pulled in by a vampire living in LA. Benefits from being a little brutal at times, but is hurt by cliches such as Yorga wearing a cape in 1970.
C+
Planet of the vampires(1965)-Not really vampires like the blood sucking variety, but more like living undead. A rescue spaceship finds a missing ship, but the crew begin acting strange and members of the rescue mission go missing. Italian film from Mario Bava (Black Sabbath, Black Sunday) that's just okay for the story, but visually stunning and odd for the time.
B-
Blade(1998)-A half human/half vampire martial artist takes on vampires. The action and fight scenes are stunning, but it's like a big music video at times.
B
B+
Dracula(1931)-Dracula(Bela Lugosi) goes to London and tries to make a woman his vampire bride. Okay, the direction could have been better and tighter yet this is my favorite version of this story.
A
Dracula (Spanish version-1931)-Same as above and filmed on the same sets yet with a different cast and crew. What's better than the Lugosi version? The direction is far better with different camera angles and prime use of the sets. Lupita Tovar is great as Eva (the Mina character).
What's worse?Carlos Villarias(Dracula) is no Bela Lugosi as he struggles and severely overacts. Also Eduardo Arozamena (Van Helsing) is no Edward Van Sloan
A-
Count Dracula(1970)-Count Dracula(Christopher Lee) tries to pull in a young woman into being his bride. This Italian made film claimed to be a faithful adaption of Stoker's book. There are a few parts from the book, but there is a lot of mess in this cheapie as well and even Lee can't save it.
D
John Carpenter's Vampires(1998)-Vampire hunters in the southwest run into a powerful vampire. The concept of a vampire western and the opening hunting scene are very good, but it crawls after that. Good idea is wasted on mediocre melodrama.
C-
Taste the blood of Dracula(1970)-Dracula(Christopher Lee) tries to get revenge on three men who killed one of his followers. It's obvious that Dracula was stuck in this script late in the game. However the acting is good and the sets are strong.
B
Kiss of the vampire(1963)-A cult of vampires living near a mountain town attempt to pull in a young newlywed woman. I love this film for it's approach to vampirism as a disease.
A-
Count Yorga, vampire(1970)-Young people get pulled in by a vampire living in LA. Benefits from being a little brutal at times, but is hurt by cliches such as Yorga wearing a cape in 1970.
C+
Planet of the vampires(1965)-Not really vampires like the blood sucking variety, but more like living undead. A rescue spaceship finds a missing ship, but the crew begin acting strange and members of the rescue mission go missing. Italian film from Mario Bava (Black Sabbath, Black Sunday) that's just okay for the story, but visually stunning and odd for the time.
B-
Blade(1998)-A half human/half vampire martial artist takes on vampires. The action and fight scenes are stunning, but it's like a big music video at times.
B
posted by Metal Mark at
3:30 PM
6 Comments:
Queen of the Damned ranks as one of my favorite vampire movies. I admit that I watch the videos on the DVD more than the actual movies. Jonathon Davies crafted a great track.
I must admit The Lost Boys is my favorite cheeseball 80s movie. Other than that, along with the classics, I also love Interview With a Vampire and Shadow of the Vampire with Willem DeFoe. But I really didn't like Blade at all for whatever reason. Oh, and since you have kids, you'll have to incorporate The Little Vampire from Disney in your collection. :)
I liked Fright Night, too. Underworld was fun, if music video-like (a la Blade). I just saw part of an awful, truly awful, movie "starring" Erika Eleniak that had space-based vampires. Ugh.
-- david
someone's in a vampire state of mind...
Queen of the Damned rubbed me the wrong way, but I didn't hate it. Lost Boys is good stuff. Fright Night is great, the second FN not too bad, not too good either. I like Blade 1 and 3, could do without the 2nd one.
The original Nosferatu might be the best vampire movie ever. What was that one cool vampire movie that done with Willem DaFoe that was set at the time they made Nosferatu? That was good too.
Above all, people, DO NOT watch Malibu Beach Vampires! I made that wretched mistake and yanked it out immediately. blech!
Like some of these other commenters, I too love The Lost Boys. I haven't seen a lot of these movies on your list, but Fright Night is fun.
I have never seen Queen of the damned and believe it or not I have never seen Interview with a vampire either. I own the Lost Boys, but don't watch it too often.
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