Halloween Bites! Son Of Dracula

“Alucard is undoubtedly a vampire.”

Although it features a powerful cast including Lon Chaney, Jr., Louise Allbritton, Evelyn Ankers, and Robert Paige, and has one of the most twist-filled plots of any Universal Horror film, 1943’s Son Of Dracula falls a little flat. In the film, Chaney’s Alucard (Dracula spelled backwards) arrives in New Orleans, LA, with plans to marry the beautiful Kay Caldwell (Albritton) and spend eternity with her on the quiet Dark Oaks plantation. Unknown to him, however, Kay has plans of her own, and she uses her womanly wiles to manipulate Alucard who, spoiler alert, is actually Count Dracula, and her fiance, poor Frank Stanley, to get what she wants. What does she want? You’ll have to watch Son Of Dracula to learn Kay’s true motives.

While there were some initial praise for Son of Dracula, it eventually became known as one of the weaker entries in the Universal Monsters catalogue. Chaney is, in my opinion, one of the best actors in the Universal Monsters universe. He is the only person to portray the “core four” Universal Monsters: the Wolf Man, Frankenstein’s Monster, the Mummy, and Dracula. He’s also the first Dracula to be shown transitioning from bat to man and man to bat. Sadly, his portrayal of Alucard/Dracula is one of his worst performances as far as I’m concerned. He lacks the regality of Bela Lugosi and the stoicism of John Carradine, both of whom portrayed the count in far superior fashion.

The real stars in this film are Louise Allbritton as Kay and Robert Paige as Frank. Allbritton is manipulative and gives off a sinister vibe as her true intentions are revealed. Paige spirals into insanity and does a great job of showing that to viewers on the screen. The rest of the cast do fine jobs, but Allbritton definitely carries this film. The special effects for the film were excellent for their time and the music was sufficient.

Son Of Dracula is definitely worth checking out for Louise Allbritton’s performance. If you are a film history buff, you’ll also want to see it for the bat-to-man/man-to-bat transformations. Other than that, it’s a tough sell due to its disjointed plot that had all the makings of a brilliant film, but lacked proper direction and editing.

Halloween Bites! Interview With The Vampire

“I assume I need no introduction.”

Following the success of 1992’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and after years of failed attempts, Anne Rice’s 1976 novel Interview With The Vampire was finally given the green light and placed squarely on the shoulders of hot new director Neil Jordan (The Crying Game). Jordan and Rice clashed over the production, especially over the casting of Tom Cruise as Lestat, but it finally hit the big screen in 1994 and proved to be a massive success. I remember watching it in the theater as a freshman in college that year. I loved the film and the book.

The film centers around an interview of Louis (Brad Pitt) by Daniel Malloy (Christian Slater). Louis tells Daniel how he reluctantly became a vampire and formed an uneasy relationship with Lestat. Lestat constantly pushes and manipulates Louis, trying to make him consume human blood. Louis resists, choosing instead to drink the blood of animals like rats. Louis also tells Daniel about Lestat’s turning of young Claudia into a vampire, something that is forbidden in vampire law and how Lestat’s behavior eventually leads Louis and Claudia to murder him. They run off to find other vampires like themselves, but the thought that Lestat survived…..and that he might be looking for them, looms in the back of Louis’ mind. You’ll have to watch the film to discover what happens next.

The film works on a number of levels. The production and direction are excellent. The entire film is erotically charged. The cast, especially young Kirsten Dunst as an aging vampire trapped in a young girl’s body, do an amazing job. Tom Cruise is diabolically fun as Lestat and Brad Pitt easily conveys the internal struggles of Louis. Antonio Banderas also has a wonderful supporting role as Armand, a vampire that Louis considers joining up with after he and Claudia flee New Orleans and Lestat. Speaking of New Orleans, it is featured prominently in the film and is a great character in its own right.

The film was meant to be the first of a series of book adaptations based upon Rice’s Vampire Chronicles book series but that never came to fruition despite its commercial and critical success. A sequel was eventually released in 2002 entitled Queen Of The Damned and starred Aaliyah as the titular character (also known as Akasha) and Stuart Townsend as Lestat. The adaptation was actually a combination of the second novel, The Vampire Lestat, in Rice’s series and the third novel, Queen Of The Damned. It opened in first place but failed to impress audiences. A television series was eventually produced by AMC and currently has two season.

I highly recommend this film. It’s one of my favorite vampire movies. I also really enjoy the book, although later novels in the series aren’t as good in my opinion. I know that I’ll probably get slaughtered for that opinion, as Lestat’s fans are almost as voracious about the books as he is about human blood, but that’s how I feel.

Halloween Bites! Blood Red Sky

“We have control of the plane.”

Nadja and her son, Elias, are on their way to New York City in order to try a new form of treatment for Nadja’s strange illness. A young man named Farid takes a liking to Elias and visits with him while Nadja is taking her medicine in the bathroom. Once all three are on the plane to New York, a group of terrorists take over the flight. During an altercation, one of the terrorists shoots and kills Nadja……or does he? It is soon revealed that Nadja’s “illness” is actually the fact that she is a vampire, and a pretty nasty one at that. The rest of the film features the terrorists attempting to kill Nadja until one of them decides to take extreme measures to finish her. Chaos ensues.

This German film is a Netflix production. It stars Peri Baumeister as Nadja, Carl Koch as Elias, Kais Setti as Farid, Alexander Scheer as Eightball, and Dominic Purcell as Berg. Baumeister really shines in this movie, as she struggles with being a single mother and attempts to stave off her hunger for human blood. Her relationship with Elias drives this story. It’s really excellent. Scheer does an amazing job as the psychotic Eightball. He really takes being a villain to a new level. Setti wins over the audience with his kind portrayal of Farid. The rest of the cast do a fine job as well.

The gore is top notch in this film but it isn’t the entire focus of the movie. There are some very violent scenes in this movie entangled with some powerful emotional scenes. You definitely need to check out Blood Red Sky. This 2021 horror flick is great!

Halloween Bites! The Lost Boys

“Death by stereo!”

Before he made those Batman films, Joel Schumacher was on a role with films like The Client and St. Elmo’s Fire. Another film that he directed was a little family film known as The Lost Boys. Released in 1987, the film surprised critics by opening in second place in its first weekend and going on to become a cult classic that ignited Kiefer Sutherland’s rise to stardom and was the first of nine films featuring Corey Haim and Corey Feldman, better known as The Two Coreys.

The film tells the story of Lucy Emerson and her two sons, Michael and Sam, have just moved to Santa Carla, CA, to live with her father after an ugly divorce. Once they arrive, the two boys travel into town to check out what their new home has to offer. Sam finds a comic book shop where he befriends the Frog Brothers, Edgar and Alan, an odd duo who are using the comic store as a front for hunting vampires. Michael falls for a beautiful young woman named Star who happens to be friends with a quartet of young men who love to ride motorcycles and get into trouble. Oh, and they also happen to be vampires. Soon enough, Michael becomes an uneasy member of the group and Sam does everything that he can to save his brother and the rest of the good people of Santa Carla. Can Sam and the Frog Brothers save the day? Watch The Lost Boys and find out for yourself!

The film is equal parts dark comedy, action movie, and horror film. Some of the acting, especially that of the Frog Brothers, is intentionally over the top. Corey Haim is brilliant as Sam and Jason Patric does a fine job as Michael. Kiefer Sutherland, Brooke McCarter, Billy Wirth, and Alexander Winter are wonderful as the Lost Boys. Jami Gertz plays Star. The rest of the cast includes Chance Michael Corbitt, Edward Hermann, Dianne Wiest, and Barnard Hughes.

The film spawned two direct-to-DVD sequels that were nowhere near as entertaining as the original film and a remake of the original is currently in development. The film also had an amazing soundtrack that included songs by Echo and the Bunnymen, INXS with Jimmy Barnes, Lou Gramm, and the wildly popular “Cry Little Sister” by Gerard McMahon.

The Lost Boys is easily one of the most popular vampire films of all time. It is a perfect storm of youth, music, horror, and action.

Halloween Bites! Blood Vessel

“Strigoi!”

Vampires have been on plenty of ships over the years. Heck, the granddaddy of ’em all, Dracula, even featured the ill-fated Demeter, which was eventually given its own film in 2023. In 2019, Director/co-writer Justin Dix gave us Blood Vessel. The film takes place somewhere in the North Atlantic near the end of World War II. A small group of survivors from a medical vessel are adrift at sea on a raft and stumble upon a German ship that has apparently been abandoned…..until the group investigates different parts of the ship. They discover a young girl, a number of charred bodies, and the captain burned up in his quarters. The young girl seems innocent enough, until she bites Nurse Jane Prescott. Then she leads them to one of storage areas below deck where they discover the ship’s lone survivor and a few Nazi items boxed up for safety. What lies in the box? Watch Blood Vessel to see what terror awaits the survivors on the high seas!

The film is actually pretty good. It does have a few slow moments, especially when the group initially arrive on the ship. I love how we get to know a few of the survivors and I actually pulled for a few of them. Robert Taylor, Alyssa Sutherland, and Alex Cooke carry this film. The vampires look amazing as well. They appear to be primarily composed of practical effects with minimal CGI enhancements. There are some tense moments and plenty of gore to boot.

Blood Vessel is a fun ride that takes on water at times, but ultimately doesn’t sink. It’s not a classic, but it’s definitely worth watching if you love historical horror. I definitely recommend it.

Halloween Bites! Dampyr

“She will give birth to a dampyr.”

A supernatural conman and his manager find themselves entangled in a very real supernatural battle in 2022’s Dampyr. In the film, Wade Briggs plays Harlan Draka, who, along with his friend, Yuri (Sebastian Croft), goes from town to town in the early 1990’s Balkans, claiming to be a dampyr that can rid the townsfolk of whatever supernatural or demonic problems ail them. Stuart Martin portrays Emil Kurjak, who is leading a group of soldiers in a violent war that stumble upon a town that has been ravaged by vampires. When one of the soldiers recommends Harlan as the solution to the vampire problem, Emil has his men find Harlan and bring him back to the town. That night, the vampires strike and Harlan discovers that he really is a dampyr, a half-human/half-vampire, that proves to be the only real threat in the world to the immortal monsters. Teaming up with a rebellious vampire known as Tesla (Frida Gustavsson), Harlan and Emil seek out the evil Gorka (David Morrissey), who has plans of his own to eliminate the Dampyr.

The film is based upon an Italian comic series of the same name and is supposed to be the first film in a shared universe featuring a number of other comic heroes and villains. I am unfamiliar with this shared universe and this comic, but I have to admit that I really enjoyed this film. It’s more of an action thriller than a horror film, but it is extremely well done. The CGI is a tad dodgy at times but not so much that it takes away from the film.

The acting in the film is decent, with the weakest performance coming from David Morrissey, who is probably the most recognizable actor in the film for American audiences. Wade Briggs is tasked with carrying the film on his shoulders and I believe that he does a good job. Martin and Gustavsson have a great back-and-forth rapport throughout the film. I’m actually looking forward to another movie featuring this trio of characters.

While it may not be on the same budget level as the MCU films, Dampyr is definitely an enjoyable watch. The story isn’t perfect but it is engaging. The acting is decent and the action is pretty awesome. Give it a look and you might find yourself curious about the rest of this shared universe if and when it arrives on the big screen. The film is currently available in the United States on Netflix.

Halloween Bites! Fright Night (2011)

“That’s a terrible vampire name. Jerry?”

You’re probably asking yourself: Why is Ken talking about the remake of the legendary cult classic, Fright Night, and not the original? Great question, camper! The fact of the matter is that I already reviewed the original film awhile back and you can read about it here. I decided to talk about the 2011 film this year because despite being a remake, it’s a lot more serious than its predecessor and it’s a pretty good flick.

The film stars Anton Yelchin as Charley Brewster, Imogen Poots as his girlfriend, Amy, Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Evil Ed, Toni Collette as Jane Brewster, and David Tennant as Peter Vincent, a Las Vegas-based magician. The film also stars Colin Farrell as Jerry, Charley’s mysterious neighbor who Ed believes is a vampire. Be on the lookout for a special cameo from Chris Sarandon, the original Jerry from the 1985 original.

As I already mentioned, this film takes its vampires much more seriously than the original film. There are a few genuine horror moments and Farrell seems to really be enjoying himself as he drinks his way through suburbia. David Tennant probably gets the most laughs out of the film and he does a fine job as Peter Vincent. The only gripe that I have with this film is the CGI. It looks pretty good for the most part, but a few moments, moments meant to be intense and/or scary, come off looking a bit ridiculous. Overall, though, this film is excellent and deserves to be seen.

Halloween Bites! Track Of The Vampire

“Cursed with a vampire’s lust.”

Sordi is constantly on the lookout for new models to paint. Is it because they remind him of his long-deceased lover who seemingly talks to him from beyond the grave or is it due to the fact that he is a blood-hungry vampire who paints his fresh kills and then embodies them in wax? You’ll have to suffer through 1966’s Track Of The Vampire in order to find out what happens!

The film stars William Campbell as the troubled Antonio Sordi. It also stars a bevy of beautiful women including Lori Saunders (Dorean), Marissa Mathes (Daisy), and Sandra Knight (Donna). The film also features Sid Haig in an early film role and Karl Schanzer as Max.

The film is a cobbled mess. It is actually the film Blood Bath with additional footage added to increase the runtime. Roger Corman used a film he co-produced entitled Operation: Titian, combined footage from it with a new script and footage and re-released the film as Portrait Of Terror. Unhappy with that film, Corman incorporated more footage to create Blood Bath and that film’s short runtime led to the creation of Track Of The Vampire.

While I don’t necessarily recommend this film, it’s definitely very interesting to watch. It makes almost no sense and features some pretty bad acting. That said, the wax bath sequences are pretty cool to watch and it’s great to see an early Sid Haig role.

Halloween Bites! Blade

“There are worse things out tonight than vampires.”

If you were born prior to the invention of the MCU, you know that Marvel films were few, far between, and pretty bad. A couple of made-for-TV Incredible Hulk films, a straight-to-video Captain America flick, and Howard The Duck were the “highlights” of Marvel’s early film attempts. I don’t even want to think about the Dolph Lundgren flick, The Punisher, which debuted on VHS rental shelves. Yep, the classic era of Marvel films was terrible….with one exception. In 1998, Marvel, David Goyer, Stephen Norrington, and New Line Cinema released one of the best Marvel Comic films ever, Blade, and it featured a fairly unknown B or C-list hero of the same name portrayed by Wesley Snipes.

With the assistance of his friend and father figure, Whistler (Kris Kristofferson), Blade hunts down vampires on a mission to eliminate all of them and, hopefully, kill the one that murdered his mother and turned him into the “Daywalker,” a man with all of a vampire’s strengths and none of their weaknesses. In the film, Blade squares off against Deacon Frost (Stephen Dorff), who plans to awaken La Magra, the Blood God, and use his power to take over the world. Along for the ride are Frost’s allies such as Mercury (Arly Jover), Quinn (Donal Logue), and a whole host of over vampire villains and a great techno soundtrack.

Snipes was born to play Blade. Every movement, look, and word that he speaks is the embodiment of the hero pose. Dorff is brilliant as Deacon Frost. He’s hated by the pure blood vampires and despised by Blade. He’s the perfect foil to the Daywalker. With the quality of the acting blended into the music and action to perfection, Blade is the perfect horror comic film for an evening at home.

Halloween Bites! Once Bitten

“Being a vampire in the twentieth century is a nightmare!”

Before he made it big on In Living Color and ultimately became a movie star, Jim Carrey starred in 1985’s Once Bitten alongside Lauren Hutton, Cleavon Little, and Karen Kopins. In the film, Carrey portrays Mark Kendall, a teen virgin desperately seeking his “first time” with a woman. Lauren Hutton’s Countess is on the hunt as well, but she’s looking for the blood of a virgin to keep her looking youthful.

Once Bitten is a teen horror comedy that, while enjoyable enough, lacks the bite of many of its contemporaries. It’s a safe teen comedy with a decent cast, and it’s worth a look if you want a glimpse into Jim Carrey’s early career. I’m old enough to remember renting this film on VHS, as it was much more enjoyable for me as a kid.

Be sure to check out Once Bitten. It’s currently available on a number of free streaming services.