Movie
Index
Adhering
more faithfully to Bram Stoker's 1897 novel than any previous version
(even unto repeating Stoker's shortcomings, such as lumpy continuity
and long-winded exposition), Francis Ford Coppola and screenwriter
James Victor Hart offered a full-blooded (no pun intended) portrait of
the immortal Transylvanian vampire.
Bram Stoker's Dracula
This
sumptuously mounted adaptation of Anne Rice's bestselling novel brings
her most intriguing character, the vampire Lestat, to life in the
person of matinee idol Tom Cruise.
Interview with the Vampire
Sex,
blood, and rock 'n' roll reign in Queen of the Damned, a stylish
adaptation of books two and three in Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles
series.
Queen of the Damned
The idea
of fusing teen sex-comedy and horror genres into a boffo box-office
bonanza seems like classic braindead Hollywood-think... but somehow,
beyond all reason, the makers of this film manage to pull it off.
Buffy: The Vampire Slayer
British
director Stephen Norrington helmed this David S. Goyer adaptation of
the Marvel Comics character created in 1973 by scripter Marv Wolfman
and artist Gene Colan. In the Tomb of Dracula comic book origin, just
before Blade's mother gave birth to Blade, she was bitten by a vampire,
which made Blade immune to vampires. Now a vampire hunter, Blade,
joined by vampire detective Hannibal King and Dracula-descendent Frank
Drake, stalks vampires. In the 1990s (in Marvel's Nightstalkers), Blade
teamed with Drake and King in an agency created to fight a variety of
supernatural beings. The Marvel origin is retold in this 1998
Norrington film, with Blade's mother dying as he is born. Thirty-some
years later, Blade now exists somewhere between the two worlds, not
human but not fully vampire. He has become a relentless and superhuman
vampire hunter, out to avenge the death of his mother and protect the
rest of humankind from the evil vampire race.
Blade
In this
hit '80s hybrid of the horror movie and the teen flick, a single mom
and her two sons become involved with a pack of vampires when they move
into an offbeat Northern California town. Lucy (Dianne Wiest) and her
sons, Michael (Jason Patric) and Sam (Corey Haim), move to Santa Carla
to live with Lucy's lovable but curmudgeonly father (Barnard Hughes).
Lucy gets a job from video store-owner Max (Edward Herrmann), then
begins dating him, while Sam hangs out with Edward and Alan Frog (Corey
Feldman and Jamison Newlander), a pair of vampire-obsessed comic-shop
clerks. Soon Michael falls in with some actual vampires after becoming
enamored of one of their victims: Star (Jami Gertz), a gypsy-like vixen
who is trying to hold onto her humanity even though vampire leader
David (Kiefer Sutherland) wants to play Peter Pan to her Wendy. When
Michael visits the cavernous hangout of David and his cronies and
unwittingly drinks from a wine bottle full of vampiric blood, he
becomes an unwilling member of the bloodsucker biker gang.
Lost Boys
A young
man who has pledged his life to helping others finds himself in a
pitched battle between two gangs of supernatural villains in this blend
of horror story and action thriller. Michael Corvin (Scott Speedman) is
a medical student who is heading home after a long day of school and
work when he unexpectedly finds himself in the middle of what appears
to be a rumble between two well turned-out street gangs. What Michael
doesn't know is he has witnessed a skirmish between two deadly
underground communities, unknown to the mortal world, who are battling
for supremacy -- the Death Dealers, a tribe of vampires, and the
Lycans, a band of werewolves. Selene (Kate Beckinsale) is a leading
member of the Death Dealers who hears through the grapevine that the
Lycans have plans to capture the aspiring doctor who witnessed their
battle. Certain something is in the air, Selene begins following
Michael around the city, and she finds herself growing emotionally
attached to him. As Selene becomes more attracted to Michael, she
becomes more convinced that the Lycans are planning a major attack
against the Death Dealers, although vampire kingpin Kraven (Shane
Brolly) is certain she's crediting the Lycans with more intelligence
than they can muster. As Selene shadows Michael, she finds herself
wanting to protect him, but her longing becomes a handicap when he's
attacked by Lucian (Michael Sheen), the leader of the werewolf
community, and the man she wants to save has now become a sworn enemy.
Underworld was the first feature film from music video director Len
Wiseman.
Underworld
A
ruthless new breed of vampires threatens both the dead and the undead
in Blade II, the high-speed sequel to 1998's adaptation of the
action-horror comic book. Wesley Snipes returns as the titular
half-vampire, a "daywalker" sworn to eliminate all bloodsuckers in the
coolest possible way. After reviving his captured mentor, Whistler
(Kris Kristofferson), Blade finds himself enlisted by his own enemies
to help defeat the "Reapers," an evolved form of vampire that poses a
serious threat to regular vamps and, quite possibly, humans. Reluctant
yet cool, Blade teams with those he cannot trust, a crackerjack squad
of vamps (which includes a menacing Ron Perlman) that prove to be as
adversarial as the Reapers. The gore is intense, the action is
fast-paced, and Snipes keeps up every step of the way, once again
flying through the role of vampire hunter -- often literally. With so
many faces returning from the first movie, the freshest aspect here is
Mexican genre whiz Guillermo Del Toro (Mimic) in the director's chair.
While maintaining the kinetic style of the original, Del Toro milks the
film's Prague locale for some atmosphere and style, an approach that
enhances the film's flair and makes it much more fun than your average
horror sequel.
Blade II
Set in
the late 19th century, monster hunter Dr. Gabriel Van Helsing (Jackman)
is summoned to a mysterious land in East Europe to vanquish evil
forces... evil forces with names like Count Dracula (Roxburgh), the
Wolf Man (Kemp), and Frankenstein's Monster (Hensley). Assisting him
once he gets there is Anna (Beckinsale), the heir of a long-running
family committed to hunting down and destroying Dracula.
Van Helsing
By
night, vampires rise from loamy graves in search of human prey. By day,
vampire slayer Jack Crow leads a contingent of Vatican mercenaries in a
long-waged war against these enemies. After destroying a vampire nest
in rural Mexico, 'Team Crow' is savagely ambushed during the victory
celebration by the unholy Valek, a vicious 600-year-old vampire.
John Carpenter's Vampires
Maximillian
is a member of an exclusive race that legend has called Nosferatu, the
undead, the vampire. He knows no mercy and has no regret. He can
transform himself in a thousand different ways. Max has ventured to New
York City in search of Rita Veder, an NYPD detective who is unaware of
their unique blood bond. As Max and Julius, his hapless ghoul, attempt
to transform Rita into Max's vampiress, her devoted NYPD partner
Justice finds he has much at stake in protecting her from an age-old
spell.
Vampire in Brooklyn
A
vampire hunter fights a vampire and his minions to save a beautiful
young woman from their clutches.
Vampire Hunter D
In
this update of the vampire classic, the fate of the world is in
jeopardy when a group of immortality seekers steal the corpse of
Dracula and only the last of the Van Helsings can stop them.
Dracula 2000
