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Bloody Fun: Vampires on Film in the 1990's

As the 1990’s began, it seemed that vampire films had taken a good deal of inspiration from 1987’s The Lost Boys. The time-honored trope of the older, suave and genteel male vampire was beginning to disappear in favor of a more timely vampire: the young and the tanless. Vampires began appearing more in their early to mid twenties; this infuon of youth seemed to breathe new life into the genre and a bevy of films - some good, some bad - began springing up. The vampire was once again in vogue, and even our old friend Dracula would make a new appearance.

There are far too many vampire films during this ten year span to list every one. The following is more or less a short list of titles notable for one reason or another; your additions to this list are more than welcome!Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat (1990) We’ll start this list with an odd film from the director of perennial horror favorite Waxwork, Anthony Hickox. With a cast list of David Carradine, Bruce Campbell and Maxwell Caulfield (or, as I prefer to call him, Sexy Rexy), and an original plot revolving around a colony of vampires living in a small western town, it seemed the perfect recipe for a surefire horror hit. Sadly, it comes off as just a bit too weird. The story itself is interesting: vampires living hidden in plain ght in small town America, searching for a synthetic solution for their need to feed and fighting off revolution from within. And yet, it just seems to fall flat, in spite of a great cast. Still, it is worth a watch just to see the almighty Bruce at play. Keep an eye out for Twin Peaks alum Dana Ashbrook as well.

Subspecies (1991) In an era where, once again, the debonair vampire was king, Subspecies arrived as something of a surprise. Harkening back to old world days, the film primarily takes place in the old world - Romania, to be exact. A centuries-old struggle for power between two vampire brothers is brought into the modern world by viting college students who stumble upon the conflict and become hopelessly entangled. A far cry from the genteel vampire figure that had become more prominent in modern cinema, Subspecies’ blood-craving creatures, particularly Radu, are bloodthirsty and hideous - as, some might say, they should be.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992) You mply cannot have a list of vampire films of the 1990’s without including Francis Ford Coppola’s epic take on the title novel, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, from 1992. While I won’t go too far into depth here - the film really requires a deeper look for a proper review, which I intend to do in coming days - I will say that, while I remain disappointed in the film overall, there really was no better choice to play Dracula than Gary Oldman.Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) Everyone knows Buffy. Either you want to high school with her, or you have spotted her in dozens of horror films. Pretty, blonde, vain and total machete-fodder for whatever masked master of the hack-and-slash who is hot on her high heels. This time, however, things are a little bit different. Before the Cult of Whedon grew out of the televion series of the same name, Joss was just another Hollywood screenwriter pitching his idea, and in this case? It was a GREAT idea. Time and again we have see the Buffys of horror films make stupid mistakes and die a grisly death for their trouble; in Whedon’s veron of the story, Buffy not only survives her brush with death, but kicks a little ass along the way. Privileged teen Buffy, cheerleader and it-girl of the popular crowd at school, finds her world turned upde down upon discovering that not only are vampires real, but she was born to fight them. When a master vampire and his minions descend on Los Angeles, it is up to Buffy - along with her guide, Merrick, and ragtag dekick, Pike - to put a stop to it. Starring Kristy Swanson in the lead role alongde Donald Sutherland, Luke Perry, Paul Reubens (yes, Peewee) and horror veteran Rutger Hauer. The film is funny and refreshingly clever; there still has yet to be an equal to it in the vampire genre. Quick tip: keep an eye out for eventual Oscar winner Hilary Swank in an early role.

Embrace of the Vampire (1994) Anyone who was conscious in the 1980’s remembers Alyssa Milano. Televion viewers around the US watched her grow up on tcom Who’s the Boss. Sadly, like many female child stars before her, Milano attempted to prove to the world that she was grown-up and capable of taking on more complex roles by taking off her clothes. 1994’s Embrace of the Vampire is a heavily sexualized account of a vampire chang after a virginal college freshman, featuring Milano in various states of undress while acting out the erotic dreams sent via the titular vampire. Plot is sparse at best, and let’s be honest, no one is watching it for the compelling storyline. An odd note of interest: the vampire is played, bizarrely enough, by Martin Kemp, formerly of 80’s synth band Spandau Ballet. If you’re really desperate to see little Samantha Micelli in the buff, this is the film for you; if you’re looking for anything else out of a film, best to look for it elsewhere.Interview with the Vampire (1994) In 1974, Mel Brooks brought us Young Frankenstein, a hysterically clever send-up of earlier creature features, centered on a descendant of Dr. Frankenstein and his namesake monster. 21 years later, he attempted the same play on genre with Dracula: Dead and Loving It, and, sadly, came up only with a vaguely passable attempt at horror-comedy. Leslie Neilsen takes on the role of the Transylvanian Count, with help from veteran comedian Harvey Korman as Dr. Seward and Brooks himself taking on the role of Van Helng. Following the same bac storyline as many earlier adaptations of the film, Mina is played as the daughter of Dr. Seward and the target of the vampiric count. Unfortunately, the film falls just short of funny and lends only the occaonal laugh. Watch it if you must, but don’t expect much. Keep an eye out for a chuckle-worthy bloodbath and, in the only really funny performance of the film, Peter MacNicol playing insect gobbling Renfield.

Bordello of Blood (1996) http://www.horrorhr.com/slike/2006/10/bordelloblood-5.jpg" class="photoborder" /> In 1995, Universal released Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight, a horror film done in the style of the hit HBO series, complete with appearances by the Crypt Keeper, and meant to be the first in a trilogy of films. Experiencing moderate success with the film, Universal went on to make a follow-up: not a sequel by any means, but mply another story set in the same universe, with a ‘cameo’ of sorts by an artifact that featured heavily in the first film. Bordello of Blood, starring Dennis Miller and Angie Everhart, with appearances by horror film vets Corey Feldman and Chris Sarandon, and a cameo by Demon Knight alum William Sadler. The story is convoluted at best; Lillith, the first vampire, is running a brothel full of vampires, fronted by a funeral home. There is some holy water Super Soaker action that is fairly amung, and a less than surpring surprise ending, but not much else to note. The films seems overall not totally coherent, and even somewhat rushed. Moviegoers took note, and Bordello of Blood did not fair well financially; another problem the film faced was the release of From Dusk Till Dawn earlier in the year, a Robert Rodriguez directed / Quentin Tarantino penned film that carried much of the same feel - a vampiric strip club rather than whorehouse - with much more wit and better action. Still, as a standalone, Bordello of Blood is worth a watch, so long as you’re not expected anything spectacular.

Blade (1998) Once upon a time, Wesley Snipes was a badass. And it was on this reputation of badassery that he took up the mantle of a Blade, a Marvel Comics spawned vampire/human hybrid who takes it as his life’s purpose to hunt down and kill the vampires plaguing the world. Though the film deviates a good deal from the comic book character’s history, it follows the same bac format: the title character is a ‘daywalker’, a half-vampire, half-human hybrid who can walk in the daylight but still must subst on blood (or in this case, a blood-substitute serum). When vampire villain Deacon Frost (Stephen Dorff) attempts to resurrect an ancient vampire god, Blade moves to protect a convenient damsel in distress, and the rest of the world to boot. Fun, action-packed and featuring an extremely memorable soundtrack (who can forget the blood rave?), Blade takes the idea of the reluctant vampire to an entirely new level. The film spawned two sequels, though their watchability is debatable. A recent post here on HorrorBid (

http://horrorbid.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=280&t=16081) reports that Wesley Snipes may be eager to take up the character once again... once his prison sentence has been served.

John Carpenter’s Vampires (1998) http://www.movie-page.com/1998/vampires/vampires04.jpg" class="photoborder" /> Vampires have long found associations with Christian religion, and the Catholic church much more than others. This seems almost natural, condering the bac Catholic symbolism of imbibing blood at the Eucharist. So it comes as no surprise that when John Carpenter’s Vampires went into production, it would rely heavily on religious lore and symbolism. James Woods stars as Jack Crow, a Vatican-raised orphan who hunts vampires for the Church in retribution for the wrongs suffered at the hands of such creatures in his own past. With dekicks in the form of his usual wingman (Daniel Baldwin in what might be the most coherent performance he’s ever given) and a quirky priest (Tim Guinee), Crow hunts down a powerful vampire who seeks a religious relic that would give him unparalleled power. Quick, witty dialogue and heart-pounding action make this film a definite must-see. Carpenter’s vampires are not the foppish, brooding sort seen just a few scant years earlier, but monsters whose thirst for blood is met only by their thirst for power. Why this film received such poor box office showings will forever remain a mystery.

The 1990’s ended on a high note and, with them, a century of vampire film-making came to a close. With the dawning of a new century, vampire fans were eager to see what would be coming next. Find out in my next article, Vampire Films of the 21st Century.

Be sure to check out the earlier articles in this series: Vampire Films 1900-1950’s HERE. viewtopic.php?f=279&t=16019 Vampire Films of the 1960’s-1970’s HERE. viewtopic.php?f=279&t=16035&p=80436 Vampire Films of the 1980’s HERE. viewtopic.php?f=279&t=16132&p=80689

Fantastic list!

Thank you for giving BUFFY a good review! Usually I'm defending the movie to every one! LOL!!

Good starter list!

Although a lot of the 90s vamps are humor or young and keeping it real, there was also a lot of room for uniqueness.

Pity there are so many of the young action and pretty defanged today. I'm curious to see your next analys!

I like Bram Stoker's Dracula, except for Keanu <roll>



http://ithinkthereforeireview.blogspot. ... acula.html

I like Bram Stoker's Dracula, except for Keanu

I wholeheartedly agree, Keanu was really an embarrassment, Especially when he shared scenes with Gary Oldman!!

Look at it this way, Sadie Frost did a better job than him and it was her FIRST movie!! What's his excuse??

I like Bram Stoker's Dracula, except for Keanu

I wholeheartedly agree, Keanu was really an embarrassment, Especially when he shared scenes with Gary Oldman!!

Look at it this way, Sadie Frost did a better job than him and it was her FIRST movie!! What's his excuse??

See, I'm quite the oppote view. I didn't think Keanu Reeves was all that bad, particularly in later scenes when the character is obviously rather shellshocked. What bothered me was some definite miscasting, a bit of hammy overacting and an imposbly ludicrous straying from the novel. But I'll get more into that later And yeah, it's by no means a complete list, just more or less highlights and tracking the changes in portrayals of vampires! 21st century flicks will be fun to do!

Nice list man, I've only seen Carpenters Vampires once but maybe I will give it another chance and sadly I have never seen subspecies or the entirety of the Tales from the Crypt films.

On a denote, I was watching STAKELAND last night and I thought it was pretty damn good! Really refreshing and wish it was shown in theaters so people could remember that real vampires don't sparkle, they kill you...or turn you into one of them!

Nice list man, I've only seen Carpenters Vampires once but maybe I will give it another chance and sadly I have never seen subspecies or the entirety of the Tales from the Crypt films.

Definitely give Carpenter's Vampires another glance, it's a really fun flick. Tales from the Crypt, much as I loved Demon Knight, Bordello of Blood really was kind of crap. I'd go for From Dusk til Dawn instead.

I will have to check out Stakeland. I checked out the IMDB page and am intrigued!

Nice list man, I've only seen Carpenters Vampires once but maybe I will give it another chance and sadly I have never seen subspecies or the entirety of the Tales from the Crypt films.

Definitely give Carpenter's Vampires another glance, it's a really fun flick. Tales from the Crypt, much as I loved Demon Knight, Bordello of Blood really was kind of crap. I'd go for From Dusk til Dawn instead.

I will have to check out Stakeland. I checked out the IMDB page and am intrigued

Yeah Stakeland is really good, it's more of a drama and kinda reminds me of the Walking Dead crossed with Zombieland.

I will def give Carpenters Vampires another chance and as much fun as Dusk til Dawn is, I could never get over the transformation of Salma Hayek. When she turns into a Vampire, she looks like a crappy CGI veron of that weird alien movie Homosapiens.