20131015: Horror Review--Vampires out for Blood

Vampires: Out for Blood

1. Fundamentals, reception.
1. American live action feature length film, 2004, rated R, 95 minutes, horror, action, fantasy, thriller, psychological drama, aspect 1.85.
2. IMDB:  4.0/10.0 from 1,020 users.
3. Rotten Tomatoes: 'No reviews yet,' and 36% liked it from 507 audience ratings.
4. Netflix:  3.0/5.0 from 82,512 audience ratings.
5. Written and directed by: Richard Brandes.
6. Starring: Kevin Dillon as Hank Holten, Vanessa Angel as Susan Hastings, Jodi Lyn O'Keefe as Layla Simmons, Lance Henriksen as Captain John Billings, Kenneth Colom as Alex, Sam Kanater as 'Vampire Leader.'


2. Setup and Plot
1. Hank is an LA detective, and his wife Susan has left him.  He follows her. A fool tries to rob him at gun point; Hank disarms him, then proceeds to beat the crap out of him.  His captain reads him the riot act, then gives him a new assignment: find out about young women who go into raves, then go missing.


2. Meanwhile, Susan is on TV on the book circuit, selling her latest book on vampires, and dating an actor. 


3. Hank starts his assignment, and meets vampires the first night.  He gets close to a female vampire, Layla. They saunter through a den where an orgy is going on.  Then Hank starts to see the vampires feeding on their human partners.  He shoots several of them; the leader claims him and bites him on the neck.  He wakes up in an abandoned office floor.


4. He has a lot to answer for, and he tries to be honest about his experience.  'Vampires did it' was not well-received.


5. Hank reconnects with Layla.  Two officers intervene, but Layla kills them both.  He awakes the next morning, and the evidence is gone.


6. Hank starts to turn to being a vampire.  He seeks the help of his ex, but she is the opposite of helpful.  When she starts to recognize his change, she goes for another plan: use him to get a story for another book or three.  Susan convinces him to help her get to the leader, so she can know so much more, and, as a collateral matter, perhaps keep Hank from becoming a vampire.


7. Layla and friend break in; the vampires are about to eat Susan when Susan's new friend and his private detective burst in.  The vampires kill them and eat them, then leave with the rising morning sun.  Before leaving, they tell Hank that he has 24 hours before he turns.


8. Hank and Susan find the nest.  Hank handcuffs Susan to a railing, then goes in alone after giving her his cell phone.  What could possibly go wrong?


3. Conclusions
1. One sentence summary: Which is worse, fighting vampires or the ex?
2. Three stars of five.


4. Scores
1. Cinematography: 8/10 Good, but not great.


2. Sound: 8/10 OK.


3. Acting: 5/10 Lance Henriksen was competent as usual.  Kevin Dillon was better than I expected, but Vanessa Angel was worse.  The side actors were unimpressive.


4. Screenplay: 5/10  The plot meanders somewhat aimlessly at times, but at least there is a plot.  Too many times, a large chunk of vampire rules gets introduced suddenly from left field.  That seemed to be one of the purposes of the Susan character.  Hank wears one shirt (that I could see) during the film.  Yet the blood stains on it change remarkably more than once.