John Carpenter's Vampires Review
by "Luke Buckmaster" (bucky AT alphalink DOT com DOT au)December 4th, 1998
REVIEW: John Carpenter's Vampires
By Luke Buckmaster ([email protected])
Cast: James Woods, Daniel Baldwin, Sheryl Lee, Thomas Ian Griffith, Tim Guinee, Maximilian Schell
Director: John Carpenter
Producer: Sandy King
Screenplay: Don Jakoby based on the novel "Vampire$" by John Steakley
Australian theatrical release: December 10, 1998
On the Buckmaster scale of 0 stars (bomb), to 5 stars (a masterpiece): 2 and a half stars
The most astonishing thing about John Carpenter's Vampires isn't that it gives a new spin on the classic legend, nor that its special effects are particularly glamorous or its acting well performed. It is how Village Roadshow managed to produce a twenty-eight-page press kit that amazes me. Full of juicy tidbits of information -- including the production crew's opinions on the sex life of vampires, and how none of the cast "were particularly crazy about being burned alive" -- the press kit provides just as many laughs as the movie. But are we laughing for the right reasons?
Probably not, given the nature of director John Carpenter's material - vampires. But in the cosmos of this film, garlic and crosses are futile against the blood-sucking enemy. The easiest way for slayer Jack Crow (James Woods) and his team to murder the undead is to drag 'em out into the sunlight. So you can imagine how they feel when they learn of the legendary Valek (Thomas Ian Griffith) - the first vampire in recorded history - and his plan to give vampires the power to walk in daylight. This plan involves the use of a mysterious religious artifact named the Berziers Cross, and an eerie ritual using the blood of a slayer.
If you're expecting a tale as entertaining as, say, From Dusk Till Dawn, or a story board as darkly comic as Blade, think again. Vampires is a "real" slayer flick, with only one intention: to showcase as many vampire hunts as possible, whilst still remaining within the borders of a basic narrative.
Trouble is, John Carpenter seems to forget that even horror films need well constructed action scenes. Even greater a problem is that killing vampires just doesn't seem enough of an idea to warrant a film, even though the screenplay was adapted from the novel Vampire$, by John Steakley. Valek's quest to give the vampires ultimate power is not much more than one of the screenplay's many plot props; a set up which deliberately helps builds up to a heroic climax.
In some ways, James Woods seems perfect for his role. His western macho man portrayal is simplistic and one dimensional, but strangely compelling. You get the feeling that this is the type of role that could have gone to Kurt Russel, or Clint Eastwood a couple of decades ago. Another interesting screen persona is played by Sheryl Lee, who is a hooker that gets bitten by Valek, and is irresistible to watch as her transformation from human to vampire takes place.
Even if Vampires is nothing more than an average genre flick, at least John Carpenter has been smart enough not to take himself too seriously. The gothic western setting never seems entirely believable, nor totally unimaginable. It's just a place that suits Crow's belt and jacket, and serves as a modern surrounding to an old fashioned, often-hilarious tale. But are we laughing for the right reasons?
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Review © copyright Luke Buckmaster
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