John Carpenter pitches this as "The Wild Bunch meet Vlad the Impaler" and I can think of no better description. James Woods plays the fearless vampire killer in such a way that you can't possibly understand why every other director in the world is not giving him action hero parts as he is clearly the coolest male actor on the planet. Lots of blood, carnage and gratuitous female nudity ensue as he and his team track down and kill the vampires and then have to contend with a super-vampire in another bloody showdown. That's about it really. Its novelty lies in the fact that it shows how bloody the act of vampire staking and beheading really must be. If you accept the premise then you must accept the logical gruesomeness of vampire killing.
Over the years John Carpenter's output has been very patchy indeed, ranging from brilliant to very poor. Vampires is an enjoyable film for everyone who loves blood, carnage and gratuitous female nudity (and who doesn't?) but does little to progress Carpenter's undoubted talents. I liked it but it can only be rated "average" when set against his total output.
Over the years John Carpenter's output has been very patchy indeed, ranging from brilliant to very poor. Vampires is an enjoyable film for everyone who loves blood, carnage and gratuitous female nudity (and who doesn't?) but does little to progress Carpenter's undoubted talents. I liked it but it can only be rated "average" when set against his total output.