Vampires (1998)

Director:

John Carpenter

Writers (WGA):

John Steakley (novel)
Don Jakoby (screenplay)

Release Date:

30 October 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Action | Thriller

Tagline:

From the master of terror comes a new breed of evil.

Plot:

A vengeful vampire slayer must retrieve an ancient Catholic relic that, should it be acquired by vampires, will allow them to endure sunlight.

Plot Keywords:

Vampire | Team | Vampire Hunter | Priest | Vampire Slayer

Awards:

3 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

James Woods	...	Jack Crow
Daniel Baldwin	...	Anthony Montoya
Sheryl Lee	...	Katrina
Thomas Ian Griffith	...	Jan Valek
Maximilian Schell	...	Cardinal Alba
Tim Guinee	...	Father Adam Guiteau
Mark Boone Junior	...	Catlin
Gregory Sierra	...	Father Giovanni
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa	...	David Deyo
Thomas Rosales Jr.	...	Ortega (as Thomas Rosales)
Henry Kingi	...	Anthony
David Rowden	...	Bambi
Clarke Coleman	...	Davis
Mark Sivertsen	...	Highway Patrolman
John Furlong	...	Father Joseph Molina

Also Known As:

John Carpenter's Vampires (USA) (complete title)
Vampire$ (USA)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong vampire violence and gore, language and sexuality.

Runtime:

108 min | Germany:104 min (cut version) | Argentina:106 min

Country:

USA | Japan

Language:

English | Latin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Netherlands:16 | Iceland:16 | Finland:K-16 (cut) (VHS) (1999) | Finland:K-18 (uncut) (DVD) (2001) | Philippines:R-18 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | France:-12 | Germany:18 | Norway:18 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:R21 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Bonanza Creek Ranch - 15 Bonanza Creek Lane, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA

Company:

Film Office

Trivia:

Cameo: [Frank Darabont]the Man With Buick, whose car is stolen by Daniel Baldwin.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Frank Darabont is listed in the credits of this film as "Man with Buick" when in fact the car that was stolen from him was obviously a Cadillic.

Quotes:

Father Adam Guiteau: A master vampire, able to walk in the sunlight, unstoppable. Unless we stop him.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Bloodsucking Cinema (2007) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Padre's Wood

John Carpenter in top form with film "Vampires" (no spoilers)

John Carpenter is America's greatest living director of westerns. Although "Vampires" is his first literal western, JC's been turning out 1st rate original westerns from "Assault on Precinct 13" to "They Live" and "Escape From New York" to "The Thing". Even though these movies don't take place in the west, they have all the ingredients of a good western: the lone hero/outlaw, the seige or attack, the showdown, and plenty of action. "Vampires" takes place and was filmed in the southwest (filmed in Sante Fe, NM). Carpenter's DP Gary Kibbe captures some nice wide John Ford-ish western vistas, and Carpenter's minimalist score capture the desolate, hard nature of the place. The real asset of this film is its cast, especially James Woods as the insanely tough and foul-mouthed slayer Jack Crow. He really does some inspired improvised riffs, and when he's not kicking ass Woods has a lot of fun with it all. Jack Crow is a classic Carpenter hero: all man, flinty eyed & completely alone, and Woods plays this unsympathetic character with such a quick wit you can't help but admire the guy. Thomas Ian Griffith plays a great Valek, the master vampire whom Jack has sworn to slay. Griffith plays the character completely straight, and it works extremely well. Griffith is an imposing figure, and you get a real sense of the nobility & savagery of Valek's character. Compared to Woods, Griffith underplays his role, but still commands a very real presence of power & evil. Carpenter stretches the $20 million dollar budget well, but you can sometimes "see the zipper down the monster's back". Despite a few fake looking wounds or rubbery stakes, Carpenter delivers a polished & stylish film, on par with movies costing 10 times as much (better in some cases). I believe Carpenter works best with a little larger budget, but he should stay away from the typical Hollywood giant budget, he works best with a smaller production. "Vampires" is a treat for any Carpenter fan, and hopefully marks the beginning of a new standard in his films.