Modern Vampires (1998)

A borderline fascistic Dr. Van Helsing unwittingly hires crack smoking gang-bangers to pursue the decadent vampires who secretly control Hollywood and the United States.

Director:

Richard Elfman

Writer:

Matthew Bright

Stars:

Casper Van Dien, Natasha Gregson Wagner, Rod Steiger

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Casper Van Dien	...	Dallas
Natasha Gregson Wagner	...	Nico
Rod Steiger	...	Dr. Frederick Van Helsing
Kim Cattrall	...	Ulrike
Natasha Lyonne	...	Rachel
Craig Ferguson	...	Richard
Udo Kier	...	Vincent
Gabriel Casseus	...	Time Bomb
Robert Pastorelli	...	The Count
Natalya Andreychenko	...	Panthia (as Natasha Andreichenko)
Boris Lee Krutonog	...	Concierge (as Boris Krutonog)
Marco Hofschneider	...	Hans (as Marco Hosschneider)
Stephen Porter	...	Harald
Ellia Thompson	...	The Count's Girlfriend
Peter Lucas	...	The Count's Henchman

Storyline

Count Dracula is in L.A., running a hideous club scene, and he's angry that a rogue vampire, posing as a streetwalker, is slashing. He's also unhappy that Dallas, a youthful undead and former protégé, is in town. The rogue slasher, Nico, serendipitously picks Dallas as a victim; after discovering each other's nature, they become lovers. In fear of the Count, Dallas's coterie urges him to kill Nico, but he refuses. Meanwhile, a Viennese vampire hunter, Van Helsing, arrives in L.A. and hires the Crips to help him. They're soon following Nico and Dallas. When they capture her, Dallas wants to deal: spare Nico and he'll lead the hunters to Dracula. It's time for stake and bake.

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Plot Keywords:

hollywood california | murder of a pregnant woman | serial murder | murder | pregnancy | 

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Taglines:

Taste the evil. Taste the fun.

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Genres:

Comedy | Horror | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for vampire violence and gore, sexuality, language and some drug use

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 May 1999 (Spain)

Also Known As:

The Revenant

Filming Locations:

Pasadena, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Muse Productions,MUSE/Wyman,Storm Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Rod Steiger was director Richard Elfman's first and only choice to play Van Helsing.

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Goofs

At the end of the movie, when the gang is shooting the vampires at the nightclub, Time Bomb is shown shooting with two semiautomatic pistols, yet the slides were back, indicating that the guns were out of bullets.

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Quotes

Harald: Now, that's what I call a caring guy.

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Alternate Versions

In the Spanish video and DVD version by Manga Films, the title does not appear onscreen during the opening credits.

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Connections

References Siskel & Ebert (1986)

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Soundtracks

Dance of the Hours
from "La Gioconda"
By Amilcare Ponchielli
Arranged by Charlotte Georg (as Lee Ashley)
Published by Software Music (BMI)
Courtesy of OGM/Ole Georg Music

User Reviews

A few new twists on the old bloodsucking myth.

Only in America can vampires expect to call for garbage pickup. No messy disposal problems here. As a vampire author, I'd far rather see vampire movies that feature something new, rather than rehashing the old myths - no matter how well it's done. (For a similar new take on vampires, though hardly as funny, be sure to see Dance of the Damned) Actually, though Modern Vampires seems to strive to be intentionally bad, this makes it very funny, very hip though certainly not for everyone.

I loved it for the early humor (The scene with the bitchy salesperson in the dress shop was worth the rental price all by itself), and was sad to see the over the top end did not work quite as well as the first half.