Cast: James Woods, Thomas Ian Griffith, Daniel Baldwin, Sheryl Lee, Maximilian Schell
Director: John Carpenter
U.S. Distribution: Columbia
U.S. Release Date: 10/30/98
Running Time: 1:47
MPAA Rating: R
James Woods battles blood suckers with the blessing of the Catholic Church.
At the crux of the heavy religious overtones in this John Carpenter film is the assumption that it was Catholics who allowed Vampires to come into being 600 years ago.
I can imagine someone walking out of the theater or stopping the VCR at this point.
Here's what they miss: James Woods (as mercenary slayer Jack Crow) is good. Thomas Ian Griffith (as Master Vampire Valek) is very, very good. The rest of the cast and much of this movie is mostly forgettable.
There's a high body count with plenty of gore, rampant priest and monk abuse and other unsettling surprises, all revealed at Carpenter's trademark pace. Fans of the veteran filmmaker will not want to miss Vampires, even if it is not as effective as his previous features "Halloween", "The Thing", or the lesser-known "They Live" (my favorite).
© 1998, Delton Perrodin