Vampires (1998)

Director:

John Carpenter

Writers (WGA):

John Steakley (novel)
Don Jakoby (screenplay)

Release Date:

30 October 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Fantasy | Horror | 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

Colour:

Colour

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:

Just before production began the studio cut the budget by 2/3, and the filmmakers had to furiously rework the story to fit. According to John Steakley, who wrote the novel, the finished film contained much of his dialogue and none of his plot.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: During the escape from the Sun God Motel, the chroma-key green screen can be seen outside Jack Crow's side of the pick-up truck before they wreck into the abandoned trailer.

Quotes:

Jack Crow: Let me just ask you one thing - after 600 years, how's that dick workin', pretty good?

Movie Connections:

Featured in Bloodsucking Cinema (2007) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Padre's Wood

Naysayers, take note...

Who but John Carpenter would have the savvy to make a "vampire western," and do it so well? His WILD BUNCH is a blue-collar crowd doing a dirty job, led by the cocky James Woods (whose wisecracking but nonetheless no-nonsense approach to hunting vampires reminded me more than a little of the early SPIDER-MAN- the one written by Stan Lee and rendered by Steve Ditko). And, just for the record, the movie IS better than the book. MUCH better. Carpenter manages to evoke a sense of time and place that seems to capture the FEEL of the southwest. The music definitely helps in this regard, but it's the director's filmmaking TECHNIQUE that makes this the almost "spiritual odyssey" that it is. When was the last time a movie made you feel you were THERE...?