Desert of Blood (2008) User Reviews

pure boredom

[donfischi · 2/10 · 21 December 2007]

this film is a total waste of time. first of all the story is totally uninspired. it's like put together from a few random vampire books and contains absolutely no surprises or suspense or what you might else expect from a vampire story. well OK there is a simple romance thing but that too is not very well executed imho. the characters are also not even two dimensional, but simple and boring like a line in the dust.

that said, the acting is as bad as the script. it feels like quite bad soap opera style acting. the only excuse for the actors is imho that it might be really hard to deliver a good performance with such a lousy script.

finally there is not even close enough blood and stuff to provide even a little fun in a kind of old school splatter b movie style.

One of the worst vampire flicks ever

[Greybeardy · 2/10 · 9 January 2008]

Totally unconvincing, pathetic acting - daytime soap opera standard or worse. Did they hire actors or just invite a few people off the street? "Diego" delivered his immortal lines (pun intended) with all the passion of a Macfood drone - you want fries with that blood? You don't expect a great plot in these things but the basic idea actually wasn't too bad. A competent director and cast could have done a lot with the "buried for 35 years and now he's back" scenario. Changes in culture, the idea that he isn't totally evil - or doesn't want to be. It could have been better than average instead of a world-class stinker. At least they followed the horror movie convention that any woman who whips her top off is dead meat - or undead as the case may be. Thank heavens it was $1 Tuesday at the Video-Ezy but what I really want is to get that ninety-something minutes of my life back.

Watchable

[preppy-3 · 3/10 · 5 April 2010]

A B Mexican horror film. A vampire (Justin Quinn) is inadvertently set free after 50 years buried alive. He sets out for revenge but falls in love with the niece (Brenda Romero) of one of his victims. He tries to (get this) get over his vampirism (!!!) so he can be with her.

This isn't the worst horror film ever made but it won't win any awards! The story is nothing new and completely derails at the end where there are HUGE leaps in logic. Also the script has some truly terrible lines. The scenes where vampires casually talk about killing people are just ridiculous. There's also a pointless nude scene (which every horror film seems to need these days) and some truly painful characters here to provide "comedy". Two friends of the niece especially got on my nerves. I wanted them bitten and killed so MUCH! Also the acting was pretty weak but not unbearable. On the plus side it is well directed, has a few little jumps and I thought Quinn wasn't bad as the vampire. So it's watchable but instantly forgettable.

My Review

[joemamaohio · 1/10 · 5 August 2008]

In Mexico, a tourist uncovers a tomb with a cross on it. He removes the cross, and a vampire known as Louis Diego is resurrected after being put down there 35 years ago.

Hell-bent on revenge, Louis targets the people who put him in the coffin - only to find out most of them are now dead, except for his former love Sarita (Yvonne Rawn), but she doesn't even want to live and suffers a stroke after seeing Louis.

Louis sets his eyes on Sarita's niece, Maricela (Brenda Romero), and begins to fall in love with her. He struggles between the vampire urges and his love for Maricela.

This movie would've been better if: 1) it was longer (we didn't even get a chance to really feel for any of the characters) 2) it had better actors 3) it had an overall better story 4) it was something totally different.

All-in-all, "Desert of Blood" will be one of those films that, once you watch it, you instantly forget about it. It's that bad.

Forgettable but Entertaining B-Movie

[claudio_carvalho · 5/10 · 11 September 2009]

In Tecate, Mexico, an American tourist is hunting a treasure buried in the sand of a ghost town with his girlfriend Amy (Annika Svedman). However, he digs the grave of the vampire Luis Diego (Justin Quinn), who was buried thirty-five years ago by his friend Father Hernandez (Flint Esquerra). Luis Diego kills the tourist and leaves Amy contaminated in the desert. Then he meets his former sweetheart Sarita (Yvonne Rawn), who has a stroke after seeing him. In Malibu, California, Sarita's niece Maricela (Brenda Romero) and her best friends Heather (Natalie J. Horton) and Samantha (Tori White) are on vacation and they decide to travel to Mexico to help her family. The local Cris (Naím Thomas) and his family decide to give a party to Maricela and her friends; however, when Luis Diego sees the girl, he recalls Sarita and decides to give a second chance to his love. But he is a vampire and his love is impossible.

"Desert of Blood" is a forgettable but entertaining vampire movie. This is the typical B-movie, with beautiful breasts, hot girls and bad acting and screenplay. The story is a kind of Mexican soap-opera with vampires and the characters are poorly developed; therefore the viewer does not feel empathy for any of them. At least the vampires are classical, fearing the cross and the daylight and the girls are very sexy. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "Deserto de Sangue" ("Desert of Blood")

Great ending to an okay film

[slayrrr666 · 5/10 · 21 February 2009]

"Desert of Blood" is a really problematic, if decent at times entry.

**SPOILERS**

Discovered in the Mexican desert, Luis Diego, (Justin Quinn) buried for several decades, awakes as a vampire and joins with Carlos, (Mike Dusi) a small-time criminal, to set out on a quest for vengeance. When he begins, Maricela, (Brenda Romero) and her friends Heather, (Natalie J. Horton) and Samantha, (Tori White) decide to come down to help out her family, and upon both groups meeting up with each other, decide to become friends over his stories about a past friendship with the family. As they stay to help out and more and more bodies around the town turn up missing, they start to question who he really is, and as soon as local Cris, (Naim Thomas) helps them to realize he is a vampire and that his quest is still going on, they all race to stop it from being completed.

The Good News: There was a couple of things here that worked. One of the best points is that the few vampire encounters on display are somewhat enjoyable. There's not a whole lot of them, but they are really good and some of the only times when the film has any sort of momentum going forward. The encounter in the garage is really nice, where the reversal of whether the expected attack was going to occur then or not was really well-done and made for an exciting time, and the bar encounter is really fun and enjoyable. Also really nice is the first scenes out and about roaming the countryside, which manages to feature some pretty nice kills and a lot of vampiric action taking place to a great time overall. There's also the fight with the renegade vampire in the brothel, which is short but really good. The big part, though, is the finale where it's all brought out, and with all the different elements brought in, from the vampire's tactics to their defenses and combined with a great setting that plays a part of everything mixes together into an exciting, full-on interesting and exciting encounter that certainly ends the film on a bright note. The last good part to this one is that the few times it's actually gory on-screen it's all worthwhile. There's a couple bloody bits to the neck with splatter shooting out onto the surroundings, burnt skin through exposure to crosses or sunlight, a cross impaled in the chest and an impaling with a pool cue through the chest, even though none of them are truly spectacular. Along with an atmospheric opening, these here are the film's best parts.

The Bad News: There was some really big problems with this one. One of the film's biggest problems is that there's really just a lot of scenes that go on-and-on for no reason, making this one awfully dull. There's a couple different reasons for that, none more important than the romance angle. There's been a ton of them in the genre before, so it's no surprise it features one as well, but this one is just so hastily built together and haphazardly organized that it doesn't feel in the slightest bit logical or realistic, and just not believable. Having been saved from a potential rape, the only thing that's learned during the whole romance is each other's name, and yet that's enough for a deep commitment and difficulty in believing and accepting the vampiric tendencies of him later comes as a complete surprise, which doesn't make sense since nothing is given as to why that would be so. It's incredibly distracting and takes the viewer right out of it. There's also the fact that, besides featuring a clichéd angle lamely, there's a ton of time devoted to the family and the friendship between everyone, which is just over-developed to the point of it taking up a ton of screen-time. These elements here just make the film last to long that it doesn't have much of an opportunity to get many vampire scenes in, even though he's there but not in action. That may just be as well, since this is one of the most physically underwhelming vampires in the genre. There's nothing about him that gives off any kind of intimidating presence, there's barely anything that really screams as though he's going to be doing anything that will be difficult to overcome or prove dangerous to those going up against him, and beyond the mere fact that he's a vampire, really doesn't do much of anything to really make him intimidating. The last flaw to this one is the fact that there's a lot of off-screen kills that really tone down the amount of gore potentially could've been used. There's about an even amount of physically on-screen and off-screen, which is pretty bad and should've been favored more to one-side. These here are the film's flaws.

The Final Verdict: While not one of the worst entries in the genre, it doesn't have a whole lot to really recommend about it either. Really only worthwhile for the most hardcore vampire-film completist, while those who are looking for more rewarding fare or not a fan of the genre should heed caution.

Rated R: Graphic Language, Graphic Violence, Nudity and a clothed Sex Scene

nothing indie here

[patrk66 · 1/10 · 11 July 2008]

As a b-movie title, Desert of Blood is not a bad. The title implies both camp and spoof, staples of typical b-movies. But despite the fact that this movie delivers a home-baked hamfest, it misses the camp and spoof grade, because it appears to have taken itself too seriously. There is nothing here to laugh at, except, perhaps, the special effects which includes economy tooth caps ($5.50) and digestible blood capsules (6 for $3)probably from nightmarefactory.com. DesertBloo is more appropriate as a title. The movie appears to be a high school project financed by weekly allowances and staffed by the school photo club. Whoever put this together also coaxed four cheerleaders (and their tios and tias) into the mix.

vampire flick worthy of its 5 stars ...or not

[lordnufar · 5/10 · 21 December 2007]

A vampire awakes after 50 years in our time,"strangely" acting like he didn't even was asleep for half a century. The cast per overall is mediocre with few worthy characters... the plot is standard for this kind of genre...the evil awakes-->kills--->makes some "friends"---->gets killed--->the evil lives on... If you are a fan of this genre,or a fan of one the actors do watch this movie but "only" if you're out of alternatives. 5ife stars from me because ...i don't know why ?! Poor poor scenario even for a low-budget movie like this one. I'll wait for the sequel....No I'm kidding please do not make another one like this,for the sake of the vampires :))

delicious campy goodness

[tsh28 · 8/10 · 16 June 2008]

rather than go into this movie expecting a masterpiece of high culture, you should go to have fun. let's be honest: desert of blood is a vampire movie. but having said that, it exceeded my expectations for a movie of this genre.

desert of blood is more of a vampire movie with a true driving plot, rather than a bloodsucking horror fest. while it still does have its awesome bloody moments, its story of lost love and revenge still sucks you in. and what's more is that the premise isn't remotely as ridiculous as those of most other vampire b-movies. the risen vampire, luis diego, is reminiscent of whedon's angel, as he returns with a conscience torn by love and hate.

story aside, the visual quality of the film is quite astonishing for a low-budget movie, as it was shot in hd. with a mix of blood, humor, heart, and some skin, desert of blood doesn't fail to deliver a good time.

Had potential, still enjoyed it

[thewhitebeard · 6/10 · 21 June 2008]

Lets just say first, it has a great opening hook. More movies should start the way this one did (I mean like the first minute or so =) I did enjoy the film overall even tho I give it a 6, just based of this genre (not just horror but vampire flicks).

*SPOILERS* The main vampire who is awakened after 50 years looks like some Calvin Klein model and probably where they got him, although he wasn't terrible. His internal struggle is a nice touch, and the daughter of his old lover getting involved and him getting a hard on for her and well - all this has been done before and much better too.

HOWEVER - I liked some of the characters. The 3 main women, beyond them all being incredible looking (esp Tori White rawr!) they had good chemistry and dynamics. And many bikini scenes! Not terrible acting but obviously not gonna win awards. But I loved Samantha (Tori) quirky humor and looks, really cute. And the main girl Marisela and the blonde were all 3 good together, actually didn't want to see any of them bite the fang. Or the fang bite them =) ANYWAYS - definitely slower paced, attempt for more soapy, character stuff. Wasn't TOTALLY bored tho again enjoyed surprisingly and only because of the dynamic between the 3 girlfriends honestly (which sounds weird I know =/.

GORE factor well - not much - NUDITY - some nudity (beginning and well worth the look if this is a main reason you would watch) and a "quasi sex scene", (more funny than anything) no nudity (for the sex scene). But plenty of T&A which did it for me. The girls here are A's definitely if that's your thing.

A lot of good, a little cliché

[synchrogrl · 8/10 · 11 June 2008]

While I'm not exactly advising Anne Rice to step down, this is definitely one of the better indie vampire flicks I've seen (and I've seen more than I care to admit to the general public!). The acting was a little self-conscious, but good overall, with a few moments that were downright beautiful. The writing seemed purposefully camp, which is a risky choice, but I found myself caught up in it. And Justin Quinn is pretty hot, in my opinion.

I think fans of campy and fun will walk away pleased, while people who are more into mindless violence and pure horror are going to be disappointed. It looks as if the producers spent more of their budget on getting actors with some credentials, rather than on gallons of fake blood. I think this indie spirit sets this film apart from slash-and-gore-and-someone's-intestines films. It doesn't try to be next summer's blockbusting box office hit. It aims for more modest goals, and it reaches those with panache.

This is an amusing and tongue-in-cheek tribute to the vampire genre.

Not Anne Rice, but still a good time

[katherine-hatton · 7/10 · 16 June 2008]

I'm the first to admit, I like vamp movies, and I've seen a lot of them. Desert of Blood is no Interview with the Vampire, but it was still a good time. I'd give it 7.5 out of 10. For a low budget indie film, it was surprisingly well-done. The writing and acting might not have been Oscar worthy, but in a purposefully campy horror movie, that's not the point. The story was interesting, and even suspenseful or funny at the right times. and yeah, the chicks were hot. Not to mention, the gore was good for the budget, although they didn't go over-the-top with it (good for me, but if you watch these movies for the blood and guts, you might not be so thrilled with the somewhat lack thereof)

If you're into vampires or b-movie horror flicks, check this one out. As far as indie vamp movies go, it's pretty good in my opinion.

neat story, kind of telenovela

[kayziakay · 8/10 · 16 June 2008]

I thought the premise was really neat - being trapped underground for 35 years before waking up to the world that's changed so much, and the whole trying to be good thing and not knowing where to fit in, it seemed reminiscent of souled vampires in the slayer-verse or even some Anne Rice characters. I'm not saying this was Buffy or Vampire Chronicles caliber - it was def b-movie indie, but I liked it. I don't know if it was the setting or the writing/acting, but I got a total telenovela vibe from this, which made the movie really fun to watch. The gore wasn't excessive, and for the guys, there was the obligatory hot-topless-chick. My fave part was Justin Quinn (absolutely yummy!), who could give Stuart Townsend's Lestat a run for his money.

8/10 A fun, kind of camp vamp movie

I'm sorry, I'm confused. What's supposed to come out of the piñata ?

[lastliberal · 7/10 · 18 February 2009]

There are some nice vampire gore scenes and definitely some major T&A on display in this direct-to-video production. Annika Svedman gave us a great show before she became a vampiress, but I sure wanted to see what Tori White had to offer.

There is even a lick-the-salt, drink-the-blood, and eat-the-lemon scene that was cute. Who needs tequila? It may be an B-indie, but there are lots of gorgeous characters, both male and female. The story is really interesting - a young vampire (Justin Quinn) buried for 35 years, and awoken by a treasure hunter, falls for the niece (Brenda Romero) of his former love (Yvonne Rawn).

If Don Henry has anymore ideas like this, I will look forward to seeing them.

Pretty good movie

[meg67-1 · 8/10 · 28 May 2008]

I would give his film an 8.5 out of 10, it is not an Oscar caliber movie but i do not know how many horror films are. I enjoyed watching it. I laughed at some funny parts and enjoyed the different outlook on the undead. The movie never came out and said that they were vampires and it also deals with a complicated question, Can a vampire be good even though he needs blood to survive?

I found that my friends and I were discussing this question long after the film was over. Which all this the film was still suspenseful and scary. I would not recommend watching this movie at night when you are alone.