Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		2.5

Curse of the Vampires Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman May 30, 2019

Note: This film is also available as part of The Hemisphere Box of Horrors.

For certain lovers of cult cinema, the name Hemisphere Pictures will most likely forever be linked to The Blood Island Collection, and perhaps more generally to Philippine shot outings in general, but as the movies collected in Hemishpere Box of Horrors make clear, this relatively small scale independent “studio” (if it could even be called that) at least attempted to try a few (marginally?) different things through the years. The five films assembled for this set document an approach that might be thought of as part Hammer, part Roger Corman (especially his Poe adaptations), but with a very peculiar, and some may reasonably feel distinctive, air. Part of that is due to the features shot in the Philippines, but there’s a weirdly exotic feel to even the stateside shot, admittedly low budget and often generally lo-fi offerings. One of the fun supplements on some of the Blood Island Collection discs were the reminiscences of Hemisphere marketing guru Samuel S. Sherman, and Sherman is back with more background information here, helping to explain how Hemisphere was seeking some kind of identity on the grindhouse and/or drive-in circuit(s), finding some unexpected success along the way. There's little doubt that any, and indeed probably all, of these films fits rather snugly into the confines of "cult cinema", but even devoted acolytes of this particular cult may need to temper expectations based on the source elements Severin was able to procure.

Curse of the Vampires kinda sorta mixes a Corman-esque sensibility, notably with an emphasis on a dysfunctional and perhaps even dissolute family, with more rote elements of a vampire tale, once again suffusing everything with a surplus of Christian imagery. Fans of some of the Corman Poe adaptations may find a certain similarity here, especially with regard to a husband keeping a wife chained in a hidden antechamber. The film features Eddie Garcia as Eduardo Escudero, whose sister Leonore (Amalia Fuentes) has run afoul of the siblings’ father Don Enrique (Johnny Monteiro) due to a nascent romance. It turns out that Enrique may have a good reason to not want any of his kids marrying, and that relates to both the woman hidden in the basement and the film’s very title.

Curse of the Vampires Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Curse of the Vampires is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.33:1. Severin's back cover advertises that this was "scanned in 2K from the only surviving film elements", so fans may be willing to grant the results a bit of slack. While I'm scoring this at the same 3.0 level I did The Blood Drinkers, the overall color reproduction here is probably at least a bit better, even if things often skew pretty noticeably toward the purple or pink side of things. Both color temperature and densities are somewhat variable, but there are moments in this presentation where things pop at least relatively well, with an especially good accounting of reds and greens. Detail levels are generally at least adequate, helped by a surplus of close-ups. De Leon's almost Bava-esque proclivity toward lighting sections of the frame in lurid reds, purples and yellows can mean fine detail can falter at times. A couple of dark and/or nighttime scenes feature inconsistent contrast, with some occasionally milky gray blacks. Once again there's pretty consistent if minor damage in the form of small scratches and the like. Grain resolves without any issues. My score is 3.25.

Curse of the Vampires Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Curse of the Vampires features a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono track which is quite similar in tone to that of The Blood Drinkers. The high end especially can sound almost painful at times in some of the more energetic, brass inflected, scoring choices, and the entire track actually struck me as a bit hot, something that leads to minor but noticeable distortion even in louder dialogue moments. There are occasional pops and cracks along the way, but nothing too distracting.

Curse of the Vampires Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Cursed Vampire (1080p; 4:43) is an interview with actor Eddie Garcia.


• The Market of Hemisphere (1080p; 18:00) is an interview with Hemisphere marketing consultant Samuel S. Sherman.


• Audio Commentary with Philippine Genre Documentarian Andrew Leavold


• Partial Audio Commentary with Sam Sherman


• Deleted Scenes (1080p; 8:42) are silent and play to selections from the score.


• Trailer (1080p; 2:26)


• Beast of Blood/Curse of the Vampires Radio Spot (00:58)

Curse of the Vampires Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This is another Hemisphere horror outing that might be appreciated more for its stylistic flourishes than for any plot mechanics. In the "don't believe everything you read" department, Severin's back cover lists a supposed pull quote from this site touting the film, but I can't find any reviews of it from other regions where the quote might have been printed. Video and audio both have intermittent issues, but Severin has included some interesting supplements.