Doctor Vampire Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		2.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Doctor Vampire Blu-ray Movie Review

Doctor Vampire is a classic Hong Kong horror-comedy. Produced by Lam Chua (Mr. Nice Guy, Robotrix), Doctor Vampire is a fun and sexy romp but also the first (and only) film in the box-set that is not an adult film. The feature stars Bowie Lam, Ellen Chan, Sheila Chan, David Wu, Shek-Yin Lau, Crystal Kwok, Peter Kjær, and Kuang Ni.

Dr. Chiang Ta-Tsung (Bowie Lam) finds himself stranded after his car unexpectedly breaks. Dr. Chiang wanders around town and discovers himself at an ominous castle. Inside of the castle, Dr. Chiang finds a vampire hangout under the guise of a brothel. Instead, the vampires’ objective is to find new humans to feed on.

Attempting to break out of the castle, Dr. Chiang finds himself followed by vampires, becomes bitten by one himself, and is transformed into a vampire, too. Now Dr. Chiang must deal with more encounters with the vampire clan as the trouble continues – including encounters with the diabolical Vampire Master (Peter Kjær). Can Dr. Chiang survive the onslaught of the vampires?

Bowie Lam offers a decent performance in the leading role. Peter Kjær is also noteworthy in his strong central role. The supporting cast of characters in Doctor Vampire includes Alice (Ellen Chan), May Chen (Sheila Chan), Dr. Chang K.K. (David Wu), Dr. Chin (Shek-Yin Lau), Joy Li (Crystal Kwok), and Taoist Priest (Kuang Ni). An impressive supporting cast of actors.

The production features solid art direction by Yiu-Kwong But (Saga of the Phoenix, She Shoots Straight) and Oliver Wong (The Accidental Spy, New Police Story). The production is well-done with good design elements. The castle is a nice backdrop for the action. The aesthetic qualities impress in spades in the film.

The costumes by Yin-Ping Tang (My Dear Son, Walking Beside Me) are excellent and some of the best components of the filmmaking. Tang is a talented costume designer. The costumes for the main and supporting characters impress. These aesthetic qualities help the filmmaking excel.

The release features a worthwhile score composed by Alan Tsui (Last Song in Paris, The Blue Jean Monster). Tsui is a gifted composer. The music adds action-packed energy to the production. An engaging backdrop to the feature.

The cinematography by Jim Yeung (Robotrix, The Missed Date) is one of the best qualities of the feature. Yeung is an impressive cinematographer and someone with a keen visual sensibility. The style of the cinematography is effective throughout the genre feature.

Written and directed by Jamie Luk (Robotrix, Love with the Perfect Stranger), Doctor Vampire is a fun action-adventure horror feature. As a genre picture, Doctor Vampire has some fun creative style for audiences. The horror elements are a big part of the production. The atmosphere and mood of the filmmaking enhances the style of the feature. Doctor Vampire manages to evoke a sense of old-school genre horror alongside action genre tropes.

Doctor Vampire Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Shout Factory, Doctor Vampire is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 widescreen. The release features a worthwhile high-definition presentation. The transfer is crisp and engaging throughout. The scan has excellent fine detail. The color reproduction on the print looks fantastic as well. The scan looks filmic and has natural detail. A worthwhile encode by Shout Factory.

Doctor Vampire Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (with English subtitles) and Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (with English subtitles). The release features solid lossless encoding but there are some source-related drawbacks. There are some segments of the audio track (most notably the opening scene) where the score and LFE is a bit too harsh sounding and this was a surprising drawback to the audio presentation on this release.

The audio presentation was not as well restored as other features included in the box-set. The audio isn't as robust sounding in several sequences – especially early scenes of the film. The track is a little less robust sounding overall, too. Unfortunately, a modest lossless encoding of a weaker source. It is clear the audio was not carefully restored or from a higher quality master-audio tape.

Doctor Vampire Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Audio Commentary With Film Critic James Mudge

Interview With Actor Peter Kjaer (HD, 15:04)

Interview With Critic Sean Tierney (HD, 14:47)

Interview With Academic Gilbert Po (HD, 12:50)

Original Theatrical Trailer (SD, 3:58)

Image Gallery (HD, 1:46)

Doctor Vampire Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Doctor Vampire is an entertaining genre feature. The action-horror genre feature has some fun scenes and memorable performances. Bowie Lam delivers a solid lead performance. The production merits impress, too.

The Blu-ray release features excellent high-definition encoding. The transfer is solid, although the audio presentation had some surprising drawbacks. The release has numerous bonus features and is a well-rounded package. Recommended.