Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Doctor Vampire Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 18, 2025

Jamie Luk's "Doctor Vampire" (1990) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the release include new program with author Stacey Abbott; new program with critic Mary Going; new audio commentary by critics Mike Leeder and Arne Venema; and new audio commentary by critics Frank Djeng and John Charles. In Cantonese, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

It's a trap.

It seems a bit odd that Tsui Hark was not in some way involved with Doctor Vampire because everything this film does to impress comes straight out of his good old magic book. Or, perhaps it should not because some areas in it also look quite restrained and rough. Hark’s films leave a different impression. They are powerful tornadoes of imagination and creativity and virtually all tend to overwhelm their audience. Interestingly, not always by design either, but because Hark routinely struggles to control them. Doctor Vampire rejects logic and embraces excess with a similar enthusiasm, but its director, Jamie Luk, never loses control of it.

The opening fifteen minutes produce material that can easily make one speculate that Quentin Tarantino may have borrowed several ideas from it before scripting From Dusk Till Dawn. After his car breaks down somewhere in the British countryside, Dr. Chiang Ta-Tsung (Bowie Lam) enters an ancient castle disguised as a luxurious brothel and operating as a massive blood bank for a gang of vampires. A couple of working girls then help the clueless doctor buy himself a drink and a date, but before losing his virginity, he defends the gorgeous Alice (Ellen Chan) from an abusive customer. Instead of replenishing the castle’s blood supply, the doctor beds Alice and, after the fireworks end, steals her heart.

Back home in Hong Kong, while spending time with his two best friends and colleagues, and his conservative and always suspicious girlfriend (Sheila Chan), the doctor notices the first symptoms of an unusual transformation. When his favorite dish, cooked garlic shrimp, makes him sick, he quickly connects the dots.

Meanwhile, the leader of the vampires, The Count (Peter Kjaer), dispatches Alice to bring back to him the doctor because his blood, which he has sampled thanks to her, is unlike anything other customers leave behind after having their final sexual rendezvous. Shortly after, Alice arrives at the hospital where the doctor works, but with a different plan in mind, which eventually forces The Count to leave his lair and get what he desires without her help.

The constant overlapping of comedy, action, horror, and romance will not be everyone’s cup of tea. In some areas, it simply does not work. However, it is unquestionably what makes Doctor Vampire worth seeing. Indeed, it is done with such mad enthusiasm and unbridled energy that even the bad material begins to look intriguing. For example, there is a ridiculous sequence in which a crucial procedure meant to replace the doctor’s vampire blood with human blood is disrupted, causing the donor, now with vampire blood in his veins, to get a huge erection. Moments later, he goes after the female staff in the hospital, but, much to his surprise, discovers that at least one nurse there can handle a lot more than what he has to offer. The whole sequence is idiotic. However, it is shot with such enthusiasm that it does work. (Then again, this should not be surprising because it is exactly how many of Roger Corman’s famous cult films were shot. The endless enthusiasm of their stars and the total lack of filters countered the absence of proper funding and talent).

The flashier material is in the final act, which brings The Count to the hospital and all hell breaks loose. However, this material also exposes Luk and the production’s limitations. While a Taoist priest (Ni Kuang) uses supernatural powers to confront The Count, there are plenty of fireworks and wire-fu that are supposed to wrap up Doctor Vampire in style. Some of the visuals are fine, but considering everything that has preceded the climax, the scope of the creativity is a bit underwhelming.

Doctor Vampire Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Doctor Vampire arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.

The release introduces a new 2K makeover of the film, which is quite good. It gives the film an attractive and, more importantly, convincing period appearance with strong organic qualities. I think that there are only two areas where meaningful improvements can be made. First, in some parts of the film, the density levels of select visuals can be better. Darker visuals, in particular, tend to produce looser grain that becomes a tad noisy. Also, all visuals can have a superior dynamic range. At the moment, too many leave the impression that they are more subdued than they ought to be, and, no, it is not because of limitations introduced by the cinematography. For example, at the end of the film, the big explosion looks quite anemic. Color balance is good. Saturation levels can be improved, and if they are, they will help strengthen the dynamic range of the visuals, but I did not see any troubling anomalies. There are no distracting imperfections, such as cuts, debris, marks, warped or torn frames. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Doctor Vampire Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: Cantonese (Original) Mono and Cantonese (Restored) Mono. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed virtually the entire film with the Original Mono track, which is very good. By 'good' I mean that it is not plagued by any obvious and distracting age-related anomalies. There is some unevenness, especially when the English lines pop up, but this is not unusual. What about its dynamic range? It is what I expected it to be. The most impressive material is the action material, so the bits where the music must make a difference are fairly ordinary. All dialog is clear and easy to follow. I tested the busiest action material at the end of the film with the Restored Mono track. Clarity and sharpness are better, but the discrepancy is not big enough to declare that the Original Mono track should be avoided. I think that both tracks ensure a very similar viewing experience. The English translation is excellent.

Doctor Vampire Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A British Vampire in Hong Kong - in this new program, Stacey Abbott, author of Celluloid Vampires: Life After Death in the Modern World comments on the evolution of vampire films and some of the strengths of Doctor Vampire. In English, not subtitled. (21 min).

• Vampire Slaying 101 - this exclusive new video essay was created by critic Mary Going. In English, not subtitled. (23 min).

• Commentary One - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics Frank Djeng and John Charles. The bulk of the information addresses the production and publicity of Doctor Vampire, the exact time the film arrived on the market, its blending of different genre elements, and the performances and careers of the leads and several supporting actors.

• Commentary Two - this new audio commentary was recorded by critics Mike Leeder and Arne Venema. Unsurprisingly, it is one big conversation that covers a wide range of different topics, some of which do not address the production and qualities of Doctor Vampire. However, if you enjoy the type of entertainment Doctor Vampire offers, it is worth spending ninety minutes with because it has various bits of information about developments in Hong Kong cinema during the 1990s that are quite interesting.

• Booklet - a limited edition collector's booklet featuring new writing on Hong Kong vampire films from Mr. Vampire to Doctor Vampire by East Asian horror expert Katarzyna Ancuta, as well as technical credits.

Doctor Vampire Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

While you would not see Tsui Hark's name mentioned anywhere in the opening credits of Doctor Vampire, all of the excitement in it is cooked up with recipes from his good old magic book. This excitement comes in all kinds of different flavors, and when mixed up some produce genuinely weird material, but the mad enthusiasm and unbridled energy that run through the entire film ensure a memorable viewing experience. RECOMMENDED.