Vampires Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Vampires Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 1, 2017

John Carpenter's "Vampires" (1998) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; archival featurette with cast and crew interviews; archival interview with John Carpenter; isolated score; and more. The release also arrives with a 20-page illustrated booklet featuring writings on the film and technical information. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Jack Crow

Somewhere in the rural South, fearless vampire slayer Jack Crow (James Woods, The Boost) and his men track down and exterminate a gang of vampires. But they miss their primary target, the Master (Thomas Ian Griffith, Excessive Force), and later on he attacks them while they are having a good time with a group of cheap prostitutes in a secluded motel. Jack, his right-hand man, Anthony (Daniel Baldwin, Mulholland Falls), and one of the girls, Katrina (Sheryl Lee, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me), who has been bitten by the Master, are the only ones that manage to escape the bloodbath.

During a meeting with Cardinal Alba (Maximilian Schell, A Bridge Too Far), whose superiors in the Vatican have been funding his ground operations, Jack is introduced to Father Adam Guiteau (Tim Guinee, Iron Man), who reluctantly reveals to him that the Master is looking for the Black Cross of Berziers because the ancient relic could give him endless power and make him immortal. With time running out Jack vows to stop the Master, but it quickly becomes clear that he has seriously underestimated him and his followers.

Even long-time admirers of John Carpenter’s work should easily agree that Vampires isn’t one of the director’s better films. There are occasional flashes of the dark and atmospheric style that typically makes Carpenter’s work special, but more often than not it feels like the story struggles to find a direction it likes and as a result the entire film comes dangerously close to being a graphic parody of sorts. It is possible, however, that Vampires was actually meant to be a bit more conservative genre film that enters the same territory that Robert Rodriguez’s From Dusk Till Dawn visited two years earlier. The bravado in Woods’ performance and the unfiltered sense of humor that seems to be an important element of the story certainly suggest such a possibility. Unfortunately, there is no one else that comes even remotely close to matching Woods’s style and his character essentially emerges as an eccentric loony with a sharp tongue that among other things likes to kill vampires for fun.

The best material is almost always dialog-free. Carpenter and cinematographer Gary Kibbe shot the film on location in New Mexico (with the bulk of it around Santa Fe) and a lot of the outdoor footage is strikingly beautiful. There is a genuine dark vibe in the panoramic shots that could have been perfect for a much more sinister film about an imperfect vampire slayer.

Baldwin and Lee’s contributions are easily forgettable. The former is clearly miscast as he undergoes a character transformation that is so awkward that it seems like someone actually did not want to give him a chance to impress. (The farewell exchanges at the end are also incredibly corny). Lee on other hand can look very beautiful but most of the time is completely ignored. Guinee and Griffith play one-dimensional characters that also could have been a lot more interesting.

As it is almost always the case with Carpenter’s films, there is a solid soundtrack with beautiful atmospheric tracks.

Vampires Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.40:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, John Carpenter's Vampires arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films.

The master that was used to source this release was likely prepared a while ago. I don't know when exactly, but there are some minor yet obvious limitations that are quite common on older masters that Sony has used or licensed to other parties for various catalog releases. If I had to guess, I would say that the master was prepared some time around or after 1998, when the film had its U.S. theatrical release. It is possible that some additional remastering work was done later on, but the basic qualities are typical for masters from the DVD era.

Generally speaking, detail and clarity range from decent to quite good. Most well-lit close-ups, for instance, look quite nice (see screencaptures #5 and 10). Even larger panoramic shots convey decent depth (see screencapture $16). However, occasionally there are small areas where some unnatural flatness can be quite easy to spot. There could be traces of light crushing, and even visible gentle traces of denoising, and the larger your screen is, the easier it will be to notice how depth fluctuates (see screencapture #7). Some of these fluctuations are clearly introduced by digital work, though I have to say that for the most part balance is maintained rather well and the end result is mostly pleasing. The primary colors are stable and there is a good range of nuances, but in some cases saturation could be a bit too strong. Image stability is excellent. Finally, I noticed a few tiny flecks, but there are no distracting large debris, cuts, damage marks, or torn/warped frames to report. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your Blu-ray player regardless of your geographical location).

Vampires Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

I viewed the film with the 5.1 track and did a few random comparisons with the 2.0 track. The 5.1 track is very clearly superior and in a lot of different ways. Indeed, not only is the dynamic movement better on the 5.1 track, but I think that dynamic balance is better as well. To be clear, it appears that on the 2.0 track the transitions between the dialog and the action sequences is a bit more abrupt, while on the 5.1 track the sound design seems more compact. There are no technical or mastering errors to report.

Vampires Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original U.S. theatrical trailer for Vampires. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• The Making of Vampires - included in this archival featurette are clips from interviews with cast and crew members, as well as raw footage from the shooting of Vampires in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In English, not subtitled.
  
  1. Interview with James Woods. (3 min).
  2. Interview with Daniel Baldwin. (2 min).
  3. Interview with Sheryl Lee. (2 min).
  4. Interview with John Carpenter. (3 min).
  5. Behind the Scenes. (7 min).
  6. B-Roll. (9 min).

• John Carpenter: The Guardian Interview (Part 1) - this archival interview with John Carpenter was filmed at the National Film Theatre in London on July 29, 1994. The director discusses his childhood years in Bowling Green, Kentucky; his interest in cinema; the critical reception of his early work; the evolution of his career; some unique technical choices he made during the years; etc. In English, not subtitled. (39 min).

• Isolated Score - presented as LPCM 2.0.

• Commentary - this audio commentary with dierctor John Carpenter initially appeared on the R1 DVD release of Vampires. It is a very technical commentary with plenty of information about the shooting of various sequences (and the influence Sam Peckinpah's style apparently had on the final look of this film), some interesting editing choices, the main characters and the dilemmas they are facing, the scoring of the film, etc.

• Booklet - 20-page illustrated booklet featuring Kim Newman's essay "John Carpenter's Vampires"; "John Carpenter on Vampires" (archival interview with the director which was conducted by Jim Hemphill in October 2015 for Filmmaker magazine); and technical credits.

Vampires Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

James Woods is the heart and soul of this occasionally entertaining but mostly very uneven film from director John Carpenter. This new release is sourced from the same Sony master that was used for the out-of-print U.S. release, but it has some additional supplemental features. As it is the case with all Indicator/Powerhouse Films releases, it is Region-Free and perfectly playable in North America. RECOMMENDED but only to fans of the film.