Vampires Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

Vampires Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Stephen Larson September 23, 2019

Though Vampires can be considered a hybrid picture, it's also the first pure western that John Carpenter directed and the genre markings show during the main titles and first scene. Cinematographer Gary Kibbe lensed extraordinarily breathtaking shots of the Santa Fe desert and vistas, which are projected in 2.35:1 CinemaScope, Carpenter's favorite ratio and a nod to Sergio Leone. Indeed, Carpenter pays tribute to the spaghetti western auteur with a zoomed-in extreme close-up of Jack Crow, played by James Woods, a Leone alum. And while many of Carpenter's films demonstrate the primal influence of Howard Hawks (this one included), Vampires also alludes to Sam Peckinpah (especially The Wild Bunch in its staging of action scenes and balletic violence).

Vampires was the fourth movie Carpenter directed that's based on a novel. Don Jakoby's screenplay is taken from John Steakley's 1990 novel, Vampire$, but much of the film adaptation are Jakoby and Carpenter's creation. One major difference is that several members of the Team Crow Slayers are killed off by the first major vampire, Jan Valek (Thomas Ian Griffith). Other characters have been dropped from Steakley's second book. The narrative focus is on Crow, sidekick Anthony Montoya (Daniel Baldwin, sounding much like older brother Alec), and Father Adam Guiteau (Tim Guinee), whose been assigned by the Vatican to keep tabs on Crow.

Are you ready for your Leone close-up, Mr. Woods?

Vampires has received both postfeminist and negative anti-feminist critiques over its portrayal of Katrina (Sheryl Lee), a prostitute who hooks up with Crow at a party but is soon bitten by Valek. It's disturbing how Katrina is slapped around by Crow and Montoya but because she's been infected and will shortly turn into a vamp, they need to control her. She also has visions of where Valek is headed and where he'll strike next. Valek is practically a clairvoyant because he already knows Jack Crow's identity in the very beginning so it's a strategic move by him to spare Katrina. Some have accused the depiction of Katrina as misogynist but Lee plays the unappreciated role magnificently. She's consistently in a state of waking consciousness, not fully grasping what's happened to her. She shares a psychic, telepathic link with Valek so before she's completely gone into the vamp metamorphosis, she acts as a prophet for Crow and Montoya.

Vampires is actually a very "clean" film because it doesn't contain any throwaway scenes. The script's shortcoming is that it isn't clear about what mutual knowledge Father Adam (or "Padre") shares with Cardinal Alba (Maximilian Schell) about Valek, the sacred cross, sacrificial rituals, and other mythohistorical details. Padre genuinely wants to help Crow on his quest so it's a mystery why he's not more forthcoming and transparent with the details to Crow, who has to really beat them out of the priest. Is it because he took a Catholic oath of sworn secrecy to Alba that he carries with him? It's a foible in an otherwise very good and underrated Carpenter film.

Vampires Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Vampires makes its second appearance on Blu-ray in the United States nearly four years after Twilight Time's release, which has completely sold out. Carpenter's sixteenth major feature was most recently released by Powerhouse Films as part of their Indicator Series but that Limited Edition has also gone out-of-print, although the label is re-issuing the BD-50 this week sans the booklet. The movie was also put out in Europe during the early years of the format with color values at variance with Carpenter and Kibbe's intentions. As Carpenter states in the recycled commentary, Kibbe applied "heavy-duty filters" to give the atmosphere and sky a "reddish and dustish feel." I've put together a comparison of the 2010 French Warner Bros. transfer and the Scream to reveal the discrepancies. You'll notice the light blue skies in Screenshot #17, contrasted with the more arid look in #18. And also take note of the pure white background in #21. Scream's image also boasts thick grain during that scene. Scream has encoded the MPEG-4 AVC transfer at an average video bitrate of 36000 kbps, while the full disc clock in at a total bitrate of 44.89 Mbps.

Just twelve chapter breaks accompany the feature. (TT and Powerhouse have twice as many.)

Screenshot #s 1-16, 18, 20, 22, & 24 = 2019 Scream Factory Collector's Edition
Screenshot #s 17, 19, 21, & 23 = 2010 Warner Bros M6 Video Blu-ray

Vampires Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Scream Factory supplies three lossless audio tracks: a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround (2657 kbps, 24-bit), a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo (1755 kbps, 24-bit), and a separate track of Carpenter's score presented here in a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo mix (1567 kbps, 24-bit). The 5.1 has excellent balance of music and f/x throughout. Explosions rumble and there are discrete sounds on the satellite speakers for the action scenes. Dialogue is crisp and cleanly reproduced. The isolated score was first available on the TT (DTS-HD MA 2.0) and later included on the Powerhouse (LPCM 2.0). Carpenter wrote a diverse score blending Roadhouse Blues and Hard Rock; he performed on keyboards, piano, guitar, and bass. The thematic material has a similar rhythmic kick and drive to it as parts of They Live do, and to a lesser extent, Prince of Darkness.

Optional English SDH (but sadly, no Spanish subtitles) are available.

Vampires Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary by Composer/Director John Carpenter - this commentary first appeared on Columbia TriStar's 2003 DVD and all the subsequent BDs. It features Carpenter on a solo track. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Time to Kill Some Vampires – An Interview with Composer/Director John Carpenter, Producer Sandy King Carpenter, and Cinematographer Garry B. Kibbe (12:25, 1080p) - Carpenter and his wife discuss bringing Steakley's novel to the screen, casting, and the score. Kibbe chimes in his thoughts on related topics. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Jack the Slayer – An Interview with Actor James Woods (22:18, 1080p) - Woods is at his descriptive best here in the disc's longest interview. The two-time Oscar nominee reflects on the leeway Carpenter gave him to ad-lib his lines, his impressions on Carpenter as a true auteur, and the satisfaction he got playing the lead in an action picture. Woods makes a senior slipup when referring to vigilante antiheroes in westerns. He says "Henry Ford" but meant to say Glenn Ford. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW The First Vampire – An Interview with Actor Thomas Ian Griffith (9:38, 1080p) - Daniel's snake-oiled coach in The Karate Kid Part III talks about his martial art skills, his first meeting with Sandy King Carpenter at an audition, high-wire stunts, and the fun he derived from playing Valek. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Raising the Stakes – An Interview with Special Effects Artist Greg Nicotero (10:26, 1080p) - Carpenter and his wife offer introductory remarks about Nicotero, who later appears to address the film's bloody gags, colored contact lenses, and how he did the makeup for some of the most remarkably gruesome scenes. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Padre – An Interview with Actor Tim Guinee (12:45, 1080p) - Guinee portrayed Father Adam and talks about being in back-to-back vampire films (he had just appeared in Blade before doing Vampires). The well-accomplished TV actors also speaks about his working relationships with Woods and Carpenter on set. He has a couple of great anecdotes and stories from the filming period to tell. In English, not subtitled.

• Vintage Making-of Featurette (23:41, upconverted to 1080i) - this full EPK featurette (6:10) by Columbia was initially included on the German VCL and Studio Canal BDs along with these interview snippets with the director and actors: John Carpenter (2:17), James Woods (2:26), Daniel Baldwin (2:03), and Sheryl Lee (2:03). It's rounded off by B-roll footage (8:57) of Carpenter directing Woods. It's nice to hear from Baldwin and Lee (brief as they are) since new interviews weren't recorded with them. Spoken in English, not subtitled.

• Theatrical Trailer (2:06, 1080p) - a restored trailer of Vampires with Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround (448 kbps).

• TV Spots (3:16, upconverted to 1080i) - the first four American spots are taken from videocassette and considering the source, they look mediocre to average with tracking. The last spot looks better and was broadcast for the Japanese market. It may have been on a prior DVD. Spoken words are in English with Japanese subs.

• Still Gallery (6:11, 1080i) - a slide show consisting of eighty images showcasing Vampire's ad and marketing campaign from American and international film companies. The first thirty-nine images are high-res photos of the production (all in color except for one black-and-white snapshot), eight glossy B&W stills from Columbia's press kit, five more publicity photos, and twenty-eight poster sheets and lobby cards from US and foreign distributors.

Vampires Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I got more out of Vampires on my second viewing and consider it a terrific "B" popcorn action/horror/western hybrid from one of the masters. Scream Factory's new interviews are all excellent. The label has ported over most--but not all--extras from prior discs. "John Carpenter: The Guardian Interview (Part 1)" from the Indicator Series has been left off as has the hour-long documentary, "The Directors: John Carpenter," from the Warner FR that I own. Still, this has to be as close to a definitive version of Vampires that we have. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to Carpenter's legion of fans.