Vampire Journals
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Vampire Journals |
| Original title | Vampire Journals |
| Country of production | USA , Romania |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1997 |
| length | 78 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 16 (after re-exam; previously 18) |
| Rod | |
| Director | Ted Nicolaou |
| script | Ted Nicolaou |
| production |
Charles Band , Oana Păunescu, Vlad Păunescu |
| music | Richard Kosinski |
| camera | Adolfo Bartoli |
| cut | Gregory Sanders |
| occupation | |
| |
Vampire Journals (alternative titles: The Vampire Journals and Vampire Journals - The Hunter of Evil ) is a Romanian-American film directed by Ted Nicolaou . The 1997 horror film is loosely linked to the vampire series "Subspecies".
action
The vampire Zachary has been roaming the country for over 100 years, destroying his kind. Since his lover died in his transformation, he has only had revenge in mind. In Bucharest he is after one of the oldest and most powerful of the vampires: Ash, a decadent immortal who celebrates orgies in a spacious casino and courted other vampires. The property of the opaque Iris, disguised as a “Club Muse”, is the contact point for many vampires, including representatives from politics.
Ash is after the piano musician Sofia, who is currently on site with her orchestra. At the last minute, Zacharias can save her from the evil vampire, but hesitates too long to kill him. The next day, the unsuspecting Sofia receives an invitation from Iris to hold a private concert for the vampire. She accepts the invitation and ignores Zacharias' warnings. On the evening of the concert he tries to get into the property, but the vampires there are too powerful. Sofia comes under Ash's influence and finds herself a prisoner in the castle.
Zacharias visits Ash, but is overwhelmed by him and is allowed to enjoy his hospitality. When Sofia finds Zacharias, he is sucking a young girl. Ash was able to destroy the bond between the two and throws Zacharias out. Iris is supposed to destroy him in his quarters at night, but she has long been disgusted by the vampire and suggests a deal to Zacharias: If he takes Sofia with him and leaves Bucharest, she would grant him safe conduct. Zacharias is late, however, Sofia has already been turned into a vampire and Ash is now her master. Zacharias attacks Ash and fights him and his former lover Cassandra. He succeeds in destroying both of them and now he and Sofia seek refuge. Both go into a dark and uncertain future.
background
Charles Band , owner of Full Moon Pictures , suggested to Ted Nicolaou that a vampire story should be played in a casino. Nicolaou, responsible for the Subspecies series, saw this idea as a way of depicting a different kind of vampire. The vampires in Vampire Journals are less archaic and brutal than in the original series, but more romantic, transfigured and very cultured. While the films in the Subspecies series are more oriented towards Nosferatu , they have kept their human form in Vampire Journals . The film is linked to the series by Ash, who is a former servant of the chief vampire Radu in the film. The film also adheres to the basic rules of the series, the only way to destroy the vampires is to cut off their head or expose them to sunlight. Plus, they turn back into corpses while sleeping.
As with the previous films, the film was shot on location in Bucharest. During the auditions, Nicolaou discovered actress Kirsten Cerre. Cerre, who had actually only taken on the role of Sofia as an opponent for the role candidates, made a lasting impression on Nicolaou and so he accepted her into the cast. The audition dates turned out to be difficult, as Nicolaou had high demands on the actors despite the small budget and was looking for actors in both the USA and Great Britain.
criticism
The film was mostly rated mediocre. The “ Gothic ” look is unanimously praised, while the acting, the script and the suspense are rated negatively.
“Another variant of the vampire myth that again underlines the sexual context of this subgenre. Only this time the vampire is a kind of Eastern European mafia boss and his adversary is an underground hippie; the object of desire an American pianist. But this unusual constellation of people is not used, too soon the story gets stuck in the clutches of the cobbled-together plot, and the boisterous horror film music and the wooden dialogues don't help either. The bottom line: a bloodless vampire film. "
"Otherwise it remains to be said about" Vampire Journals "that he is really entertaining. A real must for genre fans. Even (or especially) Gothic fans should feel attracted by the aesthetics of the film and all people who liked " Interview with a Vampire " not only because of the popular leading actors should also be invited to the here reviewer. "Vampire Journals" is good, more beautiful than "Subspecies", but not quite as original either. Therefore, and because of the obvious similarity to other vampire classics mentioned, this time there are only 3 bats [Note: 5 bats would be the highest rating], but three really good ones and the invitation to everyone again, watch the films, you will be really surprised ! "
Individual evidence
- ↑ "Behind the Scenes" on the DVD release of Laser Paradise ("Red Edition")
- ^ Vampire Journals. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed April 6, 2017 .
- ↑ Review on the pages of Vampire-World.com
Web links
- Vampire Journals in the Internet Movie Database (English)