Tag: Vampire

REVIEW: Strong emotional core, vampiric thrills power ‘Sinners’

What if “From Dusk Till Dawn” took place in the Great Depression?

That’s sort of what we have here in this new vampire thriller from writer and director Ryan Coogler. A period piece, “Sinners” is set in 1932 and takes place in the Mississippi Delta region. The movie stars Michael B. Jordan in dual roles, playing twin brothers Elijah and Elias Moore.

After making money as part of Al Capone’s Chicago mafia, they’ve returned to their roots to open a Juke Joint. The duo bring in family and friends to help run the venue and it turns out to be a success. In fact it’s such a success that it attracts a group of vampires.

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REVIEW: Gothically gorgeous ‘Nosferatu’ is good, not quite great

The last month of 2024 brought us a new tale with the classic vampire Dracu… oh, excuse me. A new tale with the classic vampire Count Orlok.

More than 100 years after the release of the legendary German horror film, a new “Nosferatu” is in cinemas. Like the original from 1922, this remake centers on the married couple Thomas (Nicholas Hoult) and Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp) Hutter. The movie picks up with Thomas, a real estate agent, being sent to Transylvania for a sale.

There, Thomas meets Count Orlock (Bill Skarsgard), a nobleman (and secret vampire) who’s seeking a relocation to the German city where the Hutters reside. His reason for wanting to do so is a sort of mental connection the vampire has with Ellen.

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REVIEW: Vampiric flick ‘Abigail’ is just average

Spring is apparently the new spooky season because this vampire flick is the latest in a string of horror releases over the last few weeks.

The most recent in the genre to hit theaters stars Melissa Barrera as Joey, one of six criminals looking to pull off a kidnapping for ransom. The job is to abduct a young ballet dancer, Abigail (Alisha Weir), who’s the daughter of a wealthy and powerful, but mysterious figure.

Others on the team include former detective Frank (Dan Stevens), a hacker in Sammy (Kathryn Newton), a getaway driver named Dean (Angus Cloud), weapons expert Rickles (Will Catlett) and a mob enforcer with Peter (Kevin Durand). However, what they don’t know is that they’ve kidnapped a vampire.

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REVIEW: Vampire flick ‘Last Voyage of the Demeter’ disappoints

There have been many film adaptations of Bram Stoker’s classic novel “Dracula.” Adaptations of a single chapter, though? That’s a new one.

“The Last Voyage of the Demeter” is based on the chapter “The Captain’s Log” from Stoker’s 1897 book. In the film, the Demeter is a ship leaving Bulgaria helmed by Captain Elliot (Liam Cunningham). While the movie is narrated at points by Elliot who gives his thoughts on the development in his log, the film is centered on the character Clemens (Corey Hawkins).

A doctor looking to return to England, Clemens joins the crew of the Demeter which is sailing to Britain on a seemingly routine voyage. Along with the crew, the Demeter is carrying plenty of cargo, including a mysterious crate. As one would expect, the box contains the legendary vampire himself.

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REVIEW: Re-invented ‘Renfield’ entertains

Maybe this should’ve been the movie to launch the Dark Universe. Renfield should meet Elisabeth Moss’ character from “Invisible Man” in the sequel, honestly.

“Renfield” picks up in the present day, decades after the titular character became a servant to Dracula (Nicolas Cage). The former attorney, who tried to pull off a land deal with the vampire, now lives a life where he has superhuman abilities, but has to use his powers to get humans for the Count to feed on.

Growing tired of the life he has, he decides to join a relationship therapy group not only to vent, but also track down the abusive partners to give to Dracula. In one attempt, though, he crosses the dangerous Lobo crime family. This puts a target on Renfield’s back, and at the same time, Dracula becomes angry with him because the vampire senses disloyalty.

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REVIEW: Toss this ‘Invitation,’ the event isn’t worth going

“The Invitation” is a film with a rather entertaining finale. It’s just a shame an audience has to sit through a whole lot of nothing to get there.

Nathalie Emmanuel stars as Evie in this supposed horror picture. The film picks up with the aspiring artist and catering server learning more about her ancestry, and, as it turns out, she is related to a wealthy family in England and decides to meet-up with her newly discovered cousin, Oliver (Hugh Skinner).

Oliver extends an invitation to Evie to meet more of her relatives at a wedding event being held at an estate belonging to Walter (Thomas Doherty), a longtime family friend. While a bit nervous about all the new developments, Evie decides to travel to England for the wedding. However, just as she starts to settle in, Evie begins noticing some creepy things.

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REVIEW: Please, no more ‘Morbius’

Even “Dracula Untold” from the ill-fated Dark Universe did a vampire origin story better.

The movie follows the titular character Dr. Michael Morbius (Jared Leto), who’s lived with a debilitating blood illness his whole life. It’s something he shares with his surrogate brother Lucien (Matt Smith), with the two meeting at a hospital as children to be treated for the same disease.

As adults, Lucien has become a wealthy businessman while Michael is a world-renowned doctor specialized in treating blood-related diseases. Michael’s latest experiment to treat illnesses, including his own, turns out to be a mistake, though, as he is transformed into a vampire.

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