Pale Blood (1990)

Such a frustrating disappointment

Just perfect...

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Watch this movie for George Chakiris' perfect, perfect performance. I saw it on late night TV and there were some indications that scenes near the end had been cut out to make it TV-acceptable, or else the plotting became slightly choppy, but then it proceeds nicely to the ending. The traffic scenes used to take us through the daylight hours are a nice touch. There is a satisfying twisty ending. Not a great movie, but for me, Mr Chakiris' performance was a 10, and the reason I rated this movie so highly. Bela Lugosi set the standard. Chakiris is one magnificent standard-bearer and no one has done it better. The female lead Pamela Ludwig seems a little gauche in comparison, and one of his achievements is that his performance somehow highlights this AND works with it to highlight his character's sense of more-than-human age and experience. Ludwig is cute, and she gets better. Hauser is boiling over the top from his first scene, as his character requires, and I guess his fans would like this movie, too.

Do not let the presence of Wings Hauser lure you into wasting 93 minutes on this stylish, erotic, and unbearably boring vampire film. George Chakiris is acceptable playing the role of a real vampire, on the trail of a fake vampire (an unhinged Wings Hauser). What is not acceptable is the throbbing punk soundtrack, meaningless redundant flashing images of murder victims, endless gratuitous traffic reports, etc. etc. The end result is a vampire movie that comes across more like a music video than a feature film. Sometimes the best surprise is no surprise, and "Pale Blood" fails miserably with its supposed surprise finale. The entire viewing experience is decidedly dull, and a real challenge to sit through. Not recommended. - MERK

A media storm is brewing in L.A. after a number of strange murders of young ladies being drained of blood. Michael Fury arrives in the city from London, and hires a vampire-obsessed investigator Judy to look into these murders. He encounters the erratic artist Van Vandameer, who seems to be interested in the case too, but for purposes unknown. Well, this turned out to be one nice surprise. I never even heard of it, but the video case looked tempting enough, and plot outline capped it off for me to purchase it. What comes of "Pale Blood" is a highly stylish, sparsely slow-tempo low-budget vampire yarn that's a little more unusual, and clever than most of its ilk. However I can see why some might find it a turn off though, but while it's not a faultless exercise. I was reasonably transfixed. The premise does come off slight (but there are some neat ideas, and references within), and the messy screenplay makes little sense with the main concerned being on the moody nocturnal atmosphere filled with dreary lighting, steamy downbeat Los Angeles locations, piercing sound effects and an ominously ticking time-bomb music score. It scores big hit on those facets. There's a real art house feel to it, and just what was the deal with the inclusion of that punk band. Every so often it would cut to them in the club playing their song. Boy did it ponder, although I got to hand it to them that it was a tune that doesn't leave your head anytime soon. So from what you grasp, the soundtrack is largely filled with sleek, bouncy rock songs that enlivens the late 80s feel. V.V. Dachin Hsu garnished direction seductively cruises along and pulling out elaborate suspense by effectively generating disorienting spells of slow motion and trippy visuals filled with blue or red shades. Some sequences are quite blurry and move along like a music video clip, while the production limitations draw up a welcoming claustrophobic edge. The performances are reliable, if mostly dry. George Chakiris' perfectly shaped understated, sullen performance emit's a dark, youthfully heart-broken vampire. Now that's the opposite for a Wings Hauser. His nutty, slime ball performance was good fun to watch. An admirably unhinged Pamela Ludwig is decent. Diana Frank and Darcy DeMoss are there to look pretty, and than show off their acting expertises. A fine, minor offbeat vampire flick that didn't blow me away, but it peaked my interest.

WARNING ***SPOILERS*** This is a mediocre, but not totally flawed thriller masquerading as a vampire flick: a series of brutal murders are attributed by press and television to a vampire. In fact, is a madman, a would be photographer, trying to capture a real vampire. Alas, he takes two of them, one male and one female and his fate was doomed (he'll finish inside an asylum, talking vainly of his discoveries). Wings Hauser, as the wanna be vampire and true murderer, steals the scene with a very good villain, while the two vampiric leads, are not so convincing (especially Pamela Ludwig who is a Rosie McGowan look alike, but with less boobs). All in all, there are worst ways to spend 90 minutes, but this is not necessarily good.