Vampires (1998)

Directed by John Carpenter. Starring James Woods, Daniel Baldwin, Tim Guinee, Sheryl Lee, Thomas Ian Griffith, Maximilian Schell, Gregory Sierra, Mark Boone Junior. [R]

Woods plays Jack Crow (deal with it), the leader of a team of vampire hunters working for the Vatican to wipe out unholy bloodsuckers wherever they can be found. But after assaulting a nest where the “master” couldn’t be found, they find themselves in the crosshairs of the vengeful Valek (Griffith), the original vampire, who is stronger and tougher than any foe they’ve encountered before. Decent vampire pic, closer to action-Western than full-blooded horror, with some interesting new ideas and angles that never get satisfactorily developed. The plot structure sometimes feels as generic as the title, but Gary B. Kidde’s exciting camerawork and Woods’ off-center tough-guy performance make it worth a look. Drastic budget cuts just before production began resulted in the film barely resembling the John Steakley novel it was adapted from. Also known as John Carpenter’s Vampires.

65/100