The Bottom Line
Pros
- Large selection of interviewees
- Stylish movie clips
- Some insight into the tradition of vampire films
Cons
- No interviews with filmmakers earlier than '80s
- Too much focus on individual films that don't have historical impact
- Not enough history
- Little exploration into vampire film permutations
Description
- Starring Len Wiseman, Stan Winston, John Carpenter, Uwe Boll, John Landis, Cheech Marin, Joel Schumacher, Stephen Sommers
- Directed by Barry Gray
- Not Rated
- DVD Release Date: September 23, 2008
Guide Review - 'Bloodsucking Cinema' DVD Review
Bloodsucking Cinema is a documentary on vampire movies -- a good choice, given the limited alternative of mosquito movies. It features interviews with an array of actors and filmmakers who've worked on vampire films -- including Len Wiseman (Underworld), Stan Winston (Interview With the Vampire), John Carpenter (Vampires), Uwe Boll (BloodRayne), John Landis (Innocent Blood), Cheech Marin (From Dusk Till Dawn), Joel Schumacher (The Lost Boys) and Stephen Sommers (Van Helsing).
Primarily, they discuss the appeal of vampires -- immortality, sexiness, the ability to wear capes -- plus some behind-the-scenes stories from their movies. There's not a lot of insight, unless you're really into makeup and effects, which the film focuses on more than it should. The most interesting portions deal with the history of vampire films and their various permutations, including a Mexican version of Dracula filmed on the same sets as the Bela Lugosi original.
You get the sense, though, that the filmmakers only included this story because they interviewed Cheech Marin. It seems like they altered their content to fit their interviewees, and thus we get features on less-than-landmark vampire flicks BloodRayne, Innocent Blood and Vampires.
Many of the major films are covered as well, including Nosferatu, Dracula, the Hammer films, The Lost Boys, Interview with the Vampire, Bram Stoker's Dracula and Blade. There are some good points made about the groundbreaking elements of films like The Lost Boys (rock 'n roll vampires with exaggerated brows) and Blade (comic trailblazer).
All in all, while Bloodsucking Cinema is engaging, it feels a bit misdirected. Without more comprehensive coverage of the history and breadth of the vampire mythos -- including foreign films like Mr. Vampire and Cronos -- it's an incomplete overview.
The DVD
No special features.
Movie: C
DVD: F
