Vidar The Vampire (2017)

Starring: Thomas Aske Berg, Bright Skrettingland
Director: Thomas Aske Berg, Fredrik Waldeland


Premise:
A simple farmer turns into a vampire and tries to come to terms with the condition

My Take:
A solid movie which focuses on a man coming to grips with his new found vampirism. The movie is often funny and often sad as we see the main character reluctantly succumb and accept what is has become.

Rating: So Good

Watched: Amazon Prime

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/

Da Sweet Blood of Jesus (2015)

Starring: Stephen Tyrone Williams, Zaraah Abrahams, Rami Malek
Director: Spike Lee


Premise:
A doctor gets stabbed by an ancient African artifact and instead of killing him, it curses him with the thirst for blood. He enters a relation with a woman who questions his existence.

My Take:
A slow, prodding remake of a slow, prodding original Ganja & Hess. There's enough to keep the viewer interested. It tries to be a sexual, art house flick but ends up being too boring. Watch the original Ganja & Hess instead it's more interesting.

Rating: Warning

Watched: Netflix Instant

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/

Chimeres (2013)

Starring: Yannick Rosset, Jasna Kohoutova
Director: Olvier Beguin


Premise:
While on vacation a man gets a blood transfusion that turns him into a vampire. His wife must care for him and deal with the transformation and decide how to cope with this new situation.

My Take:
While there is nothing terribly new in the premise or underlying theme of the movie, it is well executed and well acted by the two leads thus keeping the viewer interested throughout.

Rating: In the middle

Watched: Shudder

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/

Dracula: The Dark Prince (2013)

Starring: Luke Roberts, Jon Voight, Kelly Wenham
Director: Perry Reginald Teo


Premise:
Dracula falls in love with a Crusader who resembles his murdered bride.

My Take:
There is a lot of stupid things in this movie that takes great liberty with the Dracula myth, lore, and facts about Vlad the Impaler. It's simply not good.

Rating: Steaming Pile

Watched: YouTube




Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/

Night of the Werewolf (1981)

AKA: El Retorno del Hombre Lobo

Starring: Paul Naschy
Director: Paul Naschy


Premise:
A witch brings Countess Bathory back from dead, who goes on a vampiric killing spree. The werewolf Lord Danisnsky is the only one who can stop her.

My Take:
A little bit of everything is thrown into this Naschy flick. It's watchable and has a certain charm to it.

Rating: In the middle





Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/

Preacher, Season 1 (2016)

Starring: Dominic Cooper, Joseph Gilgun, Ruth Negga, Jackie Earle Haley, W. Earl Brown, Lucy Griffiths


Premise:
A preacher bonds with a the offspring of an angel and demon. He develops want he thinks is "the word of God", allowing him to control people. Angels come to retrieve the offspring and the preacher small, Texas town will never be the same.

My Take:
I found myself wanting to enjoy the series more than I did. Perhaps I just couldn't separate myself from the awesomeness of the Garth Ennis graphic novels. The entire first season felt like Jesse meandering about without a true purpose. The show also delegates Cassidy and Tulip as secondary characters instead of the mainstays they truly are to the story. The final episode gives me hope for a more interesting second season as the group leaves to find God.

Rating: In the middle

Watched: AMC

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night (2014)

Starring: Sheila Vand, Marshall Manesh
Director: Ana Lily Amirpour


Premise:
A vampire lives out her life in a small Iranian town.

My Take:
An offbeat and original vampire tale.

Rating: So Good

Watched: Netflix




Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/

Santos Versus the Vampire Women (1962)

AKA: Santo Contra Las Mujeres Vampiro

Starring: El Santo
Director:


Premise:
Legendary wrestler El Santo battles a horde of evil, female vampires in order to keep a girl safe from their grasp.

My Take:
Even with no subtitles and limited grasp of the Spanish language this film was easy to understand and follow. And it's not very good either. However these types of movie were insanely popular in Mexico, They love the lucha libre!

Rating: Warning


Watched: Hulu

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/

The Vampire's Ghost (1945)

Starring: John Abbott
Director: Lesley Selander


Premise:
In a port town in Africa, a bar owner reveals himself to be a vampire.

My Take:
A slow moving tale where the suspense and horror is minimum. Not terrible though.

Rating: In the middle



Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/

Dark Shadows (2012)

Starring: Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Eva Green, Johnny Lee Miller, Helena Bonham Carter, Jackie Earl Haley, Chloë Grace Moretz, Bella Heathcote
Director: Tim Burton


Premise:
A vampire is imprisoned by a vengeful witch. Over two hundred years later he is released and returns to the family mansion, where his ancestors now live. He discovers the witch now runs the town his family built and he must find a way to get destroy her.

My Take:
I'm usually a fan of Tim Burton. This is definitely a Burton film. His style is in every frame. There's a fine cast too. But the movie just did not click with me as it seemed to have trouble deciding if it should be a comedy, drama, love story, or horror flick. It would go through sections when it was each of those things but it wasn't seemless and felt forced. And the final act simply didn't work for me. Maybe others will think differently.

Rating: Warning





Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/

Preacher: Proud Americans [volume 3]

Author: Garth Ennis


Premise:
A preacher, called Jesse Custer, in Texas is possessed by a supernatural entity called Genesis who gives him the power to control people with his voice. A secret sect known as The Grail is out to capture Custer at any costs. Custer goes on the run with the help of his former girlfriend Tulip and his vampire friend Cassidy and has a plan to settle things with his family, God, and the Grail.

In volume three Custer travels to a secluded location where the Grail has Cassidy captured. Herr Starr, a top official in The Grail, has his own plans for Custer. Also in this volume we find out the what The Grail is truly about, the origin of the Genesis, and how Cassidy became a vampire.


My Take:
This story continues to be simply one of the most balls out stories ever. It's not afraid to push the limits on several subjects, many taboo. It's bloody and violent and humorous and simply fun.
If you never read the series, go pick up volume one today. You are missing out. 

Rating: Instant Classic






 
Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.seankimmel.com.

Emotion (1966)

Director: Nobuhiko Ôbayashi


Premise:
A girl comes to the city and meets another girl, then falls in love with a vampire.

My Take:
I do enjoy experiment films, especially from this time period.
The story here is a bit soft and odd (typical for an experimental film) but the visuals more than make up for it.

Rating: In the middle

 
Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.seankimmel.com.

Blood and Roses (1960)

AKA: Et Mourir de Plaisir

Starring: Mel Ferrer, Elsa Martinelli
Director: Roger Vadim


Premise:
A woman's best friend is about to marry the man she has secretly loved her whole life. She ends up finding a lost tomb of a vampire which causes things to change around the country estate.

My Take:
A stylish and loose adaption of the classic "Camilla" story. The movie probably packed a bigger punch when it was released fifty years ago.
Worth a watch.

Rating: In the middle






Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.seankimmel.com.

Fright Night (2011)

Starring: Colin Farrell, Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots, David Tennant
Director: Craig Gillespie

Premise:
A man moves in next door to a single mother and her son. As disappearances in the town pile up the son starts to suspect the neighbor is a vampire.

My Take:
First, the movie comes no where near the greatness of the original. Not in any way.
Second, if you don't compare it the original and judge it on its own merit then the movie is adequate.
I enjoyed the some of the updates the movie had such as the Vegas locale, the suburbia lookalike America, and more explanation of the vampire origins. But missing are the general creepiness and character build.

Rating: In the middle




Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.seankimmel.com.

The Blood Splattered Bride (1972)

Director: Vicente Aranda


Synopsis:
A new bride is forced to deal with the acting out of her husband's sexual fantasies. Soon she finds a terrible family secret and is comforted by the strange woman that was found on the beach and has a secret of her own.

My Take:
You'll find some blood, some boobs, and some style wrapped in a decent story even if it doesn't make a lot of sense at times.
Another film based on the Le Fanu classic story "Camilla".
A definite Euro 70's vibe. I normally enjoy those kind of flicks. If you do, then check this one out.

Rating: In the middle





Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.seankimmel.com.

House of Dark Shadows (1970)

Director: Dan Curtis
Starring: Jonathan Frid, Katherine Leigh Scott

Synopsis:
A vampire finds the reincarnation of his long lost love and with the help of a doctor tries to become human once again.

My Take:
I can see how this movie (and the TV series) was a huge hit in the late 60's. It seems to have a perfect amount of soap opera drama, horror, and mystery. However, watching it today, it all feels out dated. And the music score really bothered me too. I will look forward to the Tim Burton remake.

Rating: In the Middle





Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.seankimmel.com.