John Carpenter's 1998 film "Vampires" -- based on the 1990 novel "Vampire$" by John Steakley -- is 30% vampire movie and 70% Western. It follows a cadre of ultra-masculine, cussing, toxic badass vampire hunters who wear black clothes and treat women like garbage. They are led by a snarling jerk named Jack Crow, played by James Woods, and you may insert your own joke about savvy casting here. This team of vampire hunters is sponsored by the Vatican and receives a hefty payout every time they infiltrate and exterminate a nest of bloodsuckers.
In this universe, vampires hide in desert shacks during the daylight hours, and sometimes merely bury themselves in sand. They are all ghoulish monsters immune to crosses, holy water, and garlic. The vampire hunters stalk into said shacks and fire wooden stakes into vampire chests with specialized harpooning equipment. The hunters also attached tethers to the vampires, then activated a winch outdoors,...
In this universe, vampires hide in desert shacks during the daylight hours, and sometimes merely bury themselves in sand. They are all ghoulish monsters immune to crosses, holy water, and garlic. The vampire hunters stalk into said shacks and fire wooden stakes into vampire chests with specialized harpooning equipment. The hunters also attached tethers to the vampires, then activated a winch outdoors,...
- 9/18/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
A new episode of our The Black Sheep video series was just released through the JoBlo Horror Originals YouTube channel, and with this one we’re looking back at director John Carpenter’s 1998 film Vampires (watch it Here). A movie that has its share of fans, but still doesn’t get as much respect as some of Carpenter’s earlier films. To hear why we think Vampires deserves more love, check out the video embedded above.
Scripted by Don Jakoby and inspired by the novel Vampire by John Steakley, Vampires has the following synopsis:
Ever since his parents were murdered by vampires, Jack Crow has had one purpose in life: putting stakes through bloodsuckers’ hearts. With his battle-hardened crew of vampire killers and the assistance of the Catholic Church, Crow roams the New Mexico desert looking for undead lairs to annihilate. But he meets his match when, at a roadside motel,...
Scripted by Don Jakoby and inspired by the novel Vampire by John Steakley, Vampires has the following synopsis:
Ever since his parents were murdered by vampires, Jack Crow has had one purpose in life: putting stakes through bloodsuckers’ hearts. With his battle-hardened crew of vampire killers and the assistance of the Catholic Church, Crow roams the New Mexico desert looking for undead lairs to annihilate. But he meets his match when, at a roadside motel,...
- 11/24/2022
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
John Carpenter is a horror legend. Over his decades-long career, he has turned out classic after classic, even being awarded the Golden Coach Award at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. The likes of "Halloween" reinvented the horror genre, revolutionizing the slasher film while cementing chief antagonist Michael Myers as a horror icon to be reckoned with. Remakes such as "The Thing" were wonders of practical effects, and "Starman" proved that Carpenter could move hearts as easily as he could incite screams.
His last directorial effort was 2010's "The Ward," and in the time since he's settled into a rhythm of gaming and producing, forgoing most modern horror movies for some well-deserved time where the shots are his call to make. Still, his compositional contributions to the latest "Halloween" trilogy are as good as his work's ever been, and he's even teasing his desire to direct a "Dead Space" movie. At this point,...
His last directorial effort was 2010's "The Ward," and in the time since he's settled into a rhythm of gaming and producing, forgoing most modern horror movies for some well-deserved time where the shots are his call to make. Still, his compositional contributions to the latest "Halloween" trilogy are as good as his work's ever been, and he's even teasing his desire to direct a "Dead Space" movie. At this point,...
- 10/19/2022
- by Chad Collins
- Slash Film
Reviewed by Kevin Scott, MoreHorror.com
Vampires (1998)
Directed by: John Carpenter
Written by: John Steakley (novel), Don Jakoby
Cast: James Woods (Jack Crow), Daniel Baldwin (Anthony Montoya), Sheryl Lee (Katrina), Thomas Ian Griffith (Valek), Maximillian Schell (Cardinal Alba), Tim Guinee (Father Adam Guiteau)
Back in 1998, there were two vampire films in theatres, “Blade” and “John Carpenter’s Vampires”. They were eerily similar. Both had something to do with vampires going through an ancient rite to walk in the daylight, both had an anti-hero vampire hunter whose life had been ruined by bloodsuckers, both had a conspiracy that vampires really do exist, and both even had actor Tim Guinee in the cast. “Vampires” and “Blade” are huge favorites of mine. “Blade” planted the seed for the renaissance of Marvel films we are enjoying today, and well, like many other Carpenter films, “Vampires” enjoyed the patronage of horror and Carpenter fans alike during its theatrical run,...
Vampires (1998)
Directed by: John Carpenter
Written by: John Steakley (novel), Don Jakoby
Cast: James Woods (Jack Crow), Daniel Baldwin (Anthony Montoya), Sheryl Lee (Katrina), Thomas Ian Griffith (Valek), Maximillian Schell (Cardinal Alba), Tim Guinee (Father Adam Guiteau)
Back in 1998, there were two vampire films in theatres, “Blade” and “John Carpenter’s Vampires”. They were eerily similar. Both had something to do with vampires going through an ancient rite to walk in the daylight, both had an anti-hero vampire hunter whose life had been ruined by bloodsuckers, both had a conspiracy that vampires really do exist, and both even had actor Tim Guinee in the cast. “Vampires” and “Blade” are huge favorites of mine. “Blade” planted the seed for the renaissance of Marvel films we are enjoying today, and well, like many other Carpenter films, “Vampires” enjoyed the patronage of horror and Carpenter fans alike during its theatrical run,...
- 6/11/2014
- by admin
- MoreHorror
Prep for the Assault on Precinct 13 Blu-ray Release by Counting Down the Top 10 John Carpenter Films
The title "Master of Horror" is thrown around quite a bit. Often it’s warranted but sometimes not so much. In the case of filmmaker John Carpenter, however, you cannot heap enough accolades upon him.
Although he is one of the forerunners of the modern slasher sub-genre of horror, Carpenter’s credits go far beyond that. He is not only a true master of horror, but an incredibly diverse and talented filmmaker.
In honor of Scream Factory's November 19th Collector’s Edition Blu-ray/DVD combo pack release of Assault on Precinct 13, we thought we'd sort through his impressive body of work and give you our Top 10 John Carpenter Films.
From celebrating Halloween in Haddonfield to escaping from New York and experiencing big trouble in China, Carpenter’s films are as diverse as they are entertaining. With honorable mentions to his first movie, Dark Star; the enchanting Starman; and anthology...
Although he is one of the forerunners of the modern slasher sub-genre of horror, Carpenter’s credits go far beyond that. He is not only a true master of horror, but an incredibly diverse and talented filmmaker.
In honor of Scream Factory's November 19th Collector’s Edition Blu-ray/DVD combo pack release of Assault on Precinct 13, we thought we'd sort through his impressive body of work and give you our Top 10 John Carpenter Films.
From celebrating Halloween in Haddonfield to escaping from New York and experiencing big trouble in China, Carpenter’s films are as diverse as they are entertaining. With honorable mentions to his first movie, Dark Star; the enchanting Starman; and anthology...
- 11/18/2013
- by Scott Hallam
- DreadCentral.com
With the final installment of the Twilight saga now out, horror fans seeking some counterbalance might be craving a film slightly less sympathetic towards bloodsuckers and less interested in wooing the teen girl demographic. To that end, I recommend John Carpenter’s Vampires.
Based on the novel "Vampire$" by John Steakley, Vampires saw Carpenter indulging his long time love of westerns as hard as he ever has. This is a straight up cowboy and Indians style story with James Woods starring as Jack Crow, a vampire slayer under employment by the Vatican who leads a team of fellow slayers in a covert, Catholic Church-endorsed campaign to purge vampires from the face of the earth.
Crow and his crew do a brisk business ferreting out vampire nests and they’ve got a pretty efficient system going for wasting “goons” that involves spearing them in their nests and dragging them out via...
Based on the novel "Vampire$" by John Steakley, Vampires saw Carpenter indulging his long time love of westerns as hard as he ever has. This is a straight up cowboy and Indians style story with James Woods starring as Jack Crow, a vampire slayer under employment by the Vatican who leads a team of fellow slayers in a covert, Catholic Church-endorsed campaign to purge vampires from the face of the earth.
Crow and his crew do a brisk business ferreting out vampire nests and they’ve got a pretty efficient system going for wasting “goons” that involves spearing them in their nests and dragging them out via...
- 11/16/2012
- shocktillyoudrop.com
For the horror buff, Fall is the best time of the year. The air is crisp, the leaves are falling and a feeling of death hangs on the air. Here at Sound on Sight we have some of the biggest horror fans you can find. We are continually showcasing the best of genre cinema, so we’ve decided to put our horror knowledge and passion to the test in a horror watching contest. Each week in October, Ricky D, James Merolla and Justine Smith will post a list of the horror films they have watched. By the end of the month, the person who has seen the most films wins. Prize Tbd.
Ricky D – 14 Viewings
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Purchase
The Exorcist
Directed by William Friedkin
One of the few horror films that really gets under my skin. Essential viewing for any cinephile.
The Exorcist 3
Directed by William Peter Blatty
William Peter Blatty,...
Ricky D – 14 Viewings
-
Purchase
The Exorcist
Directed by William Friedkin
One of the few horror films that really gets under my skin. Essential viewing for any cinephile.
The Exorcist 3
Directed by William Peter Blatty
William Peter Blatty,...
- 10/4/2011
- by Justine
- SoundOnSight
In a lot of ways, Hiroshi Sakurazaka’s “All You Need is Kill” reminded me of John Steakley’s “Armor”, one of the very first sci-fi novels I ever picked up (completely on a whim, natch), and ended up enjoying the hell out of. There is a lot of “Armor” in “Kill”, in that both books deal with futuristic warriors in, essentially, personal “mecha” suits (in “Kill” they are called “Jackets”, but they’re essentially the same things), and the enemy is, quite literally, an alien infestation that refuses to yield, negotiate, or indeed, communicate. The difference? “All You Need is Kill’s” big detour is that it’s also a time-travel movie of sorts, a “Groundhog Dag” with sci-fi war action, if you will. The first 100 pages of the novel is told from the first-person point of view of the young, fresh-out-of-high-school Keiji Kiriya, a Japanese recruit in the...
- 8/28/2010
- by Nix
- SciFiCool.com
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