Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat (1989) User Reviews

Nice Mixture of Horror/Comedy/Western

[ryan-10075 · 7/10 · 21 November 2019]

Anthony Hickox's second film and much in the same vein as his first in WAXWORK. A nice blending of horror and comedy. This time there is a third genre added in a western.

A group of vampires lead by Jozek Mardulak (David Carradine) are living in the desert in their own community of Purgatory. Here, they are working on creating a synthetic mixture that will act as human blood so they can stop taking human lives. The Harrison family lead by father David (Jim Metzler, who looks like he could be Eric Stolz's dad) and mother Sarah (Morgan Brittany) visit Purgatory so that David can assist in the creation of the mixture. Of course things are never easy in the movies and we are introduced to some good characters like a descendant of the Van Helsings (Bruce Campbell) and Ethan Jefferson (John Ireland) a fellow vampire who wants to start a revolt against this new way of life for the vampires.

A great and super capable cast that also includes Maxwell Caulfield, Deborah Foreman, M. Emmett Walsh and Dana Ashbrook to name a few. Also includes some new and interesting twists to the vampire legend with a great score from Richard Stone that really adds to the viewing of the film.

The Not-So-Evil Dead...

[paul_haakonsen · 6/10 · 13 April 2012]

If you are a cheesy vampire comedies or a fan of Bruce Campbell, then you most definitely have to watch "Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat", if you haven't seen it already.

Why? Well, simply because it is a hilarious vampire comedy with a rather good story actually. A town of vampires have settled in a small town far out in the desert, keeping themselves off the map and rarely getting people passing through town. The vampires are making synthetic bottled blood to satisfy their taste for human blood. But of course some vampires are not content with this, wanting to sink their fangs into the flesh of the living and drink real, warm blood. But who is the mysterious Count Mardulak who runs the town. And who is the clumsy stranger with glasses who stumble into town?

"Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat" have a rather good list of actors and actresses on the cast list. David Carradine plays Count Mardulak, Bruce Campbell plays Van Helsing, M. Emmet Walsh plays Mort, and John Ireland plays Jefferson. These are but a few of the great people in the movie.

There is a wonderful mix of comedy and traditional vampire flick in this movie to make it all interesting, and the cheesy combination actually works out well enough, making the movie all the more enjoyable. And of course, Bruce Campbell brings along with him his usual lovable way of portraying semi-clumsy hero-like characters.

"Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat" doesn't rely heavily on special effects and CGI, though whatever effects were used worked out well and came of as believable.

I hadn't heard about this little gem before I ran across it on Amazon while searching for Bruce Campbell, and I am glad I added it to my DVD collection because it is sort of a weird mix between "The Evil Dead" and classic Western movies, though thrown in with a good amount of vampire fun.

Once a bloodsucker, always a bloodsucker

[one9eighty · 7/10 · 21 October 2015]

Bruce (Evil Dead) Campbell and David (Kung Fu) Carradine headline this 1989 109 minute comedy horror which crosses over into the Western genre too. I found this film a nice surprise and entertaining to boot. A town of Vampires headed up by 'the Count' himself (played by Carradine) are looking to co-exist with humans in what feels like a retirement village set in a John Ford-esque Wild West town. Unfortunately Jefferson (John Ireland) has different ideas and feels that his species shouldn't have to co-exist in harmony, why wear factor 1000 sunblock and drink synthetic blood when living humans are a plentiful source of food. As it happens to synthetic supply is in danger and the only way to fix the situation is a living human scientist with the relevant skills so it's through his family's eyes that we tend to follow the action and story. Throw in Bruce Campbell as a bumbling idiotic modern Van Helsing and you have some great ingredients for making a film that it's stuck in the horror genre alone. Laughs a plenty with a cute story and some fun events make this a great if slightly camp way of enjoying 109 minutes, to me this is more entertaining than watching "True Blood" which also features vampires and synthetic blood because it really doesn't take itself too seriously :P 7 out of 10 from me on this.

Vampire Western Comedy

[sparklecat · 12 July 2004]

Once you see the vampires in sunscreen and sombreros, you will know exactly what kind of movie Anthony Hickox has made with his "Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat". Not only is it totally silly, but it's also pretty unique.

The plot of this vampire western comedy goes something like this: the powerful Count Mardulak (a quietly comic David Carradine) has founded a colony for reformed vampires in an old ghost town called Purgatory. The denizens of Purgatory fight the urge to kill and drink a milky-looking blood substitute ("It isn't even the right color", huffs one vamp). But it turns out that reform doesn't suit all the vampires that well, and things only get more tense when a few humans come to town.

B-movie lovers will likely be charmed by "Sundown", stop-motion bats and all. It certainly strays from horror cliche. Adding to the lighthearted festivities is Bruce Campbell as the artless but well-meaning Van Helsing. Overall, it's a kooky good time for movie fans of a particular mindset.

Sundown-The Vampire in Retreat

[Scarecrow-88 · 7/10 · 28 December 2008]

Any film that has David Carradine as Count Dracula and Bruce Campbell as a dorky, rather inept Van Helsing descendant is gonna grab my attention. From what I understand Anthony Hickox's(Waxwork;Hellraiser III)vampire western, Sundown-The Vampire in Retreat, rather lingered in obscurity which is rather surprising since it is such an interesting, colorful, sprawling, ambitious hybrid of genres. And, the film is packed full of terrific names in the cast! For an avid horror and western fan such as myself, Hickox's film was quite a treat and I could just feel the enthusiasm behind the direction although his influences are very visible. The score is rousing and quite orchestral, despite the fact that this film is actually set in modern 1990 with family man, David Harrison(Jim Metzler), wife Sarah(Morgan Brittany)and daughters driving into an American Western town of Purgatory to help assist an old college "pal", Shane(Maxwell Caulfield)adjust a machine which might have the ability to create synthetic blood. This machine was purchased by the mysterious millionaire, Jozek Mardulak(David Carradine), who is the authority over the town which consists completely of vampires who have taken a vow to not harm humans unless absolutely necessary. Interesting enough, Mardulak seeks favor from God for the murderous, blood-sucking deeds from his past with a township also guilty for those innocents who perished thanks to their thirst. But, under Mardulak's nose is his lieutenant, Ethan Jefferson(John Ireland)plotting to overthrow the great leader so that his race can hunt humans again. Shane joins forces with Jefferson and has plans of his own..in a major sub-plot, it is revealed that Shane and David's wife slept together and that daughter Julie could in fact be his. Shane desires to "turn" Sarah and Julie if just for spite because he's an egotistical, arrogant, smug punk who doesn't like playing second fiddle to anybody. The problem for David is that he can not defend his honor properly because Shane has superior powers thanks to his vampiric abilities. And, also, Jefferson plans to kill all the regular citizens of Purgatory if they do not comply with demands for joining the hunt. Shane has developed a wood-tipped bullet which, when fired into the heart, splinters on impact killing the vampire. Having built an army of vampires by hunting human outsiders willing to join him, Jefferson plans an onslaught which threatens all the work Mardulak has contributed to conforming his race. A nerdy descendant of Van Helsing, Robert(Bruce Campbell, operating his shtick without restriction;very cartoony and animated offering quite a nervous and over-his-head, but impossibly brave hero;quite an alternative to his Evil Dead series persona)kidnaps a vampire diner waitress in Purgatory, Sandy(..the yummy beauty Deborah Foreman who steps away from her usual adorable cuteness;quite a sexy and alluring presentation, but she had tapped into this kind of deliciousness in Hickox's previous horror flick, Waxwork)threatening to sprinkle holy water on her if she doesn't take him to Mardulak's home. Lots of stuff going on, that's for sure. There's even time to show a frightened young couple, who witnessed their friend's beheading at the hands of hillbilly vampire, Mort(the great M Emmet Walsh)imprisoned next to him by the sheriff because they know too much with the town wanting to feast from them. The vampires survive off of the artificial blood Shane's machine, produced from David's schematics, and heavy UV cream.

This was my first viewing of the film and as much a buff as I am, I shamefully admit to just finding out about this rather recently. I thought the film is quick paced enough to look over it's flaws, although there were times when certain performances were a bit cringe-worthy, particularly Metzler as the heroic father whose dramatic scenes with Brittany(..who is cute, but doesn't exactly blow you away with her performance, either)regarding Shane are overwrought. Caulfield nails his part as the a$$hole of the film, behind the possible destruction of a family and only joining forces with Jefferson as a way to get his "property", Sarah and Julie. Campbell and Foreman have nice chemistry together in their sweet, budding romance. But, Carradine as Dracula, masquerading as Mardulak is money and seeing him opposite old Hollywood veteran Ireland in a gunfight was sheer bliss for me. We definitely see the spaghetti western influence here..I am pretty sure Hickox just dreamed of directing such a scenario. The vampire effects are surprisingly good, but many will probably wince at the bat creations(..there are different effects used such as animated and clay forms of vampires in bat-form). Rarely is their any fanging on screen, which was the greatest drag for this vampire cinema lover. It was a lot of fun seeing M Emmett Walsh steal entire scenes so easily and Buck Flower as a town vampire switching allegiances to Jefferson's clan(..his confrontation with Foreman is a doozy and his fate regarding an open umbrella is priceless). Ireland once again, no matter his age, finding that menace was also a pleasure and he knew how to really bare those fangs so fiendishly.Fabulous use of Moab, Utah locations shot in widescreen and the wonderful sense of irony in the plot being that these vampires, in their attempt to go straight choose such a hot place as their refuge from humankind.

Another great Dracula sequel

[jacobjohntaylor1 · 7/10 · 26 August 2016]

This a movie about Dracula in modern times. It has a great story line. It also has great acting. It has great special effects. And it is very scary. 6.3 is underrating it. If it does not scary you no movie. This a classic horror film. Dracula (March 1931) is better. So is Dracula (1992). Nosferatu (1922) is also better. But still this a great film. It is a lot better then Nosferatu (1979). That movie is just overrated crap. I give it 7 out of 10 because it is an awesome horror film. This movie is a must see. Dracula (1958) is better. Dracula's daughter (1936) is also better. Son of Dracula is also better. This is a lot better then A Nosferatu in Venice. That movie is overrated crap. See this movie is a is a great Dracula film.

Don't forget the sunscreen.

[lost-in-limbo · 6/10 · 26 April 2008]

Director Anthony Hickox's debut film 'Waxwork (1988)' was a disappointment for me, but his second low-budget b-grade production is a vast improvement, but still from flawless. For a comedy-horror I didn't find it particularly humorous, but at least it had an atypical quality and unique premise of a modern day vampire western outing. It's ambitious, but has a disarray of unrealized gimmicks in its broadly directionless story. The two themes were mixed in well enough though. Don't be expecting much blood splatter and dark humour as it's dry on that front, because it's quite light-hearted and goofy throughout the whole thing. The script keeps it tongue-in-cheek and fairly witty, but slim on plot details. Making it much stronger is that of a well-cast of gleeful familiar faces. David Carradine adds class with his lofty performance as the head count of the town. Bruce Campbell in a too minor role enjoyably twitches about as a vampire hunter and Deborah Foreman is engagingly warm as one of the undead. John Ireland mercilessly chews it up in a fine villainous role. Maxwell Caulfield made for a perfect oily vampire and M Emmet Walsh's cranky shenanigans were a delightful inclusion. In the main leads Jim Metzler was forgettable and Morgan Brittany was only slightly better. Look out for Dana Ashbrook, John Hancock, Dabbs Greer and George 'Buck' Flower. Hickox nicely paces it, and its ever-changing tenor is well pulled off with such polished styling. He does a slick job, with such restraints. The action sequences (mainly in the latter half with its traditional shootouts and standoff) can be over-the-top, but are competently done and the make-up work looks convincing. In the background the vast, dusty Arizona setting is beautifully captured by tidy cinematography and even a grand western flavour features prominently in the burning score. This little feature falls in the rivetingly campy basket.

Entertaining and unheralded vampire western

[Red-Barracuda · 6/10 · 8 May 2016]

A small town located in the American West is improbably inhabited entirely by vampires who exist on artificial blood produced by a plasma-manufacturing plant. In this way they can live without having to kill people and co-exist peacefully. But one faction decides that it is time to resort to their true nature, this results in a civil war of sorts between the good and bad vampires.

This one was directed by Anthony Hickox who is probably most well remembered for the comedy horror Waxwork (1998). I personally found that film to be something of a disappointment and in contrast found Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat to be quite a bit better than I expected and a lot more enjoyable than Waxwork. It's one of those films from the late 80's / early 90's that could be described as a hybrid-western, in this case a combo of western, horror and comedy. I only really heard of it this year and thought it slightly surprising that I hadn't been aware of it back in the day, as I couldn't see how me and my teenage buddies would have not wanted to see a Bruce Campbell horror comedy back then. But it seems that maybe it wasn't due to our own lack of awareness and more to do with this one kind of going under the radar a bit. I can't really understand why to be honest as it covers quite a lot of ground pretty effectively and was definitely good fun, if not exactly essential stuff. Whatever the case, it definitely benefits quite a bit in having such a good cast. Campbell is in more restrained form that usual as a dopey vampire hunter, B-Movie king David Carradine is the chief vampire leader, Maxwell Caulfield of Dynasty and Colbys TV fame puts in a pretty spirited performance as one of the main evil vampires, renowned character actor M. Emmet Walsh is as reliable as ever as a slightly world weary older vampire and future Twin Peaks actor Dana Ashbrook appears as one of the victims. All-in-all, a pretty fun time is to be had with this one, a film that deserves a little more love.

Could had been a fun movie and a real cult-classic but it just isn't.

[Boba_Fett1138 · 5/10 · 24 October 2011]

There are plenty of reasons why this movie could had been a real fun one and a bit of a cult-classic even. It has the right premise and settings, as well as the right cast for it. I mean, David Carradine as Dracula and Bruce Campbell as Van Helsing, set in a small rural town in 'modern' day America, how could things go wrong? The answer is very simple unfortunately; the script.

It's really disappointing how incredibly lame and poorly the story got written. The right ideas were there it seemed but yet they didn't really had an idea how to use them. The story feels like it's all constant buildup, without ever a decent pay off. It's such an uninteresting done story, in which all of the characters also don't work out at all. All of the characters motivations remain unclear to me really. I had no idea what Dracula wanted or what Van Helsing was trying to achieve and why the Harrison's are the centerpiece of the movie remains also quite unclear. It all still starts of promising enough but the movie starts to run out of steam pretty fast and there is far too little good, original or interesting happening in the story.

The comedy of the movie is typically '80's like, even though it's an 1990 movie (though some sources say it's an 1989 movie). This means that the comedy is quite simplistic and childish really, which more often makes the movie lame than funny really. And that for me was the movie its downfall. I mean I could had so easily forgiven the movie for all of its weaknesses, if only the movie was a more fun and funny one to watch.

I love vampires and all, as long as they don't sparkle but there for me was very little to enjoy in this movie. The movie might just as well had been one about zombies, or nuclear affected freaks and the movie would had been all the same really. Not even David Carradine could impress me much as count Dracula. There is simply very little typical vampire stuff going on in this movie and most of the well known actors also get heavily underused. I still thought it was great that David Carradine played the famous count. A role that his father John Carradine had played more than a few times during his career, also in a couple of official Universal studio movies and who had died just a few years prior to this movie. As far as I know if this was the only time David Carradine played the blood sucking count. Perhaps he did it as an homage to his, at the time, recently deceased father.

There is a very good reason why this movie isn't known any better really; it's very forgettable.

5/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Plenty to get your teeth into...perhaps a little too much

[The_Void · 7/10 · 2 October 2008]

I'm sure I'm not the only horror fan who has had Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat at the top of their 'must see' list for some time, but now that I've finally seen it I have to say that I'm slightly disappointed. Sundown is a vampire film that takes in many of the common genre elements; but somehow manages to do it in such a way that isn't typical. The film also has strong western elements (leading it to be labelled as a 'vampire western') which help to make the whole thing more original (especially as the film predates From Dusk Till Dawn by six years). The film focuses primarily on a town called Purgatory somewhere out in the desert. The town is mostly inhabited by vampires; but these particular vampires are starting to realise that they cannot continue feeding on humans indefinitely; and thus begin wearing sun block and working on a synthesised blood serum to eliminate the need for sucking blood. However, not all the vampires in town are on board with this idea; and things are complicated further with the arrival of a descendant of Van Helsing...

The main reason I saw this film was due to the fact that it stars Bruce Campbell; however, his role is pretty much the most disappointing thing about it. We get the usual Bruce Campbell entertainment; but he's really toned down and his character is basically pointless in the grand scheme of things. This isn't helped by the fact that the plot has far too many threads going on; and while this does serve in keeping the film interesting, it also means that it's far too complicated and there's not enough time for everything to play out properly. However, the film gets points back for the way that the vampire themes are handled. At its base, the story is not too far removed from the classic Dracula story and we get everything thrown in from wooden stakes and holy water, all the way to fangs and the vampires turning into bats. There's plenty of action in the film (although to be honest, I don't really want gun battles with my vampires) and the special effects are at least amusing. The film starts to lose it's way further towards the end; but for all it's problems, this is at least an entertaining watch...although I wouldn't recommend going too far out of your way to find it.

Not the best by Hickox....

[FlashCallahan · 5/10 · 12 May 2016]

Which is a shame, because this almost parody of Near Dark had a lot going for it with the wonderful cast, and Hickox is notorious for making some very exciting B-movie fodder..

Under the leadership of their ancient and powerful leader Mardulak, a colony of vampires seek a peaceful life in the desolate town of Purgatory.

Imperative to the transition is the town's bloodmaking facility and it is just not working.

Mardulak summons the designer of the plant, who brings his family along for what he thinks will be a busmans holiday, but he and his family are caught up in a war as another vampire, who detests the idea of vampires being anything other than predators.

Like Ché, he starts a revolution, and a descendant of the Van Helsing family arrives intent on destroying all vampires........

It sounds wonderful, two warring groups of Vampires fighting over synthetic/real blood, they should have waited until 2008 and made a seven season TV show about it all, it may have explained it all a little better...............

From the creator of the Waxwork movies, I wasn't expecting something so mundane and trudging through the narrative about as fast as M. Emmett Walsh walks through his scenes, when we have the added bonus of Campbell as a Helsing relative, and Carradine doing what he does best, make bad material seem quite good.

It's not terrible though. The scenes at the petrol station are genuinely funny, and the sets, although looking very cheap, are authentic and intimidating.

But what you have Miles O' Keefe being in a totally different film, and the humour falling flat at almost every turn, it's quite difficult to enjoy what otherwise could have been a throwaway B-movie.

No wonder it's almost vanished without a trace.

A hilarious comedy romp!! Wasnt horror to me just hilarious!!

[joiningjt · 9/10 · 12 November 2020]

The Underrated and misunderstood bruce Campbell does it again and with an excellent cast including david carradine. Has a great story a great slapstick script and was executed well. Its campy and low budget but it's a must see for any comedy buffy. Heard this bombed while earth girls are easy boomed but sorry this us a much better movie. So sit back with a big bowl of extra buttered popcorn and enjoy a good laugh!! Oh and a little western horror thrown in.

Goofy Vampire Western

[Cineanalyst · 6/10 · 9 July 2018]

I came upon "Sundown" in my search to see a bunch of Dracula movies since reading Bram Stoker's novel, but this one doesn't have anything to do with the book except for a couple character names, and a love triangle involving a vampire has some thematic similarity to Stoker's subtext of infidelity. For seemingly no real dramatic reason, the revelation of those names, Dracula and Van Helsing, is delayed. Bruce Campbell, of "The Evil Dead" franchise fame, plays the great grandson of Stoker's Dutch doctor, whereas David Carradine, son of John Carradine, who played Dracula in at least four films, plays a Dracula who changes his name to the near-anagram of "Mardulak" because, as he claims, his name became too famous. At least, they didn't use the semordnilap of "Alucard" again, which was used, among elsewhere, in "Son of Dracula" (1943) and "Dracula A.D. 1972," the latter of which one of the human daughters in "Sundown" has a poster of in her room.

Departing entirely from Stoker, Mardulak owns a town full of vampires, where they drink synthetic blood and try to avoid killing humans, because the Count wants God to forgive him and his fellow creatures. Another fraction of the town's vamps disagree. Led by a bloodsucker named, appropriately enough, "Jefferson," they start a revolution, which ends up as a Western-film-styled shoot-'em-up, but with wooden bullets. In the fashion of Hammer's Dracula series, there's a bunch of other vampiric lore employed, including a makeshift cross. The vampires also venture out in the daylight thanks to some powerful sunscreen lotion and sources of shade, such as hats and umbrellas. Again, none of this was in Stoker's book. His Dracula could be exposed to sunlight; it merely diminished his powers.

But, never mind, it's not necessarily a problem that the film doesn't respect the source. That is, if it does anything intelligent in its alteration, or at least something fun. My favorite Dracula-related comedies, including "Blood for Dracula" (1974) and "Love at First Bite" (1979), do both, to some extent. "Sundown," on the other hand, is just goofy. Rather than Stoker or any other novel idea, it clearly takes its inspiration from playing around with other movies--bad vampire movies (if the poster of "Dracula A.D. 1972" is any indication) and Westerns--and mixes them up. Fortunately, the result is light and seems as though it doesn't take itself seriously. The fake bats are especially absurd. It's fun.

(Mirror Note: The human mother character doesn't see a vampire behind her through the mirror due to his lack of a reflection. Van Helsing also uses sources of reflections twice to confirm vampirism.)

Not A Bad Vampire Flick

[gwnightscream · 5/10 · 15 July 2019]

This 1989 horror comedy tells of a family traveling to a small, desert town, Purgatory where the residents are vampires living off synthetic blood and the family gets caught in the middle of a war between them and another group of vampires craving human blood. Bruce Campbell (Army of Darkness), Deborah Foreman (April Fool's Day), David Carradine (Kill Bill Vol. 1&2), Maxwell Caulfield (Grease 2) and M. Emmet Walsh (Blade Runner) are featured. This isn't a bad flick with a decent cast & good make-up effects which pokes fun/pays tribute to vampires mixing horror, western and comedy. Fans of horror should give this a view at least once.

"They're mean. They're ornery. They're vampires."

[Backlash007 · 26 October 2001]

First off I am little biased about this movie. Anything Bruce Campbell touches is immediately awesome. Second off, Anthony Hickox is one of the most underrated director's of eighties and early nineties horror. Waxwork I and II and Warlock II are great as well as his made-for-television Full Eclipse. I don't understand what happened to him. What's up with all the Dolph Lundgren movies? You are already an established horror director, so why change genres? I'm getting sidetracked. Sundown is for the light-hearted horror fan who enjoys a bit of comedy with their severed heads. And it is funny. Bruce Campbell is great, Maxwell Caulfield is always good, and David Carridine gives a good performance as the vampire leader. Also look for a beardless Buck Flower. The makeup and effects are pretty good. I don't think I've seen better fang effects in a movie. The western elements go great with the vampire theme. It's a nice mix of genres.

A lost "classic"

[rdamian1963 · 6/10 · 7 May 2021]

I came across this "gem" on Amazon Prime. I'm not sure how I missed this back in the day. It's a cheesy silly comedy that that also fits the horror and western genres. It has a reasonable cast and the script is fairly well written. It is entertaining throughout. If you are a Bruce Campbell fan and haven't seen this, check it out.

So Fun

[jmg-14418 · 7/10 · 17 November 2021]

I am so glad I was able to find this movie. It's so fun and funny. If you like 80s cheese and horror comedy's then check it out! I'm not sure if it is a cult classic, but if it is I drink the cool aid.

Crappy even for a B-movie

[Nyx_Selene · 2/10 · 26 February 2009]

Sundown - featuring the weakest, dorkiest vampires ever seen, accompanied by one of the most unfitting, pretentious scores ever written - and with Shane the vampire, who's every move and spoken word was so ridiculous that I burst out laughing half the times and rolled my eyes the rest.

The vampires don't seem to have any special powers at all - except for strength (sometimes), being able to switch off a lamp with their mind (one time) and... that's it, really. Ever imagine count Dracula worriedly recoiling from a fight 'cause he ran out of bullets? Neither did I. Practically any other movie-Dracula would eat this one for breakfast, skin his followers and use their bones as toothpicks.

The main plot of the movie is that a human family of four gets caught up in a vampire gang fight - Dracula's vs. some old geezer's. It could have been some good old B-flick fun, but the overly dramatic music was clearly written by someone who took this movie a bit too seriously, and ends up ruining the remaining part of the movie not already ruined by clay bats, mediocre acting and the laughable screenplay.

In the end it's just too silly to be funny. Sure, it has some amusing moments, but they're few, and far apart.

Not quite cheesy enough...

[billyidolfan_89 · 3/10 · 31 March 2011]

We all know Bruce Campbell rocks. So when we were looking for a fun movie to sit down and watch we figured this would be no exception. Upon watching it we found it to be pretty good, but it seemed like it was just lacking in cheesiness department. We were hoping it would be more like Evil Dead, that same awesome cheese, the best kind of cheese. The real kicker for us was the ending. After watching a movie about vampires the last thing we wanted to see was a religious reference, well, not even a reference but a direct religious plug. We stopped and looked at each other and just said "What the f*&#?!". Seriously, who watches a vampire movie in hopes of religious uplifting? Not I. Not anyone I know. It could have been an okay movie with a bit more cheese and taking out the ridiculous religious push. This is a good movie if you're 13 and living with religious oppression and can't watch anything better. Disappointing.

Has a charm and power lacking in most contemporary vampire films

[Kabumpo · 9/10 · 18 November 1998]

Anthony Hickox skilfully blends a vampire story with a Western set in contemporary times, and plays it for laughs (but not for camp) allowing for more serious aspects to come through. Among these more serious aspects, which are treated that way, are an extramarital affair that has created serious resentment, and the condition of being a vampire. When Robert Van Helsing (hysterically played by Bruce Campbell) arrives in Purgatory, Mort is already in jail for murder, and Jefferson is planning a revolt against living on synthesized blood. Dressed as a pilgrim, he insists Count Mardulak is a traitor to his kind, while Mardulak counters that feeding on humans is so special to be in common with "the tapeworm, the flea, the fungus, that's how special vampires are." The twist ending shows who the real traitor to his kind is. Inept Van Helsing spares beautiful diner waitress Sandy so that she'll lead him to Mardulak, and starts to fall in love with her. Mardulak allows Sandy to bite him, and he wakes up with his cross burning his neck and screamin' at his lack of reflection! The fact that Dave Harrison must work with the man who seduced his wife while they were married creates some serious tensions, and Shane develops wood-tipped bullets to fight against Mardulak's so-called traitors. Deftly written, and lacking in the sadism of films like _From Dusk Till Dawn_, this film presents well developed, humorous characters, and everything seems to work, without ever turning camp.

Nothing scary

[joedamato-1 · 5/10 · 20 December 2004]

Nothing scary The title's well-done and well describes the movie. There's nothing to scare. Vampires are isolated under the leadership of graph Murdalac (David Carradine) in a little town called Purgatory. They no longer feed with human's blood, but use artificially made one by a factory which suddenly stops supplying the requirements what makes vampires call for a professional to fix the problem. They have no intention of refreshing their ration. They really treat well just arrived Jim Harrison and his family. Everything's O.K. till Shane (Maxwell Caulfield) is in. He had an affair with Jim's wife in the past. Obviously their second child (the one who always has nightmares about vampires) is not from Jim but Shane. And what she sees prognoses situation in Purgatory – the rising war between peaceful and unpeaceful vampires. Directed by Anthony Hickox this one was much better than his other works (Waxworks, Waxworks 2). The plot's interesting, the acting is worthy. The only problem is the second half is a bit dragged, but before the end the problem's fixed. Not a bad movie, unfortunately not actual nowadays. It's too kind, you know, to gain impression. Even for it's time it had nothing in common with horror genre. It's pure comedy. 5 out of 10.

One Of My Top Favourite Vampire Movies!

[pavoniata · 25 May 2001]

If you like vampire movies you'll like Sundown. It's full of morbid humor and gory goodness. This movie has two of my favourite actors in it too! Bruce Campbell and Maxwell Caulfield! I highly recommend it to all.

Before Blade Vampires used UV Lotion

[willandcharlenebrown · 5/10 · 21 October 2021]

There was this cheesy flick. Totally b-minus. I think being a b-minus actor would have been fun watching this movie. It's nonsense but oh well, we all can use a little nonsense in our lives.

Has its moments, but the offbeat style is far too hit and miss to really work

[callanvass · 5/10 · 28 November 2013]

(Credit IMDb) Reclusive vampires lounge in a lonely American town. They wear sun cream to protect themselves. A descendant of Van Helsing arrives with hilarious consequences.

I wasn't ever bored with this movie, but I had difficulty getting into it. It does have scenes that are quite amusing and others where I found myself blinking at the screen, because it fell flat. It's that kind of movie. You'll either like it or you won't. I didn't dislike it by any means, but it's not something that was for me. I did think it was audacious for them to make a few of the vampires sympathetic, and refrain themselves from digging in on human blood. Yes. I realize this concept has been done before, but the way they did it in this movie was unique. It never takes itself very seriously, and that I did wind up liking. The desert setting was decent, but they didn't really take full advantage of it either. This movie isn't a gore fest, but it does have a few stand-out moments, including a decapitation, and my personal favorite, an impaling with an umbrella. David Carradine is fun as the Count, but he doesn't have as much screen time as you may think. Considering his stature at this juncture, I was a bit surprised. Bruce Campbell spoofs Van Helsing hilariously. His dimwitted character was the highlight of the film for me. You gotta love Bruce! Jim Meltzer & Morgan Brittany are decent as the hero & heroine. Maxewell Caufield grated my nerves with his hammy performance. He was clearly having a blast, but he was much too OTT for my liking. Deborah Foreman has good chemistry with Bruce Campbell, and played her part well. The rest of the cast are fine for the most part

Final Thoughts: Anthony Hickox tries valiantly to pull off this unorthodox horror/comedy, but can't quite pull it off. The cast is great, and it does have its moments, but it's not for me. Others may feel differently

5/10

Harmonious combination of classic genres

[angelynx-2 · 8/10 · 11 March 2000]

This was a pleasant surprise - a charming vampire western that respects the genres (Western fans will love the classic John Ford-esque setting and epic soundtrack!) while maintaining both an action plotline and likeable, understandable characters. Bruce Campbell is hilarious as an over-the-top Van Helsing descendant (who goes thru a most unexpected change!), John Ireland is impressive as the rebel vampire leader and David Carradine is strong and dignified as the Count who keeps an ancient secret identity. Lots of human warmth and sympathy (Carradine's townful of Western vampires, drinking a synthetic blood substitute, yearns to be free of human predation and to someday live on equal terms with mankind) distinguishes this from many other modern vampire flicks; the Count's reaction upon feeling forgiven by God is genuinely moving. Even your non-horror-fan friends will like this one.