365 Days- Day 23

movie: The Night Stalker
starring: Darren McGavin, Simon Oakland
genre: Drama, Crime,
year: 1971
format: VHS

plot: A wise cracking reporter working in Las Vegas is put on the case of multiple murders that have two things in common, they are all young women and they are all totally drained of blood. At first they believe that it's a serial killer who thinks he's a vampire, but they soon learn he's the real deal.

This is the original  made for tv movie that spawned both the sequel -Night Strangler- and the tv series (the original 1974 and the 2005 remake)  and is based on a novel by Jeff Rice.

I find it interesting that the first episode of the tv series that followed a few years later -episode called The Ripper- was very similar to this original movie/story. 

This movie still holds up all these years later- the story, not so much my VHS copy- and made me long for shows like this (the X-Files pays homage to this show on many occasions and McGavin did a few episodes as Mulder's hero) I would say it is the front runner for many of the sci-fi styled detective shows we have had in recent years. Or some of the better detective shows in general actually.

It's basically all about what you are willing to believe.  The thin line between fiction and reality.  The movie was done at a time when the supernatural was really seeping into every form of mainstream. And vampires had one of the biggest boosts with Dark Shadows and the Hammer Dracula films.

There's this one line at the end of the film when the character is told his girlfriend was made to move away and the head of the police department says "she was an undesirable, and we don't want that in Las Vegas"   which makes me crack up every time.

what do i think i learned from this film?
Everyone has a story and the truth is out there

365 Days- Day 19

movie: Dracula
starring: Frank Langella, Laurence Olivier
genre: Drama, Romance
year: 1979
format: VHS

plot: Dracula arrives in Whitby, and causes a series of misfortunes to plague the town.  From the death of Mina Van Helsing, to the insanity of Milo Renfield, who's house he's taken over, to the break up of Lucy Seward and Johnathan Harker. When Mina's father, Professor Van Helsing is called to come after her death, a quick showdown between the men and Dracula takes place.

Based on the classic novel.

Right off, the characters are changed and mixed.  (the 1931 version of Dracula also did that) Switching up the Lucy and Mina characters, making Dr. Seward the father of Lucy instead of her lover, etc.

Langella plays the role with such a commanding presence, giving the character a depth he didn't have before. The scene when Dracula feeds off of Lucy is almost hypnotizing, which is the idea, that it sweeps you up for that brief few moments, making you forget you're watching a movie.  The scene where the horse is afraid of the vampire's grave is one that few other movies have ever picked up on. (folklore says that horses can not cross over the graves of vampires or witches)
When we again see Mina, she looks more like something from the Exorcist then any kind of seductress.  

what do i think i learned from this film?
Sometimes you have no choice but to sacrifice that which you love most. 
Dracula is one of the most complicated of stories, dealing with themes of fear, freedom, obsession, lust and insanity. Manipulation plays throughout the plot, affecting all the characters in one form or another.

365 Days- Day 7

Movie: Vampire
starring: Richard Lynch, Jason Miller
genre: Drama, Crime
year: 1979
format: VHS

plot: A vampire is woken from a three decade sleep after a construction crew begin working on a new church. They find millions of dollars of what is believed to be stolen art in his tomb, along with the remains of a dead cop turned priest. Soon the vampire takes revenge on the locals for disturbing the tomb.

This is a made for tv movie and was suppose to originally be the pilot for a show that never got picked up.

There is this brilliant scene where the Lynch character is racing to get home after having been in jail all night, and is seen running through the streets then jumping from roof top to roof top to get to the penthouse apartment, his jacket smoking as the sun touches him.
The coat is worn with a scarf through the whole movie, which is a brilliant costume choice in itself. From side views, it looks like a cape, putting you in mind of Dracula, but keeping with modern times.
I also liked the idea of changing the way the cross affects him. Instead of the typical smoke and burning when the cross touches him, it's small blue electric shocks. I haven't seen that before. 

This is pretty much straight forward about revenge and feeling betrayed. The vampire feels that his friend betrayed him by telling the cops about his art collection and ends up killing the guy's wife as revenge.
This film was done at a time when the idea that vampires were connected to the devil was still a high thought. The movie I think had some inside jokes intentional or otherwise, because the actor Jason Miller, who plays the vampire hunter in this film, played the priest in The Exorcist. 

what do i think i learned from this film?
Some things are better left buried.