Review: Bloodsucking Bastards (2015)

Evan Sanders (Fran Kranz, The Cabin in the Woods, Dollhouse) is in a dead end job. He’s “acting” sales manager and in line for a promotion to supervise a group of unmotivated telemarketers. Evan’s also in dutch with Mandy (Emma Fitzpatrick, The Social Network), who’s not only the head of Human Resources, but also his girlfriend…and someone he’s just pissed off in a rather awkward, intimate moment.

Just when he thinks things are going to turn in his favor, Evan is passed over for the promotion in favor of his old college nemesis, Max (Pedro Pascal, Game of Thrones). Armed with a vibrant attitude and a confident swagger, Max has plans to turn the company around by turning employees into vampires. Will Max let Evan stake a claim in the ranks of the new corporate order or will Evan face a new method of termination?

Let’s face it, there are many of us who can identify with Evan’s plight. Hell, I’ve had my share of soul sucking jobs, complete with promises of climbing the corporate ladder only to find that you have to trade your life to get ahead. That’s what makes the premise of Bloodsucking Bastards so enticing. Who among us would really be surprised to find out our bosses and go-getting co-workers were lifeless bloodsuckers?

Distributed by Scream Factory and Shout! Factory (who both put out some amazing films and TV shows on DVD and Blu-Ray), Bloodsucking Bastards borrows from countless workplace films including Office Space and Glengarry Glen Ross as well as numerous vampire movies. Not that that’s a bad thing, though, because some great dialogue (courtesy of Dr. God and Ryan Mitts) and exuberant performances (from Kranz, Pascal, Fitzpatrick, Joey Kern and the entire cast, really) intermingle to make Bloodsucking Bastards a real pleasure.

Director Brian James O’Connell keeps things moving briskly while tossing in plenty of gore and comedy. His style is reminiscent of Edgar Wright in that he frames scenes in a manner that, when repeated later in the film, are viewed in a new light to heighten both the humor and horror. If there’s any issue I had with the film’s direction, it’s that many scenes felt claustrophobic as if O’Connell was reluctant to open up the action. There are too many instances where we’re treated to either close ups, medium shots, or bust shots rather than a larger scope of the surroundings. However, that could have been due to budget constraints which is understandable considering the talent they were able to attract (i.e. name actors cost money).

Overall, I’d recommend Bloodsucking Bastards to both comedy and horror fans alike. What first drew me in was the fact that Kranz was the lead (as he’s great in just about anything) and Scream Factory and Shout! Factory were involved in the film’s distribution. I didn’t expect to get as much out of it as I did, however, and that’s always a plus in my book. Bloodsucking Bastards firmly understands that characters (albeit somewhat stereotypical in this case) are what elevate a story above a clever gimmick.

If you enjoy films in the vein of Shaun of the Dead, Army of Darkness, or even Office Space, then you’ll drink up the savory treats Bloodsucking Bastards has to offer!

Bloodsucking Bastards grade: B+

Review: Blacula (1972)

I’m not even going to beat around the bush. Blacula is awesome on so many levels that I can’t believe it’s taken me 42 years to see it.

I tried so hard to wait for the upcoming Scream Factory Blu-Ray release of Blacula and Scream, Blacula, Scream but the street date isn’t until sometime in February so I relied upon my backup recorded from TCM.

The story’s pretty basic. In the late 18th century, Prince Mamuwalde (William H. Marshall) seeks Dracula’s help in stopping the slave trade. Dracula turns him into a vampire (hence the name Blacula) and imprisons Mamuwalde’s wife in the room to die as she looks upon his coffin.

Two hundred years later, interior designers purchase items from Dracula’s castle and ship them to Los Angeles. One of those items is the coffin containing Blacula, who, once released, begins to leave a trail of bodies and turned vampires in his wake as he woos Tina (Vonetta McGee), a dead ringer for Mamuwalde’s wife.

Again, the vampire story’s pretty standard. But the execution? A thing of joy.

Blacula wastes no time in telling its tale. Almost immediately, and without suspicion, Dr. Gordon Thomas (Thalmus Rasulala, who played the dad in several episodes of What’s Happening?) knows something’s amiss and it doesn’t take him much longer to pin the blame on vampire attacks. Tina becomes enamored of Blacula rather quickly, even after he blatantly lays out who he is and she doesn’t bat an eye. Finally, there’s the pursuit of Blacula by Thomas and the authorities (also in a hurry to jump on the vampire bandwagon) that includes a multi-vampire attack in a warehouse where a random open box filled with kerosene lamps provides an array of handy available weapons.

Underneath it all, Blacula is really a love story with Mamuwalde’s pursuit of Tina acting as the main spine of the story. The vampire aspect of the story is just gravy, but a tasty one at that. In fact, modern day stories of the undead could use a lesson about pacing from Blacula. Get in and get out. There’s no need to linger.

While watching Blacula, I couldn’t help thinking of The Strain, the FX series I reviewed this past summer. In it, several of the main characters (including Eph, the one we’re supposed to identify most with) just can’t seem to wrap their heads around the fact that people are being transformed into vampires by a virus. It takes them forever to catch on to anything and, as a result, the show sometimes seems sluggish. Not so with Blacula–they know that vampires walk and will do anything to stop them.

Blacula arrived near the beginning of the 70s “blaxpoitation” craze and is completely a product of that era. There are slick talking guys, one with the name of Skillet (Ji-Tu Cumbuka, who I remember fondly from a very short lived 1979 series entitled A Man Called Sloane where he played Torque) that provide comic relief. Afros? Check, especially on Tina’s sister, Michelle (Denise Nicholas, Room 222). What about an appearance from a musical act on the film’s soundtrack that lasts much longer than it should? Yes–the Hues Corporation, best known for their #1 1974 hit “Rock The Boat”, are here as well performing two of their songs.

Blacula has it all. There’s nothing you won’t love about the film and I highly recommend purchasing the Blu-Ray upon its release in February. Scream Factory usually includes some cool extras on it, but even if the disc is sparse, the film’s content alone is worth the price!

Blacula grade: A

Review: The Legend of Hell House (1973)

Though I love nearly all types of films in the horror genre, my absolute favorite subgenre has to be ghost stories. Nothing sends a chill up my spine more than tales of the supernatural, the spirits of the dead walking among the living and, more often than not, seeking to do them harm.

Based on the novel Hell House by Richard Matheson (who also adapted the screenplay), The Legend of Hell House takes place at the infamous Belasco House, world renowned for being the “Mount Everest of haunted houses”. Hired by a millionaire to investigate and uncover proof of life after death, physicist Lionel Barrett (Clive Revill) leads a team including his wife Ann (Gayle Hunnicutt), mental medium Florence Tanner (Pamela Frankin), and physical medium Benjamin Franklin Fischer (Roddy McDowall)–who just happens to be the sole survivor of a previous expedition into the house–to determine whether the home is just filled with electromagnetic energy or something more sinister lurks within its walls.

Since it’s obvious going in that The Legend of Hell House is a supernatural thriller, I think we’re all well aware that the answer is the latter of the two, but that in no way subverts the suspense throughout the film.

In fact, The Legend of Hell House is an absolute gem with a constant sense of foreboding creeping into every frame. Director John Hough (Escape to Witch Mountain, Hammer’s House of Mystery and Suspense, Twins of Evil) has created a frightening, taut psychological ghost tale where none of the characters are safe. In just a matter of days, the Belasco house makes each of the investigators question their very sanity as they fall under its warped, violent spell.

I remember watching The Legend of Hell House on TV in the late 70s and it’s as terrifying now as it was back then. The recent issue on Blu-Ray from Scream Factory is a phenomenal transfer, offering a crisp picture and beautiful sound without losing the film’s spooky atmosphere and the 70s “feel” that made movies from that decade creepy and realistic.

The Blu-Ray also offers a nice, though not substantial, selection of extras such as an interview with director John Hough about both the film and his career, photo stills, the original trailer, radio spots and an audio commentary by actress Pamela Franklin.

As a further recommendation, I’d suggest watching this as the second half of a double feature with Robert Wise’s spectacular The Haunting as well as reading Matheson’s Hell House and Edward Lee’s Flesh Gothic, a different take on an evil house filled with debauchery.

The Legend of Hell House: A          Scream Factory Blu-Ray: A

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