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Vampire
USA 1979
produced by Gregory Hoblit, Steven Bochco (executive) for Company Fout, MTM Enterprises/ABC
directed by E.W.Swackhamer
starring Jason Miller, Richard Lynch, E.G. Marshall, Kathryn Harrold, Barrie Youngfellow, Michael Tucker, Jonelle Allen, Jessica Walter, Adam Farrar, Wendy Cutler, Scott Paulin, David Hooks, Brendon T.Dillon, Joe Spinell, Byron Webster, Nicholas Gunn, Herbie Braha, Tony Perez, Naomi Caryl
written by Steven Bochco, Michael Kozoll, music by Fred Karlin
review by Dale Pierce
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An all-star cast like this looks good on paper, but in all this turns out to
be a routine vampire story, played down as far as blood and violence is
concerned because
it was originally released as a movire made for television back in 1979, where
you could still not get by with a great deal on the small screen. It is a
brooding story, with proper mood and frame, but would have worked out far
better had it been released in theatres, where proper gore could have been added, as well as some nudity.
An architect and a retired cop team up to track a modern vampire, who is
released from his slumber when construction unearths him. The
bloodsucker stalks San Francisco, seeking revenge on those who disturbed his
resting place, but the only question is why ? Wouldn't he be grateful to those
who released him back on the world, rather than just leaving him trapped and
undead ?
The musical score is peculiar, yet fitting, the direction well done and the
screenplay by Steven Bocho effetcive. Again though, this would have been
better as a theatrical release, with blood, tits and ass within.
Evidently, the door was left open at the end, hoping to make this into an
extended TV-series, with the vampire hunters continually tracking the
elusive bloodsucker, but such was not the case. At the end of this movie,
nothing ends up being resolved, which makes for somewhat of a letdown. Again,
there must have been intentions to use this as a pilot, that unlike a
bat, didn't fly.
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