By John Thonen
John Carpenter's renowned faithfulness to budget, script and schedule and the solid performance of his films in overseas markets, has kept him attractive to producers despite the lackluster box office of his last few films. Thus, the barrels of Snake Plissken's ESCAPE FROM L.A. weaponry had barely cooled before Carpenter was again at work. The result? The upcoming VAMPIRES, which wrapped production this past August in New Mexico. The film is the prolific director's 20th since his 1974 semi-professional debut, DARK STAR.
Adapted from John Steakley's novel, the film details the exploits of Team Crow, a crossbow-wielding band of papal-authorized vampire hunters. James Woods (VIDEODROME) essays the part of Team leader Jack Crow. Woods is physically less imposing than the 6'2" behemoth of Steakley's book. The notably intense actor seems otherwise perfectly cast as the obsessed and psychologically troubled warrior. The film also features veteran actor Maximilian Schell (THE BLACK HOLE) as Vatican liason Alba, Sheyl Lee (TWIN PEAKS) as Katrina, a prostitute with a psychic link to the vampires, and low-budget martial-arts star Thomas Ian Griffith as Valek, Crow's vampiric nemesis.
While Carpenter completed the film in a speedy eight weeks, the journey of Steakley's novel to the screen was not so expeditious. Film rights to the action-oriented horror tale were snatched up in January 1990. A scant nine days after the author submitted the book to his publisher. While several directors have been attached, the project had basicalt languished. Many considered it dead before Carpenter came along with a new take on the Don Jakoby (ARACHNOPHOBIA) - Dan Mazur (NIGHT OF THE SCARECROW) script.
In an interview on E, James Woods described the film as "Kind of, THE WILD BUNCH meets the vampires." The apparent Western motif is not surprising. Carpenter has long professed a desire to work in that most American of genres. Those that have seen the film's trailer in France, where it opens this Spring, describe the action scenes reminiscent of Carpenter's 1976 ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13. A film most critics view as a Western in 20th century garb.
Steakly's ferocious action sequences coupled with Carpenter's visual panache would seem to offer SCREAM-like breakthrough potential for the film. The biggest hurdle VAMPIRES may face is not the cross-bows of Team Crow, but rather which vampire hunter film takes the first bite out of the box office: James Woods in VAMPIRES? Or Wesley Snipes in BLADE?
