''Modern Vampires'' (also known as ''Revenant'') is a 1998 American

black comedy Black comedy, also known as black humor, bleak comedy, dark comedy, dark humor, gallows humor or morbid humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally ...

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...

written by Matthew Bright, directed by

Richard Elfman Richard Elfman (born March 6, 1949) is an American actor, musician, director, producer, screenwriter, journalist, author and magazine publisher. Early life His younger brother is musician and film composer Danny Elfman, with whom Richard woul ...

and starring

Casper Van Dien Casper Robert Van Dien Jr. (born December 18, 1968) is an American actor, best known for his lead role as Johnny Rico in the science-fiction action film ''Starship Troopers'' (1997). Other credits include '' Sleepy Hollow'' (1999), '' Sanctimony ...

Natasha Gregson Wagner Natasha Gregson Wagner ( Gregson; born September 29, 1970) is an American actress. She is the daughter of film producer Richard Gregson and actress Natalie Wood. She has appeared in films including '' Lost Highway'', '' Two Girls and a Guy,'' ' ...

Kim Cattrall Kim Victoria Cattrall (; born 21 August 1956) is a British, Canadian, and American actress. She is known for her portrayal of Samantha Jones on HBO's ''Sex and the City'' (1998–2004), for which she received five Primetime Emmy Award nominati ...

Natasha Lyonne Natasha Bianca Lyonne Braunstein ( ; born April 4, 1979) is an American producer, director, comedian, writer, actress, and artificial intelligence film studio head. Lyonne started her career as a child actress before expanding her career taking o ...

Udo Kier Udo Kierspe (born 14 October 1944), known professionally as Udo Kier, is a German actor. Known primarily as a character actor, he has appeared in more than 220 films in both leading and supporting roles throughout Europe and the Americas. He has ...

and

Rod Steiger Rodney Stephen Steiger ( ; April 14, 1925 – July 9, 2002) was an American actor, noted for his portrayal of offbeat, often volatile and crazed characters. Ranked as "one of Hollywood's most charismatic and dynamic stars", he is closely associ ...

. It was released direct to video on October 19, 1999.

Plot

Vampire Dallas continuously bites people without permission from The Count. He is especially infuriated after Dallas turns Nico, a young serial killer. Twenty years after his exile, he returns to Los Angeles to visit his vampire friends: Ulrike, Vincent, Richard and Richard's wife Panthia. To celebrate Dallas's return, they decide to spend the night clubbing in one of The Count's vampire bars. The Count, however, is also there and threatens Dallas to leave town. Dr. Van Helsing is after the band of vampires. Being too old to handle the extermination alone, he puts an ad in the newspaper for help. He gets

Crips The Crips are a primarily African-American alliance of street gangs that are based in the coastal regions of Southern California. Founded in Los Angeles, California, in 1969, mainly by Raymond Washington and Stanley Williams, the Crips ...

member Time Bomb, who does not believe in vampires but is willing to kill for money. The pair succeed in murdering Vincent. Twenty years before, Helsing's son Hans was good friends with Dallas. Dallas turned Hans into a vampire to save him from a fatal genetic disorder. After discovering this, Helsing killed Hans, vowing to destroy Dallas for what he did to his son. Helsing's wife committed suicide out of grief. Dallas, having grown protective of Nico, drives around looking for her. After sharing a bit of each other's blood, Dallas reveals who he is and explains that the vampire community is out to get her, fearing her recklessness will expose the existence of vampires. After an attack by Van Hellsing and Time Bomb, Dallas takes Nico to live with Richard and Panthia, who clean her up and take her shopping for clothes. While the four go out one night, Nico befriends Rachel, a human woman. Returning home, they find Ulrike, who reveals Vincent's death to the others. Concluding that two hunters will not be enough against the vampires, Helsing and Time Bomb bring in three more Crips members - Soda Pop, L'il Monster, and Trigger. Dallas decides to take Nico to see her mother's house, as Nico has little memory of her human life. Nico has him kill her abusive stepfather and exchanges heated words with her neglectful mother, who she claims never loved her. While leaving the trailer park, they are attacked by four of The Count's henchmen, whom they kill. While driving back, Dallas reveals that he was ordered to kill Helsing, but chose not to after befriending Hans. He hoped that by curing Hans he could change Helsing's attitude towards the vampire community. The Count then banished Dallas as punishment for not carrying out his order to kill him. The next night, Nico gets a call from Rachel, who invites her out to party. Meanwhile, Dallas visits The Count and begs him to spare Nico. The Count once again threatens him to bring him Nico. With Nico and Dallas out, Helsing and his Crip employees storm the house and kill Richard and Panthia. They tie Ulrike to a bedpost, but she taunts the Crips into having sex with her before Helsing stakes her too. They are unaware that having sex with a vampire turns a person into a vampire. Nico returns, horrified at the carnage. She attacks Trigger and Rachel is accidentally shot, with Nico shooting Trigger in retaliation. Time Bomb subdues Nico as Dallas returns home, coming face to face with Helsing. Dallas offers to lead Helsing to The Count if he releases Nico. Helsing reluctantly agrees as they all head for The Count's house. The Count's henchmen, however, intercept them. They take Nico and Helsing to The Count, who hooks up Nico to a blood-draining machine and places Helsing in a box with only his head sticking out. The Count is about to crack open Helsing's skull with a hammer, when Dallas drives the van through the club's wall. Dallas and the Crips, now vampires, come out, killing The Count and his henchmen. Afterwards, Nico is set free and Rachel, to save her life, has been turned into a vampire. Nico, Rachel, and Dallas decide to move to New York. A pajama-clad Helsing later runs down an alley, screaming for forgiveness from Hans and from God. He then screams for help, revealing vampire fangs in front of two police officers.

Production

Production began during late June 1997 in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, under the working title of ''Revenant''. A few months later, work on the film was complete.

Differences between R-rated and unrated versions

* The DVD version contains more explicit gore than the edited R-rated VHS release. * In the Spanish DVD version by Manga Films, the title does not appear onscreen during the opening credits.

Reception

The movie has received third place Best International Film award at the Fant-Asia Film Festival in 1997.

References

External links