There's nothing cooler to a horror buff like me than to, on opening day of Rocktober (this year, 2011), discover, upon my very first viewing for Halloween month, a nice surprise certain to become a favorite I will watch every year. What's neat about this film is that it predates the horror conventions that now pop up all over the world, not just in America—they are now all the rage.
A group of oddball horror buffs involved in organizing a horror convention discover that eccentric and enigmatic guest Malakai (robustly played with plummy eye-rolling aplomb by Jerry Walter) is a real-life vampire.Director John Stanley displays a winningly sincere affection for classic old fright fare (there are loving references to everything from Bela Lugosi to "The Thing from Another World"), keeps the clever and entertaining story moving along at a steady pace, presents a colorful and interesting depiction of the 1970's California horror scene, and delivers several cool bits of gore.
I watched this movie without any expectations. That made this one a great find because it's cheesy and self-acknowledging without being over the top.
I find the above, or below review, depending on where they place this, of not much use. I actually am a horror fan, and I did feel this movie was made for me.
This film is hard to find. It was directed by John Stanley who was the horror, science fiction, and fantasy critic for the San Francisco Chronicle for three decades.
Horror genre icon John Stanley of 'Creature Features' fame does a nice job with this very knowing, fairly tongue in cheek homage to the genre. Its central conceit is a solid one, and prefigures "Shadow of the Vampire" by 23 years.
If you're a Kerwin Mathews fan and want to see this movie to see him, DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME....as I DID!
This is a quaint cultural artifact of the early '70s. It's an independent film, made by people who loved horror films but weren't able to actually make a scary or terribly involving movie.
This is dull, dull as hell. I can't say there is a single thing to recommend it.
