Greetings, all. Ambush Bug here with another AICN HORROR: ZOMBIES & SHARKS column. Yes, I know. There’s a new TWILIGHT in theaters today and the supporters are as vocal as the haters. Personally, anything to get folks to go see horror themed films (no matter how lame) is a good thing because that means if the theaters are filled with butts watching it, more horror films will be made. Though ultimately tame and schmaltzy, TWILIGHT can serve as (as writer Tim Seeley put it on my horror panel this summer at SDCC) a gateway drug steering a whole new generation in the direction of horror and that, my friends, is not a bad thing. So this week, I’m covering some newer and older horror films which definitely pack more bite than any of the TWILIGHT films. Below are films for all kinds of folks: homosexual vamps, 80’s retro Dracs, kung fu nosferatu, and a pair of angst ridden bloodsuckers. But first, here is a news bit to bite into…

Who isn’t, right?
Check out this cool story about an unmade PSYCHO sequel from 1980.
Special thanks to the article’s writer, William Wilson, for pointing me in this story’s direction. Great and interesting stuff.
Now, sink your teeth into this column, my children of the night.
(Click title to go directly to the feature)
MARTIN (1976)
TSUI HARK’S VAMPIRE HUNTERS (2002)
BITE MARKS (2011)
BLOOD JUNKIE (2010)
MIDNIGHT SON (2010)
And finally…NIGHT OF THE VAMPIRE Short Film

MARTIN (1976)
Directed by George A. RomeroWritten by: George A. Romero
Starring John Amplas, Lincoln Maazel, Christine Forrest, Tom Savini, & George Romero
Reviewed by Ambush Bug
Any horror aficionado worth listening to will tell you that GEORGE A. ROMERO’S MARTIN is a true vampire classic. And it is a great film. Though it is a film hindered slightly by amateur actors, Romero tells an intimate tale of a troubled young man who may or may not be a vampire. Though he does have visions of past lives where he lives out romanticized scenarios which are reminiscent of all of the old Hammer and Universal vampire films, Romero never plays his cards and tells us whether he’s just a man who thinks he’s a vamp or actually is one, and that’s why this film is a must see for all vampire fanatics.


All the way up to the explosive finale, MARTIN is thoroughly entertaining. Cameos by gore great Tom Savini and Romero himself up the ante in the acting department and Amplas does a great job as the title character, but the rest of the players are a bit by the numbers when it comes to reading their lines. Despite that, fans of both vampire film and DEXTER will definitely get into MARTIN. Though you won’t see Martin turning into a bat or frying in the sun, you do see a scary, humorous, and thrilling depiction of a warped world through the eyes of what would be a vampire.

TSUI HARK’S VAMPIRE HUNTERS (2002)
AKA ERA OF THE VAMPIREDirected by Wellson Chin
Written by Tsui Hark
Starring Ken Chang, Michael Chow, Lam Suet, Chan Kwok Kwan, Anya, Yu Rong Guang, Horace Lee Wai Shing, & Ji Chun Hua
Reviewed by Ambush Bug
Ever since I saw MR. VAMPIRE as a kid, I’ve been a fan of the hopping vampire film. Though wire fu is often criticized as being awkward and overly staged, I can’t help but marvel at the work put into this type of film to give the viewer a unique mix of fantasy, horror, and choreography. Yes, that’s right, choreography. Though it is looked at as a fighting style, when depicted on the screen in a manner where life and death is not at stake, it is choreography and though I don’t often get a chance to talk about such a subject here on AICN HORROR, TSUI HARK’S VAMPPIRE HUNTERS sure does give me the opportunity. Being a huge fan of kung fu all the way back to when I was a kid, rewatching this film for review this week had me grinning from opening to closing credits.



There’s a little bit of everything in this one. Zombie wranglers, floating vamps, legions of hopping dead, killer golden cobras, and tons and tons of kung fu. Though the story is pretty simple--a quintet of warriors search out a vampire, lose their Master, and stumble into a plot to overthrow a powerful and rich family--the film itself is as dynamic as they come. I loved every flipping minute of TSUI HARK’S VAMPIRE HUNTERS and if you’re bored of traditional vamps, this is the shot in the arm you need to see.

BITE MARKS (2011)
Directed by Mark BessengerWritten by Mark Bessenger
Starring Benjamin Lutz, Windham Beacham, David Alanson, Krystal Main, & Stephen Geoffreys
More info on this film on its Facebook page and the website.
Reviewed by Ambush Bug

Windham Beacham and David Alanson play a homosexual couple hiking across America in order to reconnect. They happen upon a good old boy trucker named Brewster (played by Benjamin Lutz) who has been questioning his preference in women of late. Hauling a load of coffins to an unknown location, Brewster decides to pick up the weary travelers and soon the trio find themselves trapped in the cab of the truck with the occupants of the coffins surrounding them. They have no choice but to wait the vamps out until morning.

This film also has a really fun animated opening title sequence by Jovani Olivares incorporating some iconic images of vampires and other horror tropes, though the score of the film sounds very similar to the GREMLINS theme song. Additionally, the truck driver, played by Benjamin Lutz is called Brewster giving his brother, played by Stephen Geoffreys, a chance to repeat his famous FRIGHT NIGHT line, which teeters on the line between cool and hokey. These are just a few of the bits that make this film a damn fun experience.
Horror films, especially vampire films, are always ripe with innuendo. It’s great to see a sophisticated take on horror using all of the classic tropes that doesn’t beat the innuendo into you. BITE MARKS takes the more subtle approach, which to me makes it all the more effective.

BLOOD JUNKIE (2010)
AKA ROCKY TRAILSDirected by Drew Rosas
Written by Drew Rosas
Starring Nick Sommer, Michael Johnson, Sarah Luther, Emily Treolo, Andrew Swant
More info on this film on its Facebook page and the website.
Reviewed by Ambush Bug
It took quite a while before I realized that BLOOD JUNKIE was a modern film made to look like an 80’s slasher film rather than one just filmed in the 80’s. Right from the opening sequence I wondered if this was untalented folks making a bad film or if it was talented folks going out of their way to make a good film that looks like a bad film. Turns out it is the latter.


“This chick will melt like a stick of butter in the palm of my tongue.”
make you laugh, then this is the film for you. The film is surprisingly effective in the chills department once the blood starts flowing and in between it will have you laughing your ass off at how ridiculous the culture of the 80’s really was. Plus, unlike a lot of Troma films, the narrative doesn’t fall apart in the end. From start to finish this is a low, passionate, sloppy hug around all things 80’s horror. I’m addicted to BLOOD JUNKIE and will eagerly anticipate what director Drew Rosas has in store in future efforts.

MIDNIGHT SON (2011)
Directed by Scott LeberechtWritten by Scott Leberecht
Starring Zak Kilberg, Maya Parish, Jo D. Jonz, Arlen Escarpeta, Larry Cedar, Tracey Walter
Find out more on the webite and on its Facebook Page.
Reviewed by Ambush Bug


I also really loved the patience this story has and the unconventional ways it uses well tread vampires standards. We’ve seen the beast within rage uncontrollably during a sexually charged moment, but we haven’t seen the vamp rage within triggered by a cocaine nosebleed. Later moments depict the vampire’s aversion to the sun in effective and imaginative ways.

Though not necessarily original, Leberecht delivers a truly harrowing experience in MIDNIGHT SON as Jacob discovers that he is not a human being, but a creature of the night. This film is not without a heavy dose of angst, but unlike TWILIGHT, which dumbs things town to dullard degrees, MIDNIGHT SON is a sophisticated film about addiction, relationships, and understanding who one is. Lacking in schmaltz and lameness seen in heaping doses in TRUE BLOOD, VAMPIRE DIARIES, and TWILIGHT, MIDNIGHT SON is a much more effective and touching take on vampirism.
And finally…here’s a short film from the twisted minds that brought you MIDNIGHT ROADKILL called NIGHT OF THE VAMPIRE. This fast and fun found footage mini-flick is brought to you by Owen Mulligan and DeadFi Productions . Enjoy!
See ya, next week, folks!
Ambush Bug is Mark L. Miller, original @$$Hole / wordslinger / reviewer / co-editor of AICN Comics for over nine years. Mark is also a regular writer for FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND and will be releasing FAMOUS MONSTERS first ever comic book miniseries LUNA in November (co-written by Martin Fisher with art by Tim Rees) You can pre-order it here! Support a Bug by checking out his comics (click on the covers to purchase)!
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