Vampire Mania: Vintage Video Vampires

Michael McCarty's regular collaborator Mark McLaughlin says: I  posted this for Mike while his computer was down. Everybody congratulate Mike on his recent marriage to his long-time sweetie Cindy! You'll find pictures from the wedding on his Facebook page.

VINTAGE VIDEO VAMPIRES

by Michael McCarty

Hello, I’m Michael McCarty, author of the vampire novel Liquid Diet, and this is the second installment of my vampire column here at GravesideTales.com. Vampires are now hotter than ever, thanks to the smashing success of the new Twilight movie and the vampire series True Blood on HBO. But there are plenty of great older vampire movies, too. Vampires weren’t born yesterday! Let’s take a look at a few vintage video vampires….

VAMPIRES A GO-GO: Must-See Classics from the ‘60s – ‘80s

Vampire Rating System:

**** (four bats) Classic

*** (three bats) Good

** (two bats) Fair

* (one bat) Sucks

THE LAST MAN ON EARTH, 1964, American International Pictures

Starring Vincent Price as Robert Morgan

Directed by Ubaldo Ragona, Sidney Salkow

Based on Richard Matheson's I Am Legend

86 minutes (unrated)

Black and White

Vampire Rating: **

Along with Bram Stoker's Dracula and Anne Rice's Interview With A Vampire, Richard Matheson's novella I Am Legend is one of the most intriguing, imaginative and influential vampire stories ever written. Even George Romero's Night Of The Living Dead was inspired by this book.

The Last Man On Earth was the first movie adaptation of I Am Legend. Vincent Price is the sole survivor of a mysterious plague that has turned the rest of the planet into vampires. After the sun sets, he barricades himself against the bloodsuckers who surround his home. During the day he gathers garlic, makes stakes and kills all the sleeping vampires he can find.

Price was perfect for the role. I especially enjoy the scenes with him getting drunk and playing loud jazz music to drown out the noise of the vampires trying to break in. Memories of the past, however, still plague him.

A creepy and atmospheric thriller despite its low budget. One of the eeriest moments occurs when Price is driving through the streets cluttered with dead bodies.

In 1971, the film was remade with a bigger budget and in color as The Omega Man with Charlton Heston. But that movie was even further away from Matheson's material and the vampiric elements were watered down. Yet another remake, I Am Legend, came out in 2007 with a blockbuster budget and Will Smith – but the movie seemed more about zombies than vampires.

The Last Man On Earth is recommended, but even more recommended is reading Matheson's book.

MARTIN, 1978, a Laurel Production, distributed by Libra Films

Starring John Amplas as Martin

Directed, written and edited by George A. Romero

95 minutes

Rated R

Color and Black & White

Vampire Rating: ****

George Romero is famous for his zombie movies (Night, Dawn, Day and Diary Of The Dead) and Stephen King flicks (Creepshow, The Dark Half), but his only vampire film, Martin, is one of the most gruesome, goriest and greatest vampire movies ever made. If you can stomach graphic violence, then this is definitely a must-see vampire film for you.

Martin (John Amplas) is a modern-day vampire. He doesn't have fangs, he doesn't turn into a bat and he can walk in direct sunlight without being destroyed. A blood junkie instead of a bloodsucker, he uses hypodermic needles and razor blades to acquire his fix. When he doesn't get blood for a while, "things get shaky."

He lives in a small town outside Pittsburgh (filmed in the seedier areas of Braddock, PA) and resides with religious Uncle Cuba (Lincoln Maazel) who warns, "First, I will save your soul. Then, I will destroy you."

Throughout the film, you are not sure if Martin is really a vampire or some kind of sicko who only imagines he is one. There is a series of fantasy sequences which could support the argument either way.

This project was Romero's labor of love. Not only is it one his personal favorites, but his future wife (Christine Forrest) is also in the production. Amplas does an incredible job with the Martin character. At first you are repulsed by what he does, but later you feel very sympathetic toward him.

Tom Savini (who also appeared in From Dusk Till Dawn) does a great job on- and off-screen. On-screen he plays Forrest's jerk boyfriend, and off-screen he did the gritty and realistic make-up effects. It was the first teaming of Savini and Romero, and they would make many more horror movies together over the years.

THE HUNGER, 1983, MGM/UA

Starring Catherine Deneuve as Miriam Blaylock

David Bowie as John Blaylock

Susan Sarandon as Sarah Roberts

Directed by Tony Scott

Based on Whitley Strieber's The Hunger

100 minutes

Rated R

Color

Vampire Rating: ****

The word "vampire" is never spoken on the screen nor does it appear in Whitley Strieber's novel, but even so, this film and the book are favorites of vampire fans.

A little too arty for its own good, The Hunger has stood the test of time. This visually striking and sexy thriller is even more chilling today than when it was first released, when one considers the threat of AIDS.

The story concerns Miriam Blaylock, a 2,000-year-old vamp who never ages, but her lovers eventually do. Her latest husband, John, starts to prematurely age (in a haunting sequence, while waiting in the lobby of the hospital he ages 40 years, thanks to superb make-up effects by Dick Smith).

John seeks help from Dr. Sarah Roberts, who has been doing research to reverse the aging process. Mr. Blaylock deteriorates so quickly and becomes so feeble that Miriam entombs him inside a crate next to all her other ancient lovers, who are between the worlds of the living and the dead. She promises to visit often, but she doesn't.

Unfortunately, Dr. Roberts gets caught in the middle of all of this. Entranced by the enigmatic Miriam, the doctor becomes her latest lover/victim during a very hot love scene, beautifully captured with a soft-focus lens and a driving, seductive film score.

Once you see The Hunger, it will crawl under your skin. The group Bauhaus performs their Goth-rock classic "Bela Lugosi's Dead" at the beginning. Showtime had a spin-off series in 1997, produced by Tony and Ridley Scott.

# # #

Michael McCarty is the author of the vampire novel, Liquid Diet (www.khpindustries.com), and thirteen other books. His latest story collection, A Little Help From My Fiends from Sam’s Dot Publishing, features twenty collaborative tales, including such undead yarns as “Lucania,” co-written with Sandy DeLuca; “The Substitute,” co-written with Michael Louis Calvillo; and “Dracula Has Risen From The Sofa (Plumped-Up Couch Potato Upgrade),” co-written with GravesideTales.com columnist Mark McLaughlin. You’ll find Fiends lurking at www.horror-mall.com. For more information on Michael’s various projects, visit www.myspace.com/monsterbook. If you have any questions or comments, you can contact Michael at monstermike69@hotmail.com.

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