Search - Blood of the Vampires on DVD

Suck it up!

E. Johnson | U.S. Navy | 01/20/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is by far the best vampire movie I have nEVER seen! I don't understand these other reviews at all. If you want true terror, nostalgic goth and melancholic cemetery scenes.
Ghosts with depth and character support one of the finest vampire renditions ever. This movie is for you! The love scenes were not chick flick in the least and moved me to tears when I was lost in the characters and realizing my own flailing mortality.
GOD I wish I was a vampire!!"

Neat Philippino Flick; Not-so Neat DVD Presentation

John Peterson | Marinette, WI USA | 04/02/2004

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I grew up with the Philippino horror flicks (particularly the "blood trilogy") on cable TV in the 70's and was happy to see it available (at a budget price to boot) by Retromedia, but I have to agree with the previous reviewers with the headache-inducing "print" (probably from an old vhs tape, judging by the bleeding colors and lack of detail) that Retromedia used for the DVD. However, the same movie is available on DVD from Image Entertainment under the title of "Blood Of The Vampires" (from "the blood collection" series) that's vastly superior in terms of picture quality and special features (audio commentary track by Sam Sherman, video interview with Eddie Romero, still gallery, etc.) If you're a fan of Philippino horror (as I am), you won't be dissappointed.I'm sure Fred Olen Ray had good intentions releasing this disc, but it's not worth your valuable time and money. Stick to the Image DVD.Peace!"

Abyssmal DVD presentation

Robert I. Hedges | 10/03/2001

(1 out of 5 stars)

"I wish I'd read the review before plunking down money for this disc. From a technical standpoint, it is more nightmare-inducing than anything you are to see in the movie! On the back it says "presented in murky letterbox". Yeah, basically they know this transfer is bottom of the barrel so they will pawn it off as "murky"! Cheap selling tactic. I never imagined a movie could LOOK so bad on DVD! The color print used is typically faded, probably found in someone's attic. The picture is VERY, VERY blurry and soft and EXTREMELY difficult to view without getting a headache. (Not an exaggeration). Not to mention the transfer has some serious compression articfacts that could have been avoided (hmmmm perhaps use a higher bit rate for the film?). This DVD is inexcusable, even at the price. I had a difficult time enjoying this film. Its techincal flaws were so distracting, I had to pause and go back frequently to check out all the picture flaws. By the time I got through it, I was tired and almost ready to throw this disc out. I should also mention that this picture is barely in letterbox..and I suspect the image was cropped to achieve this effect (not REAL widescreen, mind you) Beyond this horrible presentation lies a fairly adept vampire flick. Would probably be even more delightful if the technical flaws didn't get so terribly in your way. Would be nice if someone saw to releasing this in a more acceptable edition. Are you sure you want to buy this? I wish I hadn't. Stay away, this DVD has a "curse" of its own!"

"Our Mother Is A Vampire!"

Robert I. Hedges | 05/12/2009

(2 out of 5 stars)

""Blood of the Vampires" is a dreadful horror flick set in nineteenth century Mexico, but made in the Philippines with an all Filipino cast. The acting, direction, film quality, and casting are absolutely bottom of the barrel. When black actors are called for, they simply put blackface on Filipinos thinking the audience isn't smart enough to notice.

The film starts at a large dinner party with dancing in a big old spooky house. There's a romantic subplot about the engagement of the main character to be married to the daughter of Señor Escodero. Note that the scenes of intimacy are more than a bit wooden, like all the rest of the acting here. The family patriarch is also dying in another subplot that festers on and off for the duration of the movie (with a terrifically unbelievable resolution near the end.) In fact, there's no end of pathetic attempts at dramatic subplots which go nowhere, but the film focuses on the fact that Señor Escodero's wife is a vampire locked in the basement of the house. When the kids find out there is no end of trouble, and no end of vampiritic activities. Unfortunately it's sometimes hard to tell what's going on for two primary reasons: first, the quality of the film is relatively poor; and second, the dubbing is absolutely horrendous. Remember, English is the third language of the film.

Watching the unvarnished of this film warrants a single star, but I have decided on a two star rating in the event you see a copy of the Cinematic Titanic version of the movie (which is highly recommended), as the commentary makes it much more palatable; then again, any change would make this film more palatable."