Search - Dark Town on DVD

Sadly, only the acting is horrifying

Daniel Jolley | Shelby, North Carolina USA | 10/27/2005

(2 out of 5 stars)

"You know, there are a lot of vampire movies out there, and this is one of them. Don't expect to be impressed. On the positive side, Dark Town has lots of blood and gore, a sultry redhead (always a good thing), nudity, and even lesbian activity - but nothing can really get around the fact that the story is a little on the stupid side and the acting is - well, it's bad. It's really bad. The cinematography is actually quite good for a B-movie (aside from the cheap-looking opening credits), and the special effects are really quite good - complete with some of the little things that don't mean much in the grand scheme of things but are much appreciated by us connoisseurs of the art.

There's an odd grouping of characters here. On one side, you have a severely dysfunctional family gathering for the insufferable dad's birthday party; on the other side, you've got these gangsta types who specialize in cursing and shooting people. You won't like any of them - although, I admit, that lesbian redhead really started to grow on me. The weird thing is that you really don't have a good idea as to who the main characters are - it pretty much comes down to who's still up and going at the very end. It doesn't really matter how the trouble starts; all you need to know is that good old Dad comes home a changed man and the whole blood mania spreads like wildfire. Apparently, the pale faces, weird eyes, and electronically enhanced voices don't really tip anyone off that something might be a little out of sorts here. The gangstas get involved when they pick the wrong house to hole up in when the heat is on. These guys can't act a lick, but they do deliver the only halfway amusing scenes in the film. The best moment comes when this one poor dude, who has really gone through the ringer without having to now deal with vampires, tries to cover up his blood stench when the vampires start nosing around his hiding place.

If you like to watch vampires feeding on human flesh and blood, Dark Town is your movie. Beyond that, it's really only good for a few laughs. I can't really single out any bad performances because all of the performances were bad. The ending works, I guess, but it's a little weird - I think they may have come up with it on the spur of the moment. Throwing in a guy walking around carrying his own head just seemed liked pandering to us gorehounds in the audience. Dark Town proves that blood and gore alone just don't guarantee horror success."

NOT THAT BAD.

P. Rendon | Bogota , Colombia | 11/24/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"THIS MOVIE IS VERY LOW BUDGET SO DONT EXPECT VERY GOOD MAKE UP, SPECIAL EFFECTS OR GOOD ACTORS.
WITH THAT OFF THE WAY, EXPECT A MOVIE WITH A LOT A LOT OF BLOOD AND GORE THE FIRST HALF HOUR OF THE MOVIE IS CRAP BUT AFTER THAT IT GETS "INTERESTING" AND AMUSING. THE VAMPIRES ARE NOT THE "USUAL" VAMPIRES THEY ARE A COMBINATION OF VAMPIRES AND ZOMBIES THEY DONT JUST DRINK THE BLOOD THEY EAT EVERYTHING THEY CAN OF A CORPSE.
RENT THIS MOVIE FIRST OR IF YOU LOVE GORE BUY IT IS NOT THAT BAD."

Fun Film

James M. Kilbane | Brook Park, Ohio USA | 10/29/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I picked this up at Hollywood Video for a pre-Halloween weekend. I found this film delightful. Grade B film, no sensible plot. but for entertainment it was a blast. The commentary is great. Even the makers of this film can see the humor in it. I hope they are not too embarrassed; it was a fun film. Check it out. If you are not a film snob, for escapist vampire entertainment this is "well done.""

About par for the course...

J. A. Smith | Washington, DC | 09/17/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Considering the subject matter and film genre, I thought this independent film was watchable. It took a very innovative look at the vampire movie genre and brought it up to date. I wonder what other scenes didn't make it to the final version. I would like to see a few of the actors (esp. Ms. Wright) in different vehicles that allow them to stretch their skills a little further. If you are looking for the great American movie, this is not for you. However, if you are looking for an entertaining and up-to-date treatment of the vampire story, try this out."