Vampires

"Prepare for the dawn."

1998 1h 48m EN

😐

6.3

MID

★6.3TMDB · 1,419

ActionFantasyHorror

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The church enlists a team of vampire-hunters to hunt down and destroy a group of vampires searching for an ancient relic that will allow them to exist in sunlight.

“Prepare for the dawn.”

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Cast

James Woods
Jack Crow
Daniel Baldwin
Anthony Montoya
Sheryl Lee
Katrina
Thomas Ian Griffith
Jan Valek
Maximilian Schell
Cardinal Alba
Tim Guinee
Father Adam Guiteau
Mark Boone Junior
Catlin
Gregory Sierra
Father Giovanni

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John Carpenter
Writers: Don Jakoby
Languages: English, Latin
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

28 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Latin.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Vampires Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by John Carpenter, shot by Gary B. Kibbe. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by John Carpenter. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Edward A. Warschilka shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

James Woods and Daniel Baldwin and Sheryl Lee carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Prepare for the dawn.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Carpenter directs. Gary B. Kibbe behind the camera. John Carpenter scores. Edward A. Warschilka cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Latin.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

128 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Latin.
3Part of the "Vampires Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by John Carpenter, shot by Gary B. Kibbe. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by John Carpenter. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Edward A. Warschilka shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7James Woods and Daniel Baldwin and Sheryl Lee carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Prepare for the dawn.".
9IMDB entry: tt0120877 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 11 themes, including "based on novel or book", "vampire", "new mexico", "vampire hunter (slayer)".

The technical file

Cinematography: Gary B. Kibbe
Original score: John Carpenter
Editing: Edward A. Warschilka
Production design: Thomas A. Walsh
Costume design: Robin Michel Bush
Makeup / hair: Laurel Van Dyke
Sound: Michael C. Casper
Stunt coordinator: Jeff Imada
Runtime: 108 min · 1h 48m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $20,000,000
Box office: $20,308,772
Return: 102% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Vampires (1998)

Part of

Vampires Collection

Vampires, also known as John Carpenter's Vampires, is a 1998 American western-horror film directed and scored by John Carpenter. Adapted from the novel Vampire$ by John Steakley, the film stars James Woods as Jack Crow, leader of a Catholic Church-sanctioned team of vampire hunters. The plot is centered on Crow's efforts to prevent a centuries-old cross from falling into the hands of Valek, the first and most powerful vampire. Two sequels followed: Vampires: Los Muertos in 2002 and Vampires: The Turning in 2005.

Also by

John Carpenter

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2014-10-16
★ 7/10
I killed my own father, padre. I got no trouble killing you. Not half as bad as some reviews in 1998 made it out to be, Vampires is worth taking a peek at these days. Without the heavy weight of expectation for a return to form for John Carpenter, it proves to be a schlocky and bloody good time. James Woods stars as a Vatican backed vampire slayer, something he does with considerable relish. But now he is up against an uber vampire in Valek (Thomas Ian Griffith), a leader with powers unbound. Daniel Baldwin and Sheryl Lee are along for the gore laden ride. Woods is cool, with a quip on the tongue and a deadly weapon to hand, his by-play with Tim Guinee's priest provides much of the film's humour. The photography, choreography, editing and tension building are all high in quality, and while the story is weak and there's a whiff of misogyny in the mix, for a horror popcorner there's a good time to be had here. 7/10
JPV8522019-09-08
★ 6/10
Never been a big fan of this movie, and of vampires in general, but seeing it again after many years, did kind of enjoy it primarily for James Woods and to some extent Thomas Ian Griffith's over-the-top performance (and Sheryl Lee is easy on the eyes for sure). Certainly not top tier John Carpenter and the editing was a mess, but still somewhat entertaining. 3.0/5