It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

A vampire submerged underwater in an underground crypt, emerges having re-awakened thanks in part to two teenage girls swimming around. The small town of Allburg is soon invaded by the vampire curse as a teacher, 50 miles away, will reluctantly join forces with one of the girls who saw the leader, Czakyr, rise from his watery tomb, and the local drunken bum as they attempt to rid themselves of the evil which threatens their very lives.Okay high camp vampire tale, plenty of blood and wooden stakes penetrating chests. Karen Black gets top billing as Karen Thompson, but she's mostly confined to a room, chained to her bed by her character's priest lover, Father Alden(Evan MacKenzie)..the one who petitions best friend and confident, Mark(Peter DeLuise) to go to Allburg in search of Lucy Barrett(Ami Dolenz), the teenager who watched Czakyr bloodsuck Karen's daughter Cindy(Maya McLaughlin). Cindy is locked in the room with Karen, mostly feasting on the leeches which Father Aldin supplies..Cindy is Karen's "nutritional source". Karen, however, never ceases to lure Aldin into her clutches, eventually succeeding. Meanwhile, Mark, Lucy and wino Matty(Garrett Morris)must contend and fend off a community of vampire citizenry while also facing the difficult challenge of defeating Czakyr. Lucy will soon partner up with Cindy who wishes to get even with Czakyr for turning her into a vampire.Unlike other movies, we see that these vampires cocoon(..or, at least Karen does), some sleeping underwater breathing through their lungs which rest on the outside of their bodies! David Sawyer is unrecognizable as the grotesque Czakyr, his pointy ears, dank color, demonic facial features, and long fangs. Black plays her vampire to the hilt, really memorable under her make-up and fangs...quite a costume and she doesn't hold back, that's for sure. Dolenz is adorable as the virginal cutie Czakyr wishes to feast from. Deluise, her "what the hell have I gotten myself into" suitably frightened protector, way out of his league in the "killing vampires" department. Morris steals the film as the hobo who takes matters into his own hands, commandeering a "spread the word" van, blowtorching a light-bulbed cross to the bumper, prepared to impale any bloodsucker in his path.Some very unusual camera angles and effective use of color, but this vampire flick is nothing spectacular. You get the expected ultra-violence. Director Tony Randel tones the film in a light-hearted way.

The horror/comedy is such a hard thing to pull off. Few films get that delicate balance just right. These films include Re-animator, Bubba Ho-tep, and Return of the Living Dead. They do not include Children of the Night. I had high hopes for Children of the Night. It was a Fango production that had a few familiar faces and was directed by Tony Randel (Hellraiser II). However, looking back on Randel's filmography I believe he may not be the reason I love Hellraiser II. He's done some clunkers and this is one of them. The story is nothing new: a small town becomes besieged by the undead and it's up to an unlikely band of heroes to stop them. Normally, I like films with that plot but I think that's because I usually care about the heroes. Our heroes here include a virginal teenager (Ami Dolenz), a school teacher (Peter DeLuise), and a wino (Garrett Morris). I'm not really particularly impressed by those characters or the actors who portray them. Karen Black also shows up for no reason. I've never seen a role in which Karen Black wasn't hammy and over the top. That's all fine and dandy, but sometimes that's not what I want to see. Well, with the negatives pointed out, there were some excellent gross-out effects courtesy of KNB effects and, like most vampire flicks, they put their own little spin on vamp lore: underwater graves. I did think that was a nice touch, however, I think I will be sticking with Salem's Lot in the future.

'Children of the Night' is a really entertaining modern vampire movie.**SPOILERS**Out-of-town criminals, upsetting the many people who grew up in the town are overrunning the small town of Allburg. Two young girls, Lucy (Ami Dolenz) and Cindy (Maya McLaughlin) go joy-riding and wander into an abandoned church. There is a town myth about swimming in the crypt below the church's grounds, and they both go for a swim. Cindy is attacked in the water by a strange creature, sending Lucy into a panic. Another small town nearby, River Junction, is starting to loose ground to non-religious people, which is fine with Mark Gardner, (Peter DeLuise) a former priest who now teaches young children. His friend, Father Frank (Ewan MacKenzie) is harboring Karen Thompson (Karen Black) and her daughter Cindy in the attic of his house during the day because they are vampires. Mark doesn't believe it, until Frank tells him a story about vampirism in both Allburg and River Junction, so Frank heads to town to investigate his friends' claims. While there, he runs into Lucy, who is running away from a vampire. Now convinced that Frank was right about the vampires in town, Mark, Lucy and the town drunk (Garrett Morris) have to find a way to stop the head vampire was spreading his disease from turning the town and eventually the while world into his vampire minions.The Good News: The film had some pretty creative vampire effects. Rather than have the actor turn his face white and suddenly sprout fangs, here they actually turn into a sort of demonic figure with the fangs. I was getting tired of that old pasty-white vampire face that all the movies have portrayed. For some reason, the abandoned church's ruins really impressed me. The whole scene was a great example of Gothic-influenced film-making, something that I haven't seen since the late Mario Bava's earliest movies. It was a great scenery prop and created a rather spooky atmosphere. That was the best part of the movie because the not-lit interior, bright candles, and cobwebbed appearance of the pews in the church are important in creating the vibrant atmosphere created. The entrance into the crypt is also pretty good, as it follows the same Gothic darkness type of scare that the church scenes had used. The playing in the water, and what is in it, is rather well thought out, and jolting for the first few viewings. Pretty scary and creepy. I won't reveal what it is, as it is detrimental to the ending as well, but the beginning of this is a modern Gothic-inspired masterpiece. While not having a large amount of gore, the few scenes where there is gore is very believable and realistically done. The skin melting was the goriest scene, and for that alone, I recommend this movie, if just to see that wonderful FX job.The Bad News: There film suffers from the major crime that most modern movies suffer from: an uneventful middle act. After the discovery of the crypt, nothing happens until a good thirty minutes later, an eternity in any film. It's so short that it hurts even more, since the film is barely an hour and a half long. It also isn't a film for fans of high-gore vampire films like 'Queen of the Damned' or 'Dracula 2000.' The only gore is provided in the ending of the movie. It also has very little jumps or actual suspense, another damaging factor for the film. There was only two times where I jumped in the film, which was the exact same thing, a vampire jumping through something unexpectedly. Not exactly a creative move, especially considering the fact that so much went into the Gothic beginning of the film. The Final Verdict: While not terribly flawed, it has enough good points, especially the melting scene, to at least warrant this film a look. Not all vampire film fans will like the film, but it is one of the better vampire films around. Rated R: Graphic Violence, Adult Language, Brief Nudity, and strong, violent religious imagery

I really do love vampire movies. I think I have seen most of all the vampire movies. Karen Black is an excellent actor. However, you can only do so much for a movie with cheesy make-up. Karen Black's was the cheesiest make-up job I have ever seen. To sum up the movie, I have to say this was one of the worst vampire movies I have ever witnessed. Under the circumstances of bad writing, the acting job this cast turned in was actually pretty good. I could not figure out how one of the girls gets vamped, takes it home to her mother, then her mother proceeds to feed off of her. Shouldn't that be the other way around? A bit confusing, but Garrett Morris did a superb job in trying to explain stuff. Amy Dolenz was enjoyable as the token virgin. Cannot recommend the movie unless you only get one station on your television and you have no other choice.