Very well executed

Crappy film

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

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

"Pale Blood" tries to be a stylish and inventive vampire flick and does only a fair job. Someone is murdering women in L.A. and it is suspected that the killer might be a vampire. Instead, the killer is a madman, pretty much played to perfection by Wings Hauser. When the real thing shows up to try to figure out what is actually going on with the help of a detective who has certain "gifts", the two are able to put a stop to the murders.I can definitively say that I had a bit of a time making it through the whole film without leaving to find something else to do - it wasn't able to hold my interest for very long. I did finally finish it but not in one sitting.As mentioned, I thought Wings Hauser did a great job, however, George Chakiris wore more eyeliner than a glam band and I found his performance to be tiresome after a while. He showed little emotion or range and it was like his face had been shot full of Botox or something - one of the main reasons I had a hard time sitting through the film. When the lead character in a movie bores you, its kinda tough to really enjoy what you are watching. Even when he was twitching (you'll have to watch the film to figure out why he was doing that) he bored me to death. However, when Wings Hauser showed his true colors, I finally got interested in the movie and watched it through to the end. And I have to say appreciated the detective's taste in film (Nosferatu)!I'm assuming that all of the blue and red lighting used in the film was an attempt to be artsy or stylish but I found it absolutely unnecessary and thought it was rather silly - I feel that it took away from the film rather than enhancing it. It was quite overused. However, I did find the portable zip up coffin to be quite interesting.Although some reviewers would disagree, I actually did like the band (where the eyeliner was well placed :)). So if you can get past an emotionless vampire that shows no expression and wears more eyeliner than I do, go for it. You might want to take a look see at Mr. Hauser once he starts going off the rails, but you'll have to get through a lot of the movie before that happens.

First off, despite the video release date of 1991, it's hard to think of a film that screams "1985" louder than this direct-to-video vampire flick featuring the steamy, neon-lit streets of LA in the 80s. Honestly, watch it and tell me you disagree. That goth-punk band that keeps rearing its feathered mane throughout the film (Agent Orange, a real band from Orange County who are still putting out records) - is that not 3000% 1980s? Anyway, I digress... and I haven't even started the review, which I guess is probably bad.So anyway, while this is a distinctly B-grade vampire flick, it certainly stands out among other films of its ilk. Where to begin? First of all, it features George Chakiris, who won an Academy Award for his role in West Side Story in 1961 (and never again appeared in anything legitimate for some weird reason), in the leading role of Michael Fury, vampire hunter. Mr. Fury slinks through the neon-bathed streets of nighttime LA stalking a vampire, or a killer who thinks he is one. Van Vandemeer (played by Wings Hauser), a sleaze-bag "video art" director who totally epitomizes bottom-of-the-barrel Hollywood, keeps getting in the way of the investigation. And then there is Michael's vampire-obsessed co-investigator Lori, who dresses all in black and hangs around her apartment at midnight watching Nosferatu on infinite loop. I won't give away any spoilers, but suffice it to say that nothing surrounding the trio is as it seems, and there are several unexpected twists and turns before the film finally slams to a surprising finale that recalls the intro in a very clever way.Look, for a film that's obviously low budget, all this is very well-done. The acting is surprisingly classy, especially George Chakiris, who totally exudes grace and dignity and always stays perfectly aloof and serious and just acts totally cool in dealing with all the other morons the film pits him against. Why haven't we seen more of this man? Wings Hauser is also very convincing and appropriately scummy in his role as slime-ball erotic trash director.Pale Blood is also super atmospheric. Without featuring any really stunning camera-work or anything of that sort, it manages to maintain a very specific, creepy, neon-lit atmosphere, especially in Michael's condo, the kind of weirdly abstract, ultra-modern sort of place that seems like the natural habitat of an aloof, nocturnal dude like him.Finally, the plot is really pretty capably executed, including, as I said, a really awesome surprise ending, although there are indeed points that might elicit a slight groan (this is a B-movie, after all). So why hasn't anyone ever heard of this? I dunno, but it's not because it isn't any good. I'm guessing that there may have been some issues surrounding the film that caused it to be shelved for a few years after its production, which obviously took place sometime before 1990. If you still don't believe me about this, note that all the Agent Orange songs featured in the movie came out in 1986. I mean, if you'll tolerate B-grade cinema, you'll immediately appreciate all the dark humor, atmosphere, and unpretentious yet intelligent craft-work that went into this hidden gem.Finally, a note about the location - if this was really filmed in Hong Kong instead of LA, as the IMDb credits indicate, it sure fooled me, and I live in LA... yet another curious point about this curious and enjoyable little film.

I ended up watching PALE BLOOD because it came recommended as an 80's vampire flick. But honestly, I have to say it's not all that good. It actually all feels like a pretty wrong movie, really. But that's mainly because it's rooted so much in the spirit of the 80's, with that typical look & feel and pretty horrible music from a band called Agent Orange (not-so-good 80's punky/new wave/goth stuff). And why, oh why, did they always have to inter-cut to footage of that band performing? Incredibly ridiculous that was. On the upside, it is one of those more offbeat vampire flicks of which a lot were produced during the late 80's/early 90's (DANCE OF THE DAMNED, TALE OF A VAMPIRE, MIDNIGHT KISS,...). I can give it that much. The basic idea was even pretty good: serial killer/fake vampire finds a real vampire on his trail. But Wings Hauser pretty much is the only reason to see this flick, I believe. The little twist about the girl near the end was funny and the conclusion concerning Hauser's character pretty laughable. They sure don't make 'em like this anymore. Not good, not bad. Just a fun time-waster, in my opinion.

I have loved this movie from the moment I saw it in the early 90's. It's absolutely impossible to find in order to buy it now-a-days, but I still remember it that fondly that I want to buy it.Yes, it was a little slow, but I enjoyed the music played by Agent Orange, especially 'Bite The Hand That Feeds' which is sung live on a stage in a club during the movie.I particularly remember the ending, as it was quite the twist and very romantic. The vampire found his mate in the most unexpected way. The movie was, at times, quite seductive in it's own way… If you're a vampire buff-and especially if you're sick of seeing the vampire die in the end because he's either 'feeling so guilty he walks into the sun', 'he gets bumped off by the hero or the girl he's after', or some other anti-vamp ending-watch this.