6.1/10
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406 user 129 critic

Vampires (1998)

Recovering from an ambush that killed his entire team, a vengeful vampire slayer must retrieve an ancient Catholic relic that, should it be acquired by vampires, will allow them to walk in sunlight.

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4 wins & 4 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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Ortega (as Thomas Rosales)
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John Furlong ...
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Storyline

The church has long known that vampires exist. However, it is discovered that a group of vampires are searching for a powerful doom for mankind. The Vatican then secretly enlists a team of vampire-hunters, led by Jack Crow, to hunt down and destroy the vampires before they find the crucifix. Written by <jculver@gonzaga.edu>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

Prepare for the Dawn. See more »


Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong vampire violence and gore, language and sexuality | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

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Details

Country:

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Language:

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Release Date:

30 October 1998 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

John Carpenter's Vampires  »

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$9,106,497 (USA) (30 October 1998)

Gross:

$20,241,395 (USA) (5 February 1999)
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Company Credits

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Technical Specs

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Sound Mix:

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Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The symbol on the necklace that Daniel Baldwin wears in the movie is the Nordic rune meaning "Protector". See more »

Goofs

After the first hunt, when the vampire skulls are lined up on the hood of the Jeep, Catlin is counting them, exclaiming, "Nine! Goons, man! Not a bad day's work." Then Montoya comes up behind him, pats him on the shoulder, and says, "You're the man, Boone." See more »

Quotes

[Just as Cardinal Alba is about to complete the ceremony by burning Jack at the stake, Father Guiteau shoots Alba in the back with a shotgun, killing him in the process. Valek, his followers, and Katrina growl and hiss]
Jack Crow: [shocked] Padre!
[Valek growls]
Father Adam Guiteau: [yells] Now, what are you gonna do, Valek? You've got nobody to complete your ritual! The sun's starting to rise!
Valek: You... will finish the ritual.
Father Adam Guiteau: [holds the shotgun to his head] Try to make me.
Jack Crow: Attaboy, Padre. Fuck with him!
[to Valek]
Jack Crow: Hey, Valek, you're...
[...]
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Connections

Referenced in Rewind This! (2013) See more »

Soundtracks

Padre's Wood
Written by Brad Wilson
Performed by Stone
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Frequently Asked Questions

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User Reviews

Fade in, Fade Out
17 August 2004 | by (Sweden) – See all my reviews

I'm a big fan of John Carpenter. But in his latest films, I've noticed somewhat of a clumsy way he directs his films. It's almost as if the films were rushed and some scenes or even shots, just weren't filmed. He fades between all of his scenes... Sometimes, leaving us wanting more, but he just fades to the end of it. Sometimes, the scenes he uses could have been completly cut out and not used with the fade-technique whatsoever.

Anyway, I just had to get that off my mind. Off to the plot:

Jack Crow is a Master Slayer, meaning that he kills vampire for the catholic church, and has been doing that for his entire life. After he cleans out a nest of Vampires in New Mexico, his team gets ambushed my a powerful vampire named Valek. Valek kills the entire team of slayers, except for Jack and his friend Montoya. They also manage to bring a hooker along with them, who got bitten by the vampire. Using the hookers telepathic link with her master, the two try to hunt down Valek and find out what he's up to.

This film is gory. Really gory. Most likely John Carpenters goriest film to date, counting The Thing. Some might think that gore is an unnecessary way of filming, but in this film: Gore is not used to "impress" or "Show off". It's used as a background thing. I didn't feel that it was a way of using the gore to create "terror". And if you happen to like gore, you'll find one redeeming factor in this film.

The acting is good. James Woods is really funny as Jack Crow at times, altough Daniel Baldwin isn't really "great", nor is Tim Guinee. But the acting holds up. There's not much else to say other than that James Woods is funny... at times.

The action in this film is quite abundant, yet it's not that great. It can be enjoyable but at the same time the action is very repetive. That doesn't bode very well. Another thing abut this film is that it's too damn long for an action/horror film. Its almost 2 hours long. They should have made it 90 minutes instead, as that would be more fitting of a movie of this "type".

Well. The film is boring sometimes, yet it has some redeeming factors. All in all I give it a six. Nothing great, but if you're a John Carpenter fan you'll like it. And you might want to see how his style has changed. Dramaticly.


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