John Carpenter's Vampires

REVIEW
A slickly made but generic vampire tale, Vampires can't hold a stake to Blade, and at times seems no more than a rip-off of the better and more entertaining From Dusk Till Dawn. Woods is a vampire hunter hired by the Catholic Church (don't ask) who is roaming the American Southwest looking for covens of bloodsuckers. Carpenter's good premise soon gives way to tired Tarantino-esque humor which doesn't work, Robert Rodriguez-like camerawork/choreographics which lack energy and originality, and some good makeup effects when the thirsty dead get a suntan. Woods is a little too posturing but at least is in on the joke, though Schell as a Catholic bishop looks terribly out of place. Carpenter is a skilled craftsman, and his Vampires has a great look, but other than a few exciting attack scenes, the film lags between bites.