Searching for films that bite back

• Source: Global Times
• [11:26 July 09 2010]
• Comments

By Nick Muzyczka

The US release of the third movie in the hugely fashionable Twilight Saga has added to the current hunger for all things vampire.

The long list of recent vampire movies and television shows includes True Blood, Daybreakers, The Vampire Diaries, The Vampire's Assistant and Transylmania, among many others.

While the new breed of vampire shows tend to be aimed at younger audiences, with vampire characters who are less "exotic creatures of the night" and more "angst-driven teenagers with teeth," we are certainly seeing a return to popularity of blood-stained fangs, sharpened sticks and the delicate necks of innocent young women.

With this in mind, this installment of the Global Times DVD review is dedicated to some of the finest and rarest vampire flicks that can be sourced from the city's plentiful, though temperamental, DVD shops.

Cronos (1993) by Guillermo del Toro

Cronos, Guillermo del Toro's first full-length feature film, arrived on screen 13 years before the director produced his masterpiece, Pan's Labyrinth.

While certainly less polished and nowhere near as visually splendid, Cronos is a curious, well-crafted movie that displays some classic del Toro stylization.

This relatively unknown movie begins quietly, with the introduction of Jesús Gris (Federico Luppi), a kindly old antiques dealer and his well-behaved granddaughter Aurora (Tamara Shanath).

The arrival of a mysterious archangel figurine marks the unraveling of a careful plot that steers clear of many vampire clichés, while simultaneously paying homage to classic tales, including Bram Stoker's Dracula.

Visually the film looks a bit dated and audience will be disappointed if they are expecting something along the lines of Pan's Labyrinth. It does however succeed in a number of other areas and reinforces del Toro's reputation as a director passionate about detail.

Cronos focuses on the idea of vampirism as a life-prolonging, though cursed condition. As we follow the main protagonist's journey into fully fledged vampirism, it is a learning experience for all - there is none of the immediate transformation (complete with instantaneous knowledge about how to live life as a vampire) experienced by characters in many other films.

Thought a little slow by some, this movie remains a carefully wrought and original take on the classic tale.

From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) by Robert Rodriguez

Robert Rodriguez, whose movies never compromise on fun, or indeed on anything, is the second Mexican director to make our list.

From Dusk Till Dawn is one of the most successful works in his filmography, combining many of his best qualities: unpretentious grittiness, wanton violence, over-the-top gore and (often self) parody.

Although not the rarest or most exotic film on the shelf, this is a must-see for all those bitten by the vampire bug.

The first half of the movie has actually very little connection with vampires and would not be too out of place in a Coen Brothers production.

The opening scenes provide us with some of the film's finest moments, with a brutal yet decidedly charming George Clooney stealing the show as Seth Gecko, brother of insane pervert Richard Gecko (Quentin Tarantino).

The bloody early parts of the movie (in contrast with the gooey later parts) relate the journey of the brothers to Mexico after Seth's escape from custody.

Along the way they meet ex-pastor Jacob Fuller (Harvey Keitel) and family. Keitel is, as usual, extremely solid and a well-cast Juliette Lewis performs well as a slightly screwy amateur vampire slayer.

The second half of the film is in stark contrast, descending deep into low-budget, maximum gore, comedy-death territory, though all is related with an extroverted flair that keeps the film classy.

Rodriguez shows himself to be a master of mixing cinematic techniques, paying equal attention to high- and low-brow elements.

Nosferatu (1922) by F.W. Murnau

Haunting, distressing and utterly engaging, Nosferatu is a truly iconic film in silent cinema and one of the great examples of the German expressionist tradition.

Working with a very minimal set design, Murnau's film remains one of the most profound explorations of true evil in cinematic history and is a benchmark in the horror movie tradition.

In this, the first ever screen adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula, Murnau creates a landscape populated by terrifying shadows, occult atmospheres and indistinct eroticism.

The movie begins in Bremen, Germany with the introduction of estate agent Thomas Hutter (Jonathan Harker in Stoker's novel) and his young wife, Ellen (Stoker's Mina, played by Greta Schröder). Hutter is set to leave for the Carpathian Mountains in order to sell a Bremen property to the mysterious Count Orlock (Max Schreck).

Superstitious locals warn Hutter against traveling to the count's castle, but greed overcomes prudence. After completing the transaction, Hutter discovers Orlock's nature as a creature of the night who drinks blood and sleeps in a coffin.

Although initially attracted to Hutter, the abysmal count turns his attention to Ellen after seeing her in a photo.

Every scene in this film has been carefully constructed. Subtle thematic devices combine with highly inventive camera angles and expertly employed (though primitive) special effects. Few films have had such an impact on an entire genre.