John Carpenter’s Vampires (1998) Review

John Carpenter’s Vampires (1998) Review

John Carpenter is renowned for his work in the horror genre. He has produced, written, directed, edited, and composed music for numerous films, but will likely always be remembered most prominently for the original Halloween. Even though many of his later films, such as The Thing, Big Trouble in Little China, and Christine, have grown in popularity since their initial releases, one of Carpenter’s directing efforts from the 90’s, Vampires, is still one of his most overlooked films.

Vampires is about a team of vampire hunters from the Vatican led by Jack Crow (James Woods) traversing the New Mexico desert, snuffing out the bloodsuckers with old school methods: sharp stakes, crosses, and exposing them to sunlight. The team gets ambushed by a master vampire named Valek and all of them are wiped out except for Crow and his partner Tony (Daniel Baldwin). Another survivor is a prostitute (Sheryl Lee, from Twin Peaks) who gets bitten but survives, and develops a psychic connection to the master, which Crow and Tony take advantage of to track the master and defeat him. 

This isn’t a generic vampire movie in terms of it being purely in the horror genre. It’s also a western, which is established right away by the score (composed by Carpenter), with its twangy, catchy guitar, as well as the desert setting and cinematography. There are also some slower scenes throughout, which make it feel very much like a western, but they are interspersed with the violent supernatural action scenes, and that can sometimes make it feel a little uneven. James Woods plays a stoic lead, and all of the vampire hunters are tough folk that don’t give a shit about the undead. They pull vampires out of their lairs and dispatch them without hesitation. Though they aren’t the most sympathetic characters to begin with, they grow on you as the film progresses. 

The vampires themselves are badass. They’re pretty typical in the way they behave, but they look awesome, and when they get exposed to sunlight, they don’t just hiss and get a mild sunburn, they burst into flames! The effects are all mostly practical, and look excellent. There’s lots of blood and action—though more action than truly scary moments. 

Vampires is a pretty straightforward story, but it has that unmistakable look and feel you only get from having John Carpenter behind the camera. The pacing is sometimes irregular, and the content is familiar, but the western elements make it feel unique, and if you just want some fun vampire scenes, it definitely delivers.