Terror Night - Hochhaus in Angst

Insurance salesman Barry (Gary Frank) visits an urban ghetto to sell insurance to a client and has a run in with a young member of a vicious street gang called the Vampires. This gang runs the district. Soon their leader, aptly named 'The Count' (Tony Todd) hears about this and wants Barry dead. Barry is trapped in the apartment building with no way out; we soon see the murder of an elderly cop who tries to protect Barry so we know the gang mean business. Barry teams up with Ray Parker Jnr and they also enlist the help of the only man the gang supposedly fears, the wheelchair bound Parker, a Vietnam War veteran, (played by Jan-Michael Vincent). However they are totally outnumbered. The vampires are after blood.

The film is fast paced and entertaining but does has strong violence and racism in as well so be warned. Sadly this film is hard to find and seems to have disappeared since the VHS days. Ray Parker Jnr is first class and you question why he never became a mega star. Tony Todd is a great presence as always and it's sad that Candy man was the height of his career, he deserved better. He does seem to enjoy himself in the role as the count. Jan-Michael Vincent completes a great cast. Also a great music soundtrack from the Boogie boys an American hip hop band group from New York, where this film was shot. The band sadly spilt up a year after this film was made.

Watch out for the clever ending; note the gang are called Vampires when you look for this. This film is worth the effort to hunt down even if it's only an old VHS you can find. Deserves a DVD release.

This flick is a good representative of the 80's underrated B-movies, that gets you not by the quality, but specially by the lack of it. The best thing is when a movie does not take itself seriously, the essence of a nice low-budget production. The acting is poor and over the top, the surroundings are clearly used from another pictures done before, very goofy lines and involuntary humor. And you gotta love it! All these are present here, helped by the reverse Midas touch of the prolific producer Charles Band, notorious for his Roger Corman wannabe personality, that guarantees the fun for a penny. In the story, a phone company worker (Ray Parker Jr., whose sole glory was the making of the hit song "Ghostbusters", in his acting debut) is caught up in the middle of a crisis with a violent street gang called the Vampires, that control a project building where a rundown insurance salesman played by Gary Frank stepped on the wrong toe by touching a gang member after dark; the Vampires leader, The Count (Tony Todd), wants blood to make amends and the duo must fight for their lives until the sun comes up, with the helping hand of some courageous inhabitants. This suspense is OK, the situations are OK, I am OK and you are OK. Be OK by watching this OK movie. You'll feel just OK after.

Just bought this on video to see Jan Michael Vincent's part. What a fun movie this was! Urban decay as literal nightmare - huge ghetto apartment, graffiti everywhere, people out to kill you, gangs running rampant - this movie has it all! It captures 'scary' New York very well. I guess you might call it soft-core Blax-sploitation. The music is 80's, but the sheer adrenaline this movie creates still registers today. Jan Michael Vincent has one of the best cameos you will ever see in a movie! He plays 'Parker', a whacked out, bubba-Vietnam vet in a wheelchair (still handsome, but crazed!) who tries to help a remarkably decent-acting Ray Parker Jr. (Yes, the very same Ghostbusters singer in his first acting role) and his white companion. JMV gives an electrifying performance! One wishes he could have had more screen time - but it's well worth seeing his brilliant 10 minutes! Tony Todd (yes, the "Candyman" himself!) is also great as the "Vampire" gang leader in this.

A late 80's action thriller that has a yuppie insurance salesman visiting a housing project apartment building in New York at night. While in the building to collect a premium he has a mishap with a gang member from a group that all themselves The Vampires. This sets off a war between the gang and the tenants in a place the police won't go.

This flick was awesome. The Vampire gang was led by a young, skinny Tony Todd which he did just after Platoon. I met Tony Todd a couple years ago and meant to ask him if he had this on DVD because he did tell me he collects DVDs and I've never seen an official release of this one yet.

As well as Tony Todd you have Ray Parker Jr. helping the insurance guy get out of the apartment alive and playing a Vietnam vet in a wheelchair was Jan-Michael Vincent kicking ass. The film reminded me of Tenement: Game of Survival (1985) which the writer probably watched with elements of Assault On Precinct 13. The tension just keeps building in this one. An enjoyable film that's not too heavy.

New York has never looked so good! This is a gritty thriller set in a tower block, where an unfortunate insurance salesman finds himself trapped on the top floor in a building controlled by the local gang called the Vampires. The Vampires are out for blood after the salesman unwittingly insults one of the gangs younger members on his way to sign a deal which should earn him a nice commission. Luckily he gets some help along the way by none other than Ray Parker Junior, and together with some friendlier residents of the block, they try to escape certain death. Quite a tense movie with a cool soundtrack and a nice score. But the best thing is Tony Todd (pre - Candyman) as the demented evil leader of the Vampires and his sidekick - Psycho! I own a copy of this on VHS Pal and think it,s well worth watching if this sort of thing is your cup of tea.