Jugular Wine: A Vampire Odyssey

As has been said here, there's possibly a good movie under all this, but it's not what you get on the screen. Potentially interesting ideas are submerged by too many 'art film' delusions and cheap camera effects, not to mention editing that gives one the impression that at least one reel of out-takes was mistakenly substituted for footage that was essential to the plot. All in all, pass. It could have been intriguing and thoughtful, but it's just not.

The only aspects of this film which raise it from the unwatchable are the occasional scenes with unusual lighting, the half decent performances by most characters except the lead, and a few quite realistic bloody hearts. Switch to fast-forward, and forget the dialogue.

I liked Jugular Wine for its wonderful creativity and its interesting use of camera effects. For a low-budget film, I thought the director did a great job of making it look bigger than it was. I liked the scene locations which added much to the film's intrigue. The dark plot keeps you hooked as you wonder where all of this will lead. The really cool thing is the surprising cameos of all the infamously famous and pseudo-famous people who grace the screen. This is sure to become a cult classic along the lines of Ed Wood films, although with better acting. The little girl melts your heart and steals the movie when she's on screen. I recommend it for those die-hard vampire and dark film fans. It's entertaining, creepy and downright interesting.

I saw Jugular Wine back when it was relatively new in the 90s. It was always on the shelf at Blockbuster or my local video store, but only 1 copy, and it was always out.

When I did see it, it felt more like a documentary than a fiction. The weird mix of outdoor cinematography on 35mm and what felt like 70mm film, and then close and personal scenes shot on vhs that looked like the old soap operas that were like you were there, looking in a window.

The plot is someone that gets involved with a real vampire, and is drawn into their secret world. And it kind of puts you in the main characters seat.

It really dragged me in.

But it's not a good movie by modern standards.

It's almost a Vampire Art film.

It had no chance of being accepted or full appreciated when it came out.

This is probably as obscure and hard to come by as London After Midnight.

I tried to find a copy of it...and by luck, found a new sealed copy for $50 on ebay.

I think you can rent it on Amazon...not sure. But if you can find it, grab some friends, cook up some bloody rare steaks, and of course...pair it with a nice red wine...the Vampire wine label still exists...try the Romanian Red if you can find it.

Jugular Wine, despite the incoherent plot, actually could have been a good movie. "One man's quest into the madness and interplay of reality/fantasy that is the world of the vampire"

unfortunately, the movie moves along like a drunken sailor, making very little sense and with very heavy "documentary" overtones that make it seem even more ludicrous than if it had just been a schlock film with no pretensions. This is film that redefined "painful to watch"

I can't recommend it except to students of the vampire genre and film in general, and only then as a lesson on how not to do a vampire movie.

I really wish the makers of this film well..I am not saying I could make a better film. But I hope I could!