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Inspired by films including The Blob, Plan 9 from Outer Space, and Forbidden Planet, the throwback horror-comedy Vampire Zombies…From Space! has been picked up by sales outfit Black Mandala ahead of the Cannes Film Market, Variety reports this morning.

Variety notes in their report, “The black-and-white genre mashup, directed by Mike Stasko, has been a festival favorite, collecting over 20 awards during its impressive festival run, including multiple audience choice awards and best feature honors.”

Vampire Zombies…From Space! is fittingly set in 1957. In the horror-comedy, “From the depths of space, Dracula has devised his most dastardly plan yet.” Here’s the official plot synopsis:

“A motley crew — consisting of a grizzled detective, a skeptical rookie cop, a chain-smoking greaser, and a determined young woman — bands together to stop Dracula‘s cosmic plan to turn the small town of Marlow into his personal army of vampire zombies.”

Jessica Antovski, Rashaun Baldeo,...

New Zealand-based sales outfit Black Mandala has acquired rights to the award-winning horror-comedy “Vampire Zombies…From Space!” ahead of the Cannes Film Market.

The black-and-white genre mashup, directed by Mike Stasko, has been a festival favorite, collecting over 20 awards during its impressive festival run, including multiple audience choice awards and best feature honors.

Set in 1957, the film follows a motley crew — consisting of a grizzled detective, a skeptical rookie cop, a chain-smoking greaser, and a determined young woman — as they band together to stop Dracula’s cosmic plan to turn the small town of Marlow into his personal army of vampire zombies.

“From the depths of space, Dracula has devised his most dastardly plan yet,” reads the synopsis. “A full-blown zombie outbreak hits, prompting the arrival of the dramatic (and slightly unhinged) Colonel Talbit and his troops.”

The 97-minute horror-comedy-sci-fi hybrid features notable genre appearances from Lloyd Kaufman (Troma Entertainment...

Going to see a parody of classic science fiction and horror movies is always a dicey situation, especially if you’re already a fan of the films they target. Besides hoping that it’s actually funny, you’re also worried that they’ll just take a stance of sneering contempt towards their source material, as is all too often the case. Even a respectful homage is no guarantee of quality, either. An affectionate tribute can too easily become an exercise in virtue-signaling, a lackluster effort at trying to prove they’re part of the fan club, and an excuse to copy what’s already been done to death. I’ll be a happy man if I never see another reenactment of Psycho’s shower scene again.

What makes Michael Stasko’s “Vampire Zombies…From Space!” such a pleasant surprise is it’s not only the rare parody that’s actually...