Children of the Night

Two young women go swimming in a flooded church (a neat setting, though it recalls Argento's Inferno). The cross necklace one of them wears sinks to the bottom, somehow reviving a vampire. The vampire is in some sort of hibernation, a state in which its lungs and esophagus are outside of its body! Sometime later, a schoolteacher visits a priest friend who has a vampire captive. It, too, keeps its lungs outside its body. The teacher doesn't want to believe in vampires, but as he tries to help other people finds they are very real.

Most of the acting in this film is very, very bad. Perhaps it's intentionally campy, I don't know. However, I did like the flooded church, the weird vampiric hibernation, and a post-feeding scene where a vampire shoots some sort of cocoon out of its mouth that envelopes its body.

Not really recommended, but vampire fans might enjoy some of the original effects.

Children of the Night (1991) is a movie I recently watched on Tubi. The storyline follows two young women excited about their bright future and leaving their small town. Before departing, they take one last swim in their local creek, but when a necklace falls to the creek bed, it awakens undead vampires. The creatures rise, wreak havoc on the town, and go on a deadly rampage. Can those responsible for their return find a way to put them back to rest?

This film is directed by Tony Randel (Ticks) and stars Karen Black (House of 1,000 Corpses), Garrett Morris (Cooley High), Peter DeLuise (21 Jump Street), Ami Dolenz (Can't Buy Me Love), and Maya McLaughlin (Never Been Kissed).

Watching this was a mixed experience. The settings, backdrops, and lighting were solid, creating an atmospheric feel. At times, the horror elements, visuals, and storyline even reminded me of Nightbreed. The special effects, kills, and gore stood out in several scenes. However, the storyline felt contrived, and the acting and dialogue were inconsistent and often frustrating. The comedic elements were corny and fell flat, detracting from the overall tone.

In conclusion, Children of the Night had the potential to be a strong addition to the horror genre with its promising elements, but weak writing and uneven performances hold it back. I would score this a 5.5/10.

This movie is by no means at the top of its genre. In fact the genre may have been better off if this movie hadn't been made. That said it is a fun movie (I should mention that I am one of those people that can enjoy a bad movie all the while knowing it's a horrible film). I first saw it on Sci-Fi channel at 3 AM and then a few months later saw it in the same time slot again. I watched it in its entirety straight through and enjoyed both viewings.

The story is by no means completely hole-free; a lot of the plot involves suspending not only disbelief but also a fair bit of common sense. The acting was definitely B-movie grade but not horrible. The cinematography is also a bit lacking, it feels like the director was trying tell too much of the story with his camera angles and lighting (possibly because of the lack of range of emotions most of the actors seem able to display).

All in all I recommend this movie as certainly better than anything else that you are likely to see in its timeslot. It is worth a look if you really like horror movies no matter how bad, or are in the mood for a fun, bad movie.

This movie is a typical B movie..but what they do with the "normal" legend of vampires. For one the vampire use water as their coffin instead of an actual one, once under water they spit out their lungs and breaths the water. In one scene this women vamp made her own cocoon to sleep in the special effects are really good in this scene. Its a cheap movie but its fun....its a saturday night kind of flick!!

Trust me when I say that I have seen much worse horror films than this one. This film is not too bad and director Tony Randel is getting better all the time. This movie was produced by the horror movie magazine Fangoria. I've read Fangoria for 17 years and you would think that they would come up with something better than this movie. Oh well, maybe they'll make a better one next time. Not a total waste of time however, if you're a horror fan.