Vampiri

The above line, one of the last in the movie, is just so poignant it pretty much sums up the film. Colossally underrated vampire flick that is long on style and quite touching romantically. It should never have worked so well.

Well up there with FRIGHT NIGHT, THE LOST BOYS and NEAR DARK, how such a low-budget movie with a mega-young brit actor, towering barely 5'7" in built-up shoes, standing in as Vlad the Impaler, could work so well, is staggering. It is I suspect a combination of the avant-garde script, outstanding (at times) cinematography and charismatic performance from pretty Sydney Walsh that does it. The brilliance of this film is set right from the opening scenes, whose significance becomes crystal clear later on. Miss Walsh, so reminiscent of a very young Sigourney Weaver here, hits exactly the right note as feisty real estate rep Kate Wooten, who is swept off her feet by cashed-up young client Vlad Tsepsh who for his part, responds to her charms with a rare reluctance.

Just so much to pull out of this wonderful film. The antagonism between Vlad and his brother, the sparkling repartee between Kate and Vlad and the retro ending just so unusual in vampire films. Equally as good as a love story as a horror film. It works a treat on both scores! One cannot pass over the excellent soundtrack either, most notably Rod Stewart's great contribution during the on-board boat party at the very beginning of the film, when Kate is mesmerised by Vlad's intrusion into her life.

Interestingly, Brendan Hughes resurrected the exact same characterisation in HOWLING VI: THE FREAKS which left for dead the previous four sequels!

Real estate broker Kate Wooten (Sydney Walsh) is having trouble finding love while her roommate Ceila (Amanda Wyss) is now engaged to her fiancé Mike (Micah Grant). While attending a business party with her friend Martin (Scott Jacoby), Kate meets the enigmatic and charming Vlad Tepes (Brendan Hughes) who cultivates a romantic relationship with her unaware he is in fact the infamous Vlad the Impaler inspiration for the legend of Dracula.

To Die For is a 1989 low budget horror film produced by Greg H. Sims who was a fan of horror films including Dracula films and sought to approach the material more in the vein of a love story than a standard horror film. While only a modest performer in its initial release (though successful enough to spawn a direct-to-video/cable sequel) and mostly forgotten today, To Die For is actually a reasonably enjoyable film.

While To Die For doesn't stray too far from the established formula of vampire films trading in 19th century Wallachia for contemporary West Coast United States, the movie still tries to play itself as a straight gothic romance only within a modern day setting. With movies such as The Lost Boys and Fright Night became commercial successes by incorporating both horror and camp (as per the style of the time) while more serious such as The Hunger tended to be ignored by the public, you have to admire Sims for his commitment to making a vampire movie without a single twinge of irony to it despite the pethora of comparatively lighter teen skewing fare that had dominated the decade's depiction (for better or worse). Brendan Hughes and Sydney Walsh have solid chemistry as Vlad and Kate respectively and you do find yourself invested in the outcome of this story. I will say the writing is maybe a touch sloppy with a few too many characters and tangents for an 84 minute runtime with Scott Jacoby feeling somewhat edged out of the movie along with Micah Grant who probably could've been merged into the same character, and parts involving Celia or Steve Bond's Tom feel like they could've used some more breathing room. But minor gripes aside, Sims and his crew set out to create a serious minded vampire love story and they delivered on that front. I'd also be remised in my duty if I didn't mention they impressive effects work of John Carl Buechler (which also earned the film an X rating before an appeal) and we get some solid if sparingly used vampire slaying sequences and transformation effects even if parts like the Vampire's telekinesis are a little eyebrow raising.

I'll be the first to admit I have a soft spot for vampire films and you could argue maybe I'm being a little too generous here, but I like what I like. For a scant $1 million To Die For delivers on what it promises.

This is a very underrated vampire movie. I think it was one of the best vampire films ever made. It has a great cast (Brendan Hughes is just so sexy), good acting, a traditional, but different story, it has everything. The only thing I did not like about this movie was that SOME, not all, of the death scenes are cheesy. This movie was very romantic and when you watch it, you feel hypnotized. I strongly recommend this movie to everyone!

I love vampire films, except for when the vamps in question are emotionally tormented lovesick romantics: I want my vampires to be thoroughly evil and vicious, ripping out throats and draining virgins of blood, not getting all sappy over a woman. To Die For is a tacky, '80s, straight-to-video effort that features a particularly drippy vampire in the form of Vlad Tepish (Brendan Hughes), who falls for L. A. real estate agent Kate Wooten (Sydney Walsh), whose job it is to find Vlad a suitably gothic property in which to hold lavish soirées (she finds him a really gaudy mock castle). Out to sabotage Vlad's romantic intentions is rival vampire Tom (Steve Bond), who holds a centuries-old grudge against Tepish; meanwhile, Kate's friend Celia (Amanda Wyss) develops an obsession for Vlad.

The bulk of this film consists of the aforementioned mawkish romance, and it is extremely tedious, with very little in the way of horror. MUFX man John Carl Buechler provides some rubbery vampire hands and impressive sets of fangs (when in full on vamp-mode, Vlad and Tom possess several rows of sharp gnashers), but he is only given the chance to really impress with his effects in the film's two vampire melt scenes: Celia becomes a gloopy mess after been partially decapitated and staked through the heart, and Vlad disintegrates in the final act, committing suicide by exposing himself to sunlight.

If Embrace of the Vampire (1995) and Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) are your idea of a good vampire films, then have at it, but To Die for is anything but in my opinion.

Having read another review, I thought this movie would actually be good. I do enjoy the "B" movies, but this couldn't even be classed as such. The photography is probably the only half-way decent thing in the movie. But the editing left much to be desired. It was very choppy and staccato. Whoever chose the music and sound did a terrible job. The music was awful, specially anything atmospheric or scene setting. If the acting had been better, they could have pulled the movie off. Unfortunately, I've seen better acting in porn flicks. If you want to see a "B" vampire movie, check out 'Blood Ties'. You'll be much more entertained.