Blood Ties - Legami di sangue

Yes, I know! That one-season wonder was officially adapted from the White Wolf RPG, "Vampire: The Masquerade." But, what if this movie was an experimental first stab at such an adaptation?

Patrick Bauchau (perhaps best known as Dr. Sidney from THE PRETENDER) played the same role in KTE's premiere episode, as he did here. Specifically, the patriarchal vamp. Also, Harry Martin's romance with a female District Attorney is just as much star-crossed angst as Frank Kohanek's romance with Julian Luna's ill-fated ex-girlfriend. And, of course, both this movie and KTE were produced by the Fox Network!

The only significant difference I can see between them is the geographic setting. KTE was set in San Francisco, while "Blood Ties" was set in Huntington Beach, CA. Who knows? Maybe KTE could have had a second season, despite the tragic death of the actor who played Julian Luna, if Fox had remembered this movie and updated some of the characters from it. They could have done stories like Harry Martin hiding out, in Frisco, from a bloodhunt ordered by Prince Cyrus of the L.A. Brujah Clan. Or, SCAV trying to set up shop in the City By The Bay.

But, hindsight is 20/20, isn't it? Oh, well! Maybe SCIFI Channel will show a re-run of it, some weekend. They certainly love re-running "Dusk 'Til Dawn 2" to death!!!

Blood Ties is, as a story, an interesting look at the possible historical origin of vampire mythos and how that might have manifested itself into modern times. The "carpathians" in the film are not technically classic vampires (i.e. they walk around in daylight, etc.), but it is a fresh take on vampires for any vampire film fan. The production is par for vampire films, and the performances are of good quality.

This was nice vampire TV film. It aired on FOX, May 27th, 1991. I guess you could call it a precursor to a later FOX series, "Kindred: The Embrace." They both have similar themes. Good stuff.

As someone who is not a major fan of vampire films, this movie was somewhat interesting to watch, due to the interesting theme (and the fact that the vampires were the "good guys". But the acting wasn't good; several scenes were so bad they seemed funny!

I was pleasantly surprised when I saw this as it was both funny and put a modern twist on the vampire theme. It's got enough to keep it going although perhaps not for those who like the traditional depictions but fun. Best suited for a late night movie-fest.