Children of the Night

In the quiet town of Allburg, USA, Lucy Barret (Ami Dolenz) and her grandmother Hillary Barret (Shirley Spiegler Jacobs) welcome Lucy's friend Cindy Thompson (Maya McLaughlin), who lives with her mother Karen Thompson (Karen Black) in River Junction and will spend a couple of days with Lucy. Cindy invites Lucy to go to swim in the crypt of the church on the Cherry Street, in River Junction, in a weird ritual. When the teenagers are swimming, an evil creature is revived and attacks Cindy.

Later, in River Junction, Father Frank Alden (Evan MacKenzie) summons his friend and school teacher Mark Gardner (Peter DeLuise) and shows Cindy and Karen locked in a room turned into vampires. Father Alden asks Mark to travel to Allburg to find the source of vampirism.

Mark arrives late night at Hillary's house and he finds that Lucy is trapped in her room since her grandmother has also turned into a vampire. Soon Mark and Lucy learn that the locals of Allburg has turned into vampires by the ancient vampire Czakyr, who is thirsty of the virgin blood of Lucy, and the only chance to save the dwellers is destroying the powerful vampire.

"Children of the Night" is a funny vampire movie, with a weird story that combines horror and comedy and released in Brazil only on VHS. The result is uneven but entertains in many moments with funny situations. Who in the hell would bath in a crypt with corpses like the two teenagers do in the beginning of the story? And the grandma removing her denture and showing rotten vampire canines? I could list many bizarre and hilarious situations but better off watching this flick. I saw for the first time on 15 November 2000 and today I decided to watch it again. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Crianças da Noite" ("Children of the Night")

Note: On 17 December 2021, I saw this film again.

I like bad movies that are entertaining because of their cheesy effects and bad acting. And I have to say, this one is right up there with the best in the vampire genre. Amy Dolenz looks so much like Sarah Michelle Gellar I kept expecting her to go Buffy on the vampire's asses. And Peter Deluise, oh god, at least your career as a producer and director is flying high now. I wonder if they ever showed this movie at some kind of roast for him on the Stargate set. Great stuff. Keep an eye out for both the grandmother and the kid. School play acting at its finest. Oh, and don't miss the cops rant on rednecks. Excellent stuff.

And why was the priest breeding leeches? I guessed I missed that part.

A man helps a teenage girl who claims she just escaped from the clutches of her grandmother who was holding her hostage at her own house. Believing the young girl, he tries to help her out, but soon realizes that just about all of the town's citizens are vampires and that the love of his life (Karen Black) is a vampire as well.

Salem's Lot clone still manages to be original and entertaining. The cast turns in performances that surpass expectations, and the effects are rather creative. Atmospheric, funny, and exciting film is highly underrated and definaitely worth a look.

Rated R; Graphic Violence, Sexual Situations, and Profanity.

The horror/comedy is such a hard thing to pull off. Few films get that delicate balance just right. These films include Re-animator, Bubba Ho-tep, and Return of the Living Dead. They do not include Children of the Night. I had high hopes for Children of the Night. It was a Fango production that had a few familiar faces and was directed by Tony Randel (Hellraiser II). However, looking back on Randel's filmography I believe he may not be the reason I love Hellraiser II. He's done some clunkers and this is one of them. The story is nothing new: a small town becomes besieged by the undead and it's up to an unlikely band of heroes to stop them. Normally, I like films with that plot but I think that's because I usually care about the heroes. Our heroes here include a virginal teenager (Ami Dolenz), a school teacher (Peter DeLuise), and a wino (Garrett Morris). I'm not really particularly impressed by those characters or the actors who portray them. Karen Black also shows up for no reason. I've never seen a role in which Karen Black wasn't hammy and over the top. That's all fine and dandy, but sometimes that's not what I want to see. Well, with the negatives pointed out, there were some excellent gross-out effects courtesy of KNB effects and, like most vampire flicks, they put their own little spin on vamp lore: underwater graves. I did think that was a nice touch, however, I think I will be sticking with Salem's Lot in the future.

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.