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.
