Sundown

If you are a cheesy vampire comedies or a fan of Bruce Campbell, then you most definitely have to watch "Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat", if you haven't seen it already.

Why? Well, simply because it is a hilarious vampire comedy with a rather good story actually. A town of vampires have settled in a small town far out in the desert, keeping themselves off the map and rarely getting people passing through town. The vampires are making synthetic bottled blood to satisfy their taste for human blood. But of course some vampires are not content with this, wanting to sink their fangs into the flesh of the living and drink real, warm blood. But who is the mysterious Count Mardulak who runs the town. And who is the clumsy stranger with glasses who stumble into town?

"Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat" have a rather good list of actors and actresses on the cast list. David Carradine plays Count Mardulak, Bruce Campbell plays Van Helsing, M. Emmet Walsh plays Mort, and John Ireland plays Jefferson. These are but a few of the great people in the movie.

There is a wonderful mix of comedy and traditional vampire flick in this movie to make it all interesting, and the cheesy combination actually works out well enough, making the movie all the more enjoyable. And of course, Bruce Campbell brings along with him his usual lovable way of portraying semi-clumsy hero-like characters.

"Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat" doesn't rely heavily on special effects and CGI, though whatever effects were used worked out well and came of as believable.

I hadn't heard about this little gem before I ran across it on Amazon while searching for Bruce Campbell, and I am glad I added it to my DVD collection because it is sort of a weird mix between "The Evil Dead" and classic Western movies, though thrown in with a good amount of vampire fun.

The Underrated and misunderstood bruce Campbell does it again and with an excellent cast including david carradine. Has a great story a great slapstick script and was executed well. Its campy and low budget but it's a must see for any comedy buffy. Heard this bombed while earth girls are easy boomed but sorry this us a much better movie. So sit back with a big bowl of extra buttered popcorn and enjoy a good laugh!! Oh and a little western horror thrown in.

Sundown is pretty good for what it is. What is it? A low budget western/horror/action/comedy flick with plenty of original ideas, a great cast and its tongue is firmly planted in its cheek. David Carradine is Mardulak, he owns a town in the American southwest called Purgatory. Purgatory is a sanctuary of sorts for vampires that wish to live out eternity in peace. Mardulak is also funding a blood substitute so vampires will no longer feed on humans for blood. Of course there are some that are not on the same page and do not see humans as their equals, just lunch. John Ireland is great opposite of Carradine as villain in this. Plus M. Emmet Walsh, Bruce Campbell, George "Buck" Flower and Emmet from Road House appear. Sundown The Vampire In Retreat is fine campy entertainment that does not take itself so seriously. But, by doing so it succeeds on its own merits. It puts a nice and unique spin on the vampire mythos and is a hilarious and fun film. This film may be a little cheesy, but performances are good and this project is ripe with fresh ideas. Sundown The Vampire In Retreat certainly delivers the goods for campy entertainment.

Anthony Hickox's second film and much in the same vein as his first in WAXWORK. A nice blending of horror and comedy. This time there is a third genre added in a western.

A group of vampires lead by Jozek Mardulak (David Carradine) are living in the desert in their own community of Purgatory. Here, they are working on creating a synthetic mixture that will act as human blood so they can stop taking human lives. The Harrison family lead by father David (Jim Metzler, who looks like he could be Eric Stolz's dad) and mother Sarah (Morgan Brittany) visit Purgatory so that David can assist in the creation of the mixture. Of course things are never easy in the movies and we are introduced to some good characters like a descendant of the Van Helsings (Bruce Campbell) and Ethan Jefferson (John Ireland) a fellow vampire who wants to start a revolt against this new way of life for the vampires.

A great and super capable cast that also includes Maxwell Caulfield, Deborah Foreman, M. Emmett Walsh and Dana Ashbrook to name a few. Also includes some new and interesting twists to the vampire legend with a great score from Richard Stone that really adds to the viewing of the film.

First off I am little biased about this movie. Anything Bruce Campbell touches is immediately awesome. Second off, Anthony Hickox is one of the most underrated director's of eighties and early nineties horror. Waxwork I and II and Warlock II are great as well as his made-for-television Full Eclipse. I don't understand what happened to him. What's up with all the Dolph Lundgren movies? You are already an established horror director, so why change genres? I'm getting sidetracked. Sundown is for the light-hearted horror fan who enjoys a bit of comedy with their severed heads. And it is funny. Bruce Campbell is great, Maxwell Caulfield is always good, and David Carridine gives a good performance as the vampire leader. Also look for a beardless Buck Flower. The makeup and effects are pretty good. I don't think I've seen better fang effects in a movie. The western elements go great with the vampire theme. It's a nice mix of genres.