Vampires: Los Muertos

Plot synopsis:
NOTE: Sequel to John Carpenter's Vampires (1998).Los Muertos picks up after the vampires went south into Mexico and Father Guiteau stashed the Bersier
cross in a monastery. Vampire hunter Derek Bliss [Jon Bon Jovi] has been commissioned to seek and destroy
some vampires in northern Mexico before they can move north to San Diego
and other places in the U.S. The only problem is that the unnamed client
wants to hire a team, not someone working solo. Getting together a team is
a bit difficult for Derek because everyone on Chief Brody's recommended
list keeps turning up dead. Father Guiteau, who was a member of the
original team lead by Jack Crow, died last month. All the priests at the
monastery where he moved the Bersier cross were killed by vampires only a
day or two after Derek came looking for Guiteau.Eventually, Derek manages to put together a team, unlikely as it is.
It consists of Zoey [Natasha Wagner] (a woman he met in a diner who was bitten by a vampire
but who has been able to keep the turning in remission by taking some
anti-HIV pills she got in Mexico City), Father Rodrigo[Cristian de la Fuente] (the only priest
who escaped the massacre at the monastery), Sancho [Diego Luna] (a 15-year old boy who
accompanied Derek on a vampire hunt and who found that he had a penchant
for it), and Ray Collins [Darius McCrary] (a tall, muscular, black, ex-military, "tough as
nails" guy recruited in Memphis by Brody). To help with the hunt, Rodrigo
offers Derek the use of Guiteau's vampire-hunting bus, which is outfitted
with all the winches and gizmos that are needed to hunt vampires (or
"suckers," as the team calls them).The attack on the monastery, Rodrigo explains, was led by the new
female master Una [Arly Jover] in order to get
back the Bersier cross. It looks like she intends to again perform the
ritual which the suckers believe will allow them to walk during the day.
After meeting up with Collins in Nogales, they cross over into Mexico.
Zoey, due to her blood connection with the vampires, has a vision of Una
performing the ceremony, but it doesn't seem to have worked. The sun still
hurts her. Given a map of Mexico, Zoey is able to pinpoint where she
thinks the bloodsuckers are hiding...someplace called Salina, near some
old Toltec ruins. They stop for the night to sleep, but Collins is getting
claustrophobic in the little bus and chooses to sleep outside. During the
night, he is, unknown to anyone, bitten by Una. The next day is spent
driving further into Mexico. They know that they are getting close when
they stop for gas and cold drinks and find that everyone in the diner has
been slaughtered.The next morning, they near Salina. Rather than going directly to the
ruins, they stop in Salina where the residents are celebrating the Day of
the Dead ("Los muertos" means "the dead"). When Zoey goes to take her
meds, she finds them missing and says that she must go immediately to
Mexico City. Actually, Una has them, and she's downed every last one. This
gives Una the ability, albeit it temporary, to move about during daylight,
and she uses that opportunity to find and kidnap Zoey. Rodrigo puts 2+2
together and concludes that Una took Zoey's meds. But the only ones who
had access to them were the rest of the team, so Derek holds them all at
gunpoint, trying to find the culprit. Turns out that it was Collins, who
is shot by an old man they just met that morning in Salina. With his dying
breath, Collins reveals that the client who hired them is none other than
Una.Although they now know that this entire vampire hunt is a set-up, the
remaining team members plus the old man, filling in for Collins, go to the
ruins to rescue Zoey. Zoey has fallen into a deep shaft and needs to be
lifted out. Derek tosses her a rope, telling the old man to stay far
enough behind him to watch his back while still keeping his eye on Rodrigo
and Sancho, who are closer to the exit. While they are so separated, Una
attacks Derek. Just as she's about to bite his neck, Fr Rodrigo offers Una
a deal. Let his friends go, and he'll offer himself, as a priest, to
perform the ceremony. In addition, he points out, he is also a hunter--two
of the necessary elements of the ritual. Una agrees.Rodrigo stays with Una while the others go to a clinic where Zoey is
transfused with blood while her infected blood is removed in hopes that
this will slow her turning. Then Derek gets a brainstorm. He asks the
nurse to transfuse Zoey's tainted blood into him so that he can slow his
heartbeat and infiltrate the vampires without being noticed.
As the sun sets, the team goes back to the ruins where the ritual is
taking place. Una has slit Rodrigo's leg and drunk a cup of his blood when
Rodrigo mentions that the ritual won't work because he was merely a hired
hand at the monastery, not a priest at all. Ha ha, fooled you! Derek,
whose plan to lurk is working, shoots several suckers, saves Rodrigo from
being burned alive, and fires an arrow through Una. Unfortunately, the
winch is on the fritz, and they can't pull her out into the sun.So, they
fix the winch and go back into the ruins. Sancho ropes Una, Una grabs
Derek, Zoey pulls both Una and Derek out into the sun, Derek shoots off
Una's head, and Una burns up. [I wonder whether they'll get paid now that
they've killed their client?]Epilogue: Rodrigo stays in Salina, Sancho is sent home to his mother, and Derek
and Zoey drive off together into the sunset, headed for Mexico City, as
they are both in need of those meds. [Original synopsis by bj_kuehl]

Tags: cult, violence

Review:
This movie follows the same pattern as the first John Carpenters' Vampires (1998), but features none of the same actors.
John Bon Jovi does a quite credible job as the vampire hunter, and Natasha Wagner performs well as the partially infected vampire, rounded out by a resonable supporting cast of hunter assistants, who actually manage to survive the second scene.
The problems with this movie mainly come from lack of motivation of several of the characters, particularly Zoey, and strange mistakes made by the villan Arly Jover (from Blade), who up until the final was quite intelligent and managed to fool the hunters at every point.
Vampire Hunter (Jon Bon Jovial), girl who has been bit but not turned....Priest-for-a-partner, snatch of the old "locked into the vampire's wavelength" nonsense and a few sporadically exploding vampires that wouldn't look out of place on Guy Fawkes night!But man...have a look at the hack editing, the childish and garish colors everywhere (MUST have been made ostensibly for the Mexican video market)the totally awesomely vapid acting....its a classic!
Frankly, it's just as well.Despite some moody establishing shots, one or two genuinely classy action moments and the odd tenuous attempt to link this film to its predecessor, the whole thing is hamstrung by a total lack of ambition, dismal script and some of the worst acting I've seen in years.
I liked the predecessor which starred James Woods and I am looking forward to purchasing Bon Jovi's newest album...can't say the same for this movie..
Bon Jovi convinced me, the entire cast was good (even Eddie from Family Matters), it had some unexpected gore moments, and Wallace doesn't butcher anything.
I'm surprised Bon Jovi didn't write a theme for the movie: "Wanted Undead or Alive.".
Not only not have B-movie actors (or at least those who act like it)we do have Natasha Gregson Wagner (a true beauty), and also have Jon Bon Jovi who has a great role.
I'm amazed at some of these reviews, a low budget vampire movie starring James Woods is a modest success in 1998.
Plot In A Paragraph: In Mexico, vampire slayer, Derek Bliss (Jon Bon Jovi), is hired by an unknown client provided he build a team of slayers.
Derek Bliss (Jon Bon Jovi) is a vampire slayer chasing a beautiful vampire woman, who wants to have the power of walking during the day.
The vampires in this movie shall be decapitated and are destroyed by the sunlight only, sleep in churches, are not affected by cross (but are affected by bullets), move fast like "The Flash"...
I'll admit that Bon Jovi isn't my first choice when I think of "actors" to play vampire hunters but somehow his presence in this film works.
As the title would suggest, this sequel travels south of the border to engage in some Day of the Dead shenanigans and vampire action slightly influenced by the likes of FROM DUSK TILL DAWN.I'll admit that I'm not a fan of Carpenter's original film, whose '90s-era excesses have dated very badly.
Bon Jovi, as ageless as ever, betrays his lack of training as an actor but isn't required to do much other than look cool and determined.The vampires are a clichéd menace and the chief villain is pitiful.
Ok, I like Bon Jovi, I like the first "John Carpenter's Vampires" and I like trash movies.
Bad lines, bad story, bad directing, bad editing, really really bad effects.After that, I hope Jon Bon Jovi goes back to his rock'n'roll career, 'cause at the movies I'll always remember him as this "surfer-vampire-killer".
I just don't see Jon Bon Jovi as a "bad-ass vampire hunter" and the vampire princess is neither sexy nor scary.
Really bad movie, the story is too simple and predictable and poor acting as a complement.This vampire's hunter story is the worst that i have seen so far, Derek Bliss (Jon Bon Jovi), travels to Mexico in search for some blood suckers!, he use some interesting weapons (but nothing compared to Blade), and is part of some Van Helsig vampire's hunters net?, OK, but he work alone.
He's assigned to the pursuit of a powerful vampire queen that is searching some black crucifix to perform a ritual which will enable her to be invulnerable to sunlight (is almost a sequel of Vampires (1998) directed by John Carpenter and starred by James Woods), Derek start his quest in the search of the queen with some new friends: Sancho (Diego Luna, really bad acting also) a teenager without experience, Father Rodrigo (Cristian De la Fuente) a catholic priest, Zoey (Natasha Wagner) a particular vampire and Ray Collins (Darius McCrary) another expert vampire hunter.
So obviously in this adventure he isn't alone.You can start feeling how this movie would be just looking at his lead actor (Jon Bon Jovi); is a huge difference in the acting quality compared to James Woods, and then, if you watch the film (i don't recommend this part), you will get involved in one of the more simplest stories, totally predictable, with terrible acting performances, really bad special effects and incoherent events!.I deeply recommend not to see this film!, rent another movie, see another channel, go out with your friends, etc.3/10.
First of all, Jon Bon Jovi doesn't seem to be in place in a vampire movie.
bon jovi has never been and will never be an actor and the FX are a joke.The first vampires was good ...
If you'd never seen the first one it wouldn't matter - this could have been a stand alone movie.Jon Bon Jovi is really nice to look at and he's actually not a bad actor - he's just a little dull.
It is a good idea to see this film only you are fan of Diego Luna or Jon Bon Jovi.
Jon Bon Jovi, Vampire Hunter.
The sequel follows another Vatican sanctioned vampire hunter, Jon Bon Jovi, as he goes after a dangerous group of vampires in Mexico.
Following reports of movement in the Mexican desert, a group of hunters teams up with a woman able to sense their presence to track down a vampire clan attempting to acquire a sacred relic and kill them before they are able to walk in the daylight.As it stands it's a really good film that has a lot to really like.
As well, the continuity here by incorporating the storyline about the lone member with a connection with the lead vampire which causes a great deal of fun by not only allowing for more action in this by featuring more chances at dismembering victims and blood-drinking but also managing to delve into storyline points to help spell out the plot to this one here by giving away clues and actual fates to what was only hinted at otherwise during the current scene.
This is what happens when you make a switch from James Woods to Jon Bon Jovi and make a story considerably less interesting.
Squeaky clean Jon Bon Jovi, try as he might, does not possess that quality and the movie suffers a bit for it.Basically this is standard vampire flick fare with some (very) tenuous connections to the first film.
I'm no Jon Bon Jovi fan but he was definitely brilliant in this movie.
If they were to make a sequel I reckon they should have to fresh people play the roles instead of Jon Bon Jovi because yeah, he was good, but with someone younger like John Cena on Tom Cruise this one could've been quiet good.
Plus, the bit with the priest was good, I don't really like Jon Bon Jovi but the bits with the priest were alright to me.
but as for Bon Jovi, stick to what your good at, he's harmless but ain't no vampire killer!
lol Either way you can miss this & not miss out on a thing, not bad but could've been better using a good actor in the lead role, not Bon Jovi, with that changed could've been good!.
The first VAMPIRES was fun, but this low budget retread makes me yawn.Jon Bon Jovi (the poor man's Kevin Bacon) drives around Mexico with a surfboard housing a hidden compartment holding his vampire killing gear ala Antonio Banderas's guitar case in DESPERADO.
If you've seen the first VAMPIRES, you've already seen this, and done much better.John Carpenter has been responsible for a lot of bad movies lately.
I thought the weapon Jon Bon Jovi used in the beginning was awkward, but original (a pistol that shoots stakes, it looks weird) but the rest of the movie isn;t really bad.
The plot is weird and doesn't go along with other vampire movies, but i managed, I say you just check this film out not expecting the best, its not the best, but its not the worst either..
My personal opinion is that this movie had no real story line to the first john carpenter's vampires but i don't care I LOVED IT.
Jon Bon Jovi (Derek) was great in this movie.
Being a fanatic of anything to do with vampires, I took my chance with this sequel to John Carpenter's original film.
It is a fun romp, but was highly unnecessary.Jon Bon Jovi stars as the vampire hunter in this sequel.
This time, the master is female.Lackluster story, but watching the sexy female master vampire, really made this film somewhat enjoyable.
When you see credited `John Carpenter' you want to think that as the great horror-maker agreed to `present' it that means the film worths something.
Derek Bills (awfully played by Jon Bon Jovi) is lonely vampire-hunter.
When there appears a another generation of extra violent vampires leaded by a woman this time Derek has to create a team to destroy the new evil.I don't like Carpenter's style, I just admit he's a cult director, but I like the first `Vampires', I think it's his best.
Of course, the second one was to be worse than the original, and it's it's neither Tommy Lee Wallace's fault nor Jon Bon Jovi's and the other actors.
Jon Bon Jovi is okay as the vampire hunter.
So, gore fans might be disappointed, but story fans will not.Unlike an action film like U-571 where the dialogue takes a back seat to the bombast, we get a chance to know "the good guys" and actually care what happens to them.
This film seemed to be a good bet for a cheesy night in with a few beers.I was wrong.I could say that the film was cheesy, had lots of cheap effects, a bit of juvenile titillation and was unoriginal and mindless - but hey, it's a vampire flick starring Bon Jovi.
Aside from that, I liked the movie and my mom has seen it because she's loved John Bon Jovi ever since I was born!.
To a certain extent, I actually liked this film better than the original VAMPIRES.
He is in fact executive producer and clearly had nothing to do with the making of this film (Jeepers Creepers Anyone?)A tragic storyline, terrible special effects and Jon Bon Jovi as the least convincing Vampire Hunter of all time.
funny thing is I don't actually think anyone knows this movie exists.So Bon Jovi is the team leader (I'm rolling my eyes right now...as you should be too).
She's after the black crucifix that will enable vampires to walk in the daylight somehow, but she seemingly works alone as we don't really get much other bloodsucker action from anyone else...or at all.What really chafes my nipples is the fact director Wallace has the nerve to reuse the tow cable method they used in the first movie for dragging vamps out of buildings into the daylight.
All the characters are terribly weak and uninteresting and Bon Jovi in no way comes across as a hardened vampire killer.
Bon Jovi, the Vampire Slayer!.
This one ends with some strong set-up plot and character points, which seem to have been left bloodless by third series film "Vampires: The Turning" (2005).
According to the DVD sleeve, "Tough-as-nails vampire hunter Derek Bliss (Jon Bon Jovi) is on the hunt for 'suckers' in the heart of Mexico when he receives a new assignment from a mysterious client.
Cristián de la Fuente (as Rodrigo) plays a handsome priest with a secret, Diego Luna (as Sancho) is a dubious teenager, and marksman Darius McCray (as Ray Collins) gets vampire head.Ouch.***** Vampires: Los Muertos (9/24/02) Tommy Lee Wallace ~ Jon Bon Jovi, Natasha Gregson Wagner, Cristian Fuente, Diego Luna.
This is one of those movies that could have been very good, but comes off feeling like 'could do better.'Firstly, the plot is a repeat of the first movie (master vampire wants to use an ancient relic to become a daywalker).
The character's name (Una) is never even spoken in the movie.The cast all do well enough, especially Natasha Wagner who was very good and the highlight of the film.
"Vampires: Los Muertos" tries the same starting with a rock-star Jon Bon Jovi playing one of the main characters, but does that almost too  well...: I haven't seen Jon Bon Jovi in any other movie, so I am not able to compare his acting in "Vampires: Los Muertos" to his other roles, but I was really suprised of his good performance.
After the movie started he convinced me not expecting him to grab any guitar and playing "It' my life" or something, but kill vampires, showing no mercy and doing a job which has to be done.
Make no mistake: "Vampires:Los Muertos" IS a fun-bloodbath but it's just not ALL THE TIME this kind of movie.
This movie does not obey quite the same rules as the first, and it is not quite so dark, but it is close enough and I felt that it built nicely on the original.Jon Bon Jovi was very good as Derek Bliss: his performance was likeable and yet hard enough for the viewer to believe that he might actually be able to survive in the world in which he lives.
first of all i never thought that the first vampire movie was excellent it was ok James woods did great thats about it.
Bon Jovi - Vampire Killer.
So Bon Jovi is LIVING ON A PRAYER, ready to give the vampires some BAD MEDICINE.
The vampires GIVE LOVE A BAD NAME as Bon Jovi prepares to bury them in a BED OF ROSES.
It's pretty much the same story, only with Bon Jovi instead of James Woods.
Derek learns that the Master Vampire Una (Arly Jover) is trying to find the anti-crucifix & perform a ceremony that will allow her to walk in daylight...Written & directed by Tommy Lee Wallace this was the first sequel to John Carpenter's rather good horror film Vampires (1998) who already has previous when it comes to horror film sequels having helmed the criminally underrated Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982) & the fun Fright Night Part 2 (1988), while not as good as the original Vampires or featuring any of the original character's or even referring to the original events this sequel isn't that bad as far as follow ups go although I doubt I'd want to ever watch it again.
The script feels a little routine, ideas & themes are taken from other better films such as the Mexican setting already seen in From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) & the anti-crucifix aspect is ripped directed from the original Vampires.
At 90 odd minutes long the pace is alright even if there isn't enough story to fill that time out, the character's are all dull & no-one comes across as particularly likable or interesting with the Master vampire Una only speaking a few lines of dialogue during the entire film.
The acting is alright, the obvious thing of note is the casting of rocker Jon Bon Jovi as the lead Vampire hunter who to be fair does OK, Natasha Wagner is poor while Arly Jover plays another Vampire after appearing in the original Blade (1998) as Mercury.Vampires: Los Muertos is passable horror sequel fare that is neither particularly great nor particularly bad, it's just sort of middle of the road entertainment that you can watch & use to pass the time but will have forgotten about by the time the end credits finish rolling.
"Derek Bliss" (Jon Bon Jovi) is a vampire hunter who has temporarily relocated to Mexico to continue his quest against vampires.
Who knows, with a little coaching, these actors could have acquitted themselves better (say what you like about musicians in movies, Jon Bon Jovi was excellent in Row Your Boat and more than acceptable in The Leading Man).As it stands, the cast have no chemistry whatsoever.
I like explore if the directors ideas worked as well as he hoped it would.The movie tells of Derek Bliss who earns a living as a vampire exterminator.
Finally he gathers a group of unfit who nevertheless help him defeat the main villain: a female vampire named Una.Wallace tell us he wanted a movie that was at the same time a sequel and one that could stand on its own.
I watched this movie just yesterday and the only reason I took the time to visit Imdb for this film was to check whether the main vampire character was played by the same woman who played Frost's girlfriend in Blade.
There's a vampire hunter much like Blade going around hunting living dead, although this time he's white and the character is played by ...
Jon Bon Jovi does a good job as Derek Bliss a hardened vampire hunter (though not as hard core as James Woods in the first).Some of the acting could've been better, and the story borrowed too much from the first, but the movie as a whole was above average.
I rented this film because it was labeled as a sequel to the original Vampires.
The main problem of the first "Vampires" movie is that none of the characters were sympathetic.