Vampire
Tags: paranormal, gothic, murder

Plot synopsis:
A neglected site in San Francisco is about to get new life as the
Bryant Park Development Project unfolds. In attendance at the dedication
ceremony are the designing architects, John [Jason Miller] and Leslie [Kathryn Harrold] Rawlins, who bow
their heads proudly but reverently as Father Hanley [Scott Paulin] blesses the
newly-unveiled cross which is to form the foundation of the new Saint
Sebastian's Church and the cornerstone of the schools and apartments yet
to be built. Also in attendance is retired detective Harry Kilcoyne [E.G. Marshall] who
notices, after the blessing is over, the bulldozers are revving up, and
the attendees are filing away, that the ground is smoking where the shadow
of the cross falls on it. How odd. Later that night, unseen by no one, a
naked body crawls out of the smoking hole.A month passes. At a party thrown by the Rawlins, Leslie is
introduced by her lawyer friend Nicole DeCamp [Jessica Walter] to a new beau, Anton Voytek [Richard Lynch],
tall, blonde, handsome, stately, and rich. Voytek is an expert in art and
is able to tell Leslie about the model in one of the paintings she
acquired in Paris. As Nicole and Anton are leaving, Anton tells John that
he has an interesting proposition to present to him and offers to treat
the Rawlins to a night at the ballet so that they can talk about it.
Unfortunately, Anton is unable to keep the date, but he asks Nicole to
present the project to John and Leslie. It appears that Anton's family
were wealthy Europeans who had millions of dollars of valuable artwork by
artists such as Donatello, Botticelli, and da Vinci, which they smuggled
into the U.S. during the war and buried in caverns under the Heidecker
estate, the very place where Byrant Park is being erected. Voytek wants
the Rawlins to halt the development project temporarily and dig up the
family treasure.The next day, as John tries to make heads or tails out of some
blueprints of the underground caverns, Leslie visits the art museum and
learns that all the artworks on Anton's list are bona fide...and they've
been reported stolen from museums and collections around the world. Work
on Bryant Park stops, the artwork is recovered along with a human skull
and a rosary, and Voytek is arrested. As the police lead him away, Voytek
turns to John and says, "I trusted you, Rawlins, and that trust cost me
everything I treasure. I assure you that you will be repaid...in kind."Voytek spends the night in jail, but Nicole bails him out just before
dawn. Without a word of thanks, he takes off running down the street and
makes it to his light-tight apartment just as he starts to smoke in the
morning sun. That night, he pays a visit to the Rawlins's house, catching
Leslie as she prepares to leave. She invites him in for just a moment, and
so starts the seduction. By the time John returns home, Voytek has killed
Leslie and mutilated her body. Unfortunately, the police cannot tie Voytek
to the scene, and Nicole swears that Anton was with her all evening.
In his anger and anguish, John breaks into Voytek's apartment just as
he is waking in his coffin. John realizes that Voytek is a vampire and
tears out of there. However, a neighbor calls the police, and John is
taken to jail. His friend and colleague Christopher Bell [Michael Tucker] bails him out. On
his way out, John is spotted by Harry Kilcoyne. Harry follows John and is
intrigued when John goes to the library and takes out a lot of books about
vampires, so intrigued, in fact, that when he learns John has been taken
to a mental hospital armed with crosses and stakes, Harry goes to see him.
Unfortunately, Voytek has gotten there first. Just as Voytek bends over
John, who is helplessly strapped to his bed, Harry enters the room. Voytek
leaps out the window.Turns out that Harry has had doings with Voytek in the past and also
suspects that Voytek is a vampire. Later, as John and Harry share a drink
in Harry's living room, Harry tells John the story. Back in 1939, Harry
and his cop buddy Maurice Bernier were assigned to investigate a series of
murders in the Bryant Park area. In each case, the victim's throat was
torn out, but there was never any blood found. At first, they thought they
were looking for a homicidal maniac. However, Bernier eventually came to
believe it was the work of a vampire. Bernier took an early retirement,
became a priest, and founded the first St Sebastian Church a stone's throw
away from the Heidecker estate. Harry went off to war. When he got back,
Bernier had vanished. It is Harry's assumption that Bernier, along with
his rosary, trapped Voytek in the caverns under the Heidecker estate.
Rather than face his own destruction, Voytek brought down the whole estate
on top of them both, killing Bernier and trapping Voytek there for the
past 40 years, releasing him now because of the new construction.Just as John and Harry come to realize that they're going to have to
band together to hunt Voytek, there comes a knock on their door. It's
little Tommy Parker [Adam Starr] from across the hall and his mother Andrea [Barrie Youngfellow]. Andrea is
late for work and is wondering whether Harry can babysit Tommy. After
Harry gets Tommy in bed, John tells Harry what he's learned about Voytek
from the books he's been reading. There are stories about a golden-haired
vampire from as far back as the 13th century in what is now Hungary. John
thinks they refer to Voytek, making him over 700 years old!Harry suggests that their first act should be to contact casket
companies in the morning, looking for a large purchase by one individual,
on the hunch that Voytek would have several places of sanctuary. The next
step will be to track down the locations of these caskets and, even if
they don't find Voytek in them, to make them uninhabitable for him. When
Andrea returns to take Tommy home, Harry presents her with the gift of a
crucifix that once belonged to his dead wife and asks her to send Tommy a
week early to visit his father in Arizona.The next day, Harry picks up a few vials of holy water and has a
friend fashion some stakes for him. Tommy takes off for Arizona, after
Andrea places Harry's crucifix on Tommy's neck. John discovers that five
caskets for theatrical use were ordered by Maurice Bernier and delivered
to 635A Howard Street. At the Howard Street address, which turns out to be
a theater, Harry and John find a casket. When they open it, they are
horrified to find it contains Leslie's body. At first, John cannot drive
the stake. After a little prompting from Harry, he does the deed.Meanwhile, Harry has asked a friend of his to keep his eye on Andrea
at the disco where she works. It's closing time, and Harry is a bit late
picking her up, so she accepts a ride in the limo of a friend of one of
her coworkers. After the driver drops off the coworker, Voytek gets in.
When Harry finally gets to the disco, he finds that his friend has been
murdered and Andrea is gone. He hurries back to his apartment to see if
Andrea has gotten home safely. Instead, he gets a phone call from Voytek
who informs Harry that he has captured Andrea.Now it becomes even more imperative to step up their search for
Voytek. First stop is Nichole's house. Nicole looks pretty bedraggled, but
she reluctantly gives John a list of properties that Voytek has recently
purchased through her. John warns Nicole to get away from Voytek, and then
he and Harry set out to visit each one of the properties, looking for
Voytek's coffins and making them uninhabitable. The first stop is Voytek's
Nob Hill apartment, but he has totally vacated the premises. Next top is
an old mill, followed by the old Heidecker brewery, where they find
nothing but empty coffins. It's getting late in the day when they finally
reach the last property way up the coast in Mendocito...five acres of an
old cemetery where they must search for the Heidecker family vault.The sun has gone down. Voytek rises from his coffin and wakes up
Andrea just as Harry and John enter the vault. Andrea screams at them to
go away, but they are determined to end it here and now, even though
Voytek promises to go away and never return. As Voytek threatens them with
his plans to destroy everyone they love, including Tommy, Harry slowly
unscrews the lid on one of his vials of holy water. As Voytek drones on,
Harry tosses the water at him. Then, they attack Voytek with crosses, but
Voytek overpowers them and gets away. Andrea returns to her senses."We're safe for tonight," Harry says."It's not over," John says.Original Synopsis by bj_kuehl.

Review: A Movie That Left Me Wanting More Of Richard Lynch.
Good, gothic-feeling movie.
Richard Lynch, with his searing eyes, gaunt, handsome face, flowing blonde hair and sexy voice was a natural to play the vampire, Anton Voytek.
Seeing him come up out of the earth, roaring in pain and anguish of being sealed up in his tomb of earth for nearly 40 years was a very creepy site.
I highly recommend this movie for vampire movie fans and for Richard Lynch fans it is a MUST SEE I believe this was really the first time I noticed Richard Lynch.
I am not sure if I saw him in anything else, previously, but this movie left me wanting to see him in everything he has/had ever done..
How Vampire movies should be done..
It stars Richard Lynch who gives an outstanding performance as the vampire,it also stars the guy who played "Father Karras" in "The Exorcist" who also does a great job.
This movie clicks on all levels,story as well as acting.
If it were available on dvd or tape,I'd buy it in a heartbeat.
Unfortunately I believe the only way to ever see it is on late,late night tv but if you can catch it,I highly recommend you watch it.
You'll be glad you did,it's how vampire movies should be done..
Suspense and seduction without all the camp.
If you're looking for graphic gore, this is not the movie for you.
Loaded with wonderful imagery and insinuation that leaves the horror to your imagination.
You won't see Leslie's or the private detective's mutilated body, but we all know what happened to them.
Richard Lynch's portrayal as a vampire is superb, with a deliciously evil and seductive air.
There are no special effects, yet the story is quite riveting..
Vastly Underrated.
Next to the original "The Nightstalker" this may well be the best made-for-TV vampire flick there is.
A superb cast led to a superior offering.
Special effects were correctly kept to a minimum, allowing the story and performances to carry this hidden gem.
Jason Miller gave a wonderful, sympathetic performance.
I read where his portrayal of the vampire Voytek is Richard Lynch's favorite role, and well it should be - he is marvelous!
I only wish that he would have been able to reprise his role in the series that never was.It is a rare film that leaves a favorable impression after 27 years.
Rarer still one that was produced for the small screen.
Vampire, for me, is such a film.
To the Powers That Be: please release this on DVD soon.
It is long overdue.
A few extras would be nice too..
Great movie.
Great movie.
This was a "real" vampire movie.
I liked it when I first saw it in '79 and I like it more now.
Lynch captures a vampire that is cultured, charismatic, vulnerable, and still human.
He collects rare art!
As the film progresses we learn this vampire is also evil, materialistic, vengeful, exploitative, selfish, and classically Evil with a capital "E".
This movie thoughtfully updated elements of Stoker's conceptualization of the vampire without losing those classical elements that makes it an interesting tale.
Acting is excellent and casting great.
I had hoped this would be made into a series...
A few producers of modern vampire movies could learn something by watching this.
My video copy is coming apart - so when is this thing coming on on DVD already?.
Vampire, one of my favorites.
It's been close to 30 years since I watched this movie with Richard Lynch as the blonde vampire, and who played the part to perfection.
For the younger people expecting blood, gore and action, this isn't the one to watch.
Vampire is more of a 'reader's' film, where the imagination fills in today's 'action' in movies.
An earlier film I saw him in is called The Premonition, where he portrayed a rather creepy carny; also a fascinating film.
I've been looking for this movie, Vampire, for all these years and would love to see it released on DVD.
I'd wondered for years whatever became of Lynch and am glad to see he remained active for some time.
I was surprised to read in his mini-biography that he'd been burnt in a drug related fire.
I always had the idea he'd been a burn victim at one time.
Although I believe him to be an excellent actor, ultimately it was his voice and unconventional good looks that drew me in..
Un-Dead even after near quarter of a century.
Well its almost 2014 and vampires abound the movie and television landscape.
Inexplicably the vampire has become gentrified.
Ranging from reflective observers of the human condition to teenage heart-throbs, the monster has been exiled as unidimensional and un-interesting.
For example, a new TV series called Dracula was launched in October 2013.
Utterly insipid and derivative of Coppola's Bram Stoker's Dracula which dared to portray the Count as a love-sick sinner seeking redemption--the series is a mash up of fantasy and adventure that re-imagines Stoker's central antagonists, Van Helsing and Dracula, teaming up against a common enemy--what poppycock!
Although a few exceptions can be mentioned (Blade; Fright Night) the vampire as a monstrous terror inducing evil has become a rarity.
And so we come to our little movie from the late 70's: Vampire is a terrific example of a vampire story.
It does not make the titular character anything but an amoral, powerful and evil monster.
And this is how I believe vampires should be portrayed and this is how I first imagined a vampire upon reading Stoker's novel (aside: it is one of the most scary novels I have ever read).
The good guys are valiant and, even if over-matched for cunning and ruthlessness, make a great team that uses logic and good old detective work to track and ensnare their prey.
The direction by Mr. Swackhamer puts on all the right moves to evoke dread and horror.
He expertly uses brownish colour palettes to portray helplessness and doom and gloom.
Steven Bochco's script is tight and involving with a plot that gallops relentlessly to a suspense-filled ending.
The brooding presence of Jason Miller and the stalwartness of the Marshall character and a great turn by Richard Lynch who is in turn suave, menacing and evil all mesh perfectly.
Yes, the movie is THAT good!!
I read somewhere that Vampire was a failed pilot for a series that never came to be.
Thank goodness for that.
I doubt if a series could have sustained the tone of the original pilot, week in and week out.
I mean consider what happened with Kolchak: The Night Stalker series.
While interesting, the hourly episodes of that series could never equal the original movie set in Las Vegas.All in all the movie is a triumphant example of smart minds at work taking great care to craft an internally consistent and logical story that is both scary and thrilling.
This movie ranks very highly among the films in this sub-genre of horror.I jealously guard my VHS off-air recording of this movie, hoping like the other reviewers for a DVD release.
While I wait, I am looking forward to Guillermo Del Toro's TV series adaptation of his novel co-written with Chuck Hogan called The Strain.
There are no genteel vampires in Toro's story: only nasty evil beings.
And that my friends is what Vampires are!!.
name of vampire movie I saw when little.
I enjoyed this movie very much when I was a little girl, it was so erotic I din'd want the vampire to be killed at all...
But the real reason I'm writing is because I would really appreciate some help to find the name of another vampire film I can't stop thinking about: all I remember about it is that is was in B&W (or maybe it was just my TV, I can't remember) I recall only two scenes: one, there was like a parade and there was this woman who looked very much like a nun, and the vampire grabbed her and sucked her blood inside of a car, and everyone who saw them laughed 'cause they thought they were making out.
The other scene I remember is that this vampire (who wasn't attractive at all and looked very much like a mid 40's accountant with a trench coat) made a much needed cash by selling the paintings of the women he murdered.
In fact in the scene I remember there was this old lady who was a fan of his art, and the painting she was purchasing was of a nude girl lying in a rock with a knife stabbed in her chest.
Does anyone know this picture's name?
Is it possible I only dreamed it?
Thanks in advance Wendy.
Scary,delightful actor (s).
When I first saw this movie(Vampire) on TV some years ago, and have looked for it ever since, I was enthralled with Richard Lynch, his portrayal is 'right on' in this role..............now some of you may not agree with me, but I also put Rutger Hauer in a similar category, delightful to watch, downright scary in some of his roles,(Nighthawks) but the ultimate romantic, if given half a chance...........of course, my all-time favorite love story movie is Ladyhawke, so I admit to being a tad prejudiced.......I have seen Richard Lynch in a number of TV movies, series, etc, but have lost track of him over the recent years......there are also websites for Rutger Hauer where his fans can go to keep up with his movie roles, etc........He also is the founder of an organization that helps AIDS victims, mostly children, i believe.....called STARFISH.
Its always nice to know that some of the actors today at least have some compassion for others less fortunate than themselves..
A Basic Beginner Vampire Movie.
I do admit this movie is just a little boring, however it does have a slight taste of vampirism within it.
Watch it!
U might like it!
Everyone has different tastes.
I love vampire movies of all types so I like this movie & I wouldn't mind seeing this 1 on DVD someday.
It just might be rather interesting if they added behind the scenes footage, the original trailer, cast & crew stuff etc.
U can't write a movie off as bad material just because 1 person doesn't like it or think that it's boring.
Well that's his or her opinion.
U watch this movie & U decide if it's boring or not!!!
That's my advice.
Advice from a superior movie watcher!!!.
No Fangs?.
Slow place but great acting which makes this Vampire tale interesting and enjoyable to watch.
Vampire 1979 had all of the classic vampire traits one would expect, except the fangs, considering of course one likes classic vampire mythology and not modern versions which in my opinion fail to do justice to vampires themselves.
Come on, if someone told you they saw a vampire, would you believe them?.
bad vampire movie.
I can't believe that there are 10 people giving this c**p a 10.
This is a very boring movie.
This movie has the title vampire, so what would you expect: sharp teet, spooky eyes, good effects, gore and lots of blood.
This movie has absolutely nothing of these things.
If you wanne see this movie and your expecting something like "from dusk till dawn" or "near dark" or "the lost boys" -all fabulous vampire movies- then you'll be wrong and you will be watching a boring drama..
Above The Usual Schlock.
Actually, this is an excellent, character driven horror movie made by the creators of Hill Street Blues, which aired 2 years later.
Suffice it to say, you have Jason Miller ("The Exorcist")creating another of his too little seen angst ridden characters and E.G. Marshall as an old cop playing Van Helsing, teaming up in search of a vampire uprooted when a construction crew unwittingly release him.
It has brains, style and a surprisingly literate script for a change.
Again, you get character over MTV videos like those found in the almost unwatchable and campy Lost Boys.Thank God for 1970's movie-making!
True, you have a ham of the grind house, Richard Lynch (good in "Scarecrows"), but he is better here as the vampire than you'd expect.
At least it was not Henry Silva!
For more of this quality, see "The Night Stalker" (a true classic, Dan Curtis' "Dracula" with a fine Jack Palance, and Bob Clark's "Death Dream".
Oh yes--- throw in Soprano's creator David Chase's strange drive in flick "Grave of the Vampire" for good measure (not nearly as good though).Sadly, the only as yet released version of this film is a 12 year old VHS tape put out at SLP speed to boot!
The above films are all on DVD---let's get this one out there already, huh?
Shame on whoever has the rights and has been sitting on it.