vampire lore and legend has always been a popular fantasy element , substantiated by not only the sheer number of movies about the subject , but also the proliferation of cults and sects of adherents .
and , unlike any of the more outlandish myths , the vampire holds some real - world probability ( one study claims 1 , 000 bloodsuckers exist worldwide , and places 50 in los angeles ) .
but lest the nasties be mistaken for simple comic book bad guys , john carpenter would like to remind us that they are - and always have been - a truly frightening element of the thriller genre . and remind us he does in his latest film , vampires .
there was some question , as halloween weekend approached , of how well vampires would do in comparison to new line cinema 's immensely successful blade , released in august .
the two films take noticeably different stands on the vampire issue , and do n't even agree on some basic points of the slaying method .
( for instance , blade 's main weapons are silver and garlic , whereas main character jack crow 's technique is a wooden stake to the heart . )
blade also gives more of a face to the vampire civilization , while carpenter would like us to remain in the dark about how the pasties operate .
both have their advantages , and here , carpenter 's style lends itself to a darker breed of suspense rather than the action movie that blade director stephen norrington delievered .
when it 's all said and done , though , the vampires still kill and die with a bloody flourish ; the level for gore is indeed set to maximum .
this time , our hero is vatican - sponsored slayer jack crow ( james woods ) .
he 's a cynical , battle - worn veteran , and the best of his bunch .
he and his team are responsible for cleaning out the american southwest , and after exterminating a nest one night , they run up against a super - vampire ( termed a " master " ) named valek ( thomas ian griffith ) .
valek kills all of jack 's team except for his partner , tony montoya ( daniel baldwin ) , and as the two regroup , they learn that valek is the original vampire - now over six hundred years old .
apparently , valek and his minions have been sweeping the southwest for decades in search of a cross that will enable them to walk in the daytime .
so with the aid of a priest named adam ( tim guinee ) and a bitten hooker ( sheryl lee ) as bait , they track valek down for the final confrontation .
the script for vampires , written by don jakoby and based on the john steakley novel , is perhaps the wittiest piece of screenplay to see production all year .
crow , in particular , is a fun source of one - liners , and woods does every one of them with perfect stoicism .
baldwin , lee , and guinee are all fine supports , adding to the character pool , but the other true highlight of the movie is thomas ian griffith 's bad guy .
griffith 's intense expression is perfect for the role , and the only downside is that he 's got to talk sometime .
luckily , he 's got few lines , and manages to pull off a rather thrilling performance .
all said , fans will surely be impressed by this picture , and those who found apt pupil a bit limp will be excited by this one . certainly a worthwhile visit to the theaters .
a worthwhile visit to the theaters perfect the wittiest piece of screenplay immensely successful a rather thrilling performance will surely be impressed both have their advantages are all fine supports the best of his bunch