Vampire horror - Blood Hunger - Their first bite will be your last

With the flooding of the vampire market I've unjustly neglected my own enigmatic, gothic and blood soaked vampire book Blood Hunger.

So what's it about?

Blood Hunger film style poster

An explorer makes a discovery in Romania, dubbed the 'Ice Prince' find it is significant enough to put him and his girlfriend Lucia Ferrara in the media spotlight. Iliana and her sister's journey to the United Kingdom, news that the 'Ice Prince' had been discovered ceases their many years of blood abstinence and they unleash a bloodthirsty terror on humankind leaving a trail of death from London to the Welsh countryside.

From the fall of the vampire and the Dracul brothers in medieval Europe to their return in the present day. Prepare yourself, their first bite will be your last! 

Blood Hunger is  definitive and fresh reinvention of the vampire legend. Inspired by the spirit of Bram Stoker's novel 'Dracula', Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's novella 'Carmilla', 'Hammer Horror's' film series and cult horror 'The Hunger'.

Out now on paper back and ebook. Watch the trailer here: 

Classic Hammer Horror - The Mummy's Shroud

An archaeological expedition  uncovers the tomb of an ancient Egyptian prince. However, the members find themselves being killed off by a mummy who is revived when the words of the prince's burial shroud are said aloud.

An epic back story of a dying young Pharaoh played out on StarTrek- like sets, miniatures with blackened white men is lifted by Don Banks wonderful orchestral score. The Mummy's Shroud moves to 1920 where the set design is as classic as the actors and dialogue itself.

What's notable about this Hammer production is that it borrows much from earlier Mummy films but has a look and feel of its own which has clearly influenced more recent incarnations especially the narration and dessert deaths. Nevertheless, the Shroud really drags it feet, and feels as worn and tired as the shroud itself. The Mummy's appearance is around the 50 minute mark which wouldn't be an issue if there had been some suspense or tension in the build up. Not even the great props and 1920's style sets (which are amazing considering the productions budget) weren't the only thing on screen to keep you entertained.

There's bribery, a little racial tension and notable is Maggie Kimberly as Claire de Sangre. During the last 30 minutes the kills both on and off screen are effective enough by stuntman Eddie Powell (Christopher Lee's regular double) and Michael Ripper as Longbarrow is a joy and really gets to shine. 

Absent is blood and there is little if any cleavage on display synonymous with Hammers later outings, but what you have in the closing act are some well executed mummy effects. 

Overall as the warning tagline read: 'Beware The Beat Of The Cloth-Wrapped Feet!' Make of that what you will.

B horror - Gingerdead Man 3: Saturday Night Cleaver

After escaping from jail, The Gingerdead Man finds himself in a time machine destined for killing and a roller disco.

Opening with a highly amusing Silence of the Lambs paradox including a muffin throwing his cream over Clarissa Darling stating he can smell her Muff-in, you know what in for - or do you? The previous Gingerdead instalments were B-average at best and this is no exception.

Once Ginger goes back to the 70's it's a series of some Porky's gags mixed with scene on scenes of roller skating linked by some t & a and few and far between kill scenes including gun play, acid attack and a nail gun assault. By the end it all crumbles apart with annoying kids and time travelling history figures cameos.

While no one expects Oscar material from Full Moon you always hope for some-kind of return to former glory. You could spend 80 minutes watching Puppet Master or Blood Dolls but if your a fan of Gingerdead and 1976 this one will roller Boogie you to death.

Web attacking Zombies - Deliver Me To Hell CODE Z

Sometimes I come across some great tantalising but wacky things in this case two zombie web series'.

From the late Michael Jackson's nephew Taj Jackson. Comes Code Z. With stunners Thayana, Thaina, Thaisa...

The girls didn't know their happiness would be short-lived coming to America; as a Zombie outbreak reaches their school. After surviving this initial Zombie attack, they know their lives will never be the same. -And neither will mine...

Code Z : The Zombie Series - Concept Teaser - New Version from Code Z : The Zombie Series on Vimeo.

Deliver Me To Hell, created by littlesisterfilms and Last of the Living (2009) director LOGAN McMILLAN to promote the New Zealand-based Hell Pizza franchise... Yum

Classic Hammer Horror - LUST FOR A VAMPIRE

She's a vampire I Yutte

Decades before Twilight's vampires walked in the daylight there was Hammer Horror's vampires. It's 1830, at a finishing school in Styria, Mircalla arrives as a new student. As the young female students in the school begin to die the villagers suspect the Karnsteins located in their ominous castle are to blame.  A visiting author, Richard Lestrange, instantly falls in Mircalla but she is a vampire - Carmilla Karnstein - who has been resurrected by her vampiric family. 

Lust for a Vampire is a well produced Hammer film that arguably is only led astray by its reused footage of Christopher Lee's blood shot eyes and "Strange Love," a 1970's song which plays over LeStrange and Mircalla's saucy love scene.

The Jim Carrey look

Amongst the abundance of cleavage and boobs on display there is quiet a tight story, there's the usual vampire cliches hardly surprising given the source material of Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's classic Camilla. Fog, horse-drawn carriages, mysterious cloaked figures and a castle on a hill. Theres some modest effects and interesting scenes, a throat is slit, a resurrected skeleton and a blood covered naked body.

I'm not Christopher Lee
I'm actually a lot cheaper

The school location gives it a fresh look and complements the authenticity of the costumes. Dancing autumn leaves around forests and a powerful score  synonymous with hammer are present. There's the local Inn and obligatory village mob on a witch hunt.

Dimpled chin lead Yutte Stensgaard (replaces Ingrid Pitt who refused to return as she disliked the script) is on fine form. Nobly for me  is an apperance by Barbara Jeffordd seen more recently Polanski's Ninth Gate. But the star of the show is the underused co-star (Honor Blackman and Elizabeth Montgomery alike) beautiful Suzanna Leigh as dance teacher Miss Playfair. 

Suzanna Leigh 1945 was a good year 
born in Belgrave, Leicester UK,

There is an array of sub characters from an inspector to a concerned father and headmistress to name a few. Dear John's (UK TV hit) Ralph Bates plays the quirky but ill-fated character Giles Barton. Cheeky chappy Lestrange is played by Michael Johnson. Interestingly Johnson replaced Peter Cushing (as his wife was ill) but Peter clearly would have been unfittingly for the dashing love interest, as in the finished film. Lestrange's character has quite an arch unusual for the standard vampire affair.

The adult themes give this an edge  over some Hammer outings even if it is light heartedly hammy in spots.The climax is effective with some nice effects although somewhat a little rushed. Overall, classic Hammer that is sexual charged and ghoulishly gory.