StunnaKrypto
Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.
Billy Ollie
Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable
trishaade
"Pale Blood" tries to be a stylish and inventive vampire flick and does only a fair job. Someone is murdering women in L.A. and it is suspected that the killer might be a vampire. Instead, the killer is a madman, pretty much played to perfection by Wings Hauser. When the real thing shows up to try to figure out what is actually going on with the help of a detective who has certain "gifts", the two are able to put a stop to the murders.I can definitively say that I had a bit of a time making it through the whole film without leaving to find something else to do - it wasn't able to hold my interest for very long. I did finally finish it but not in one sitting.As mentioned, I thought Wings Hauser did a great job, however, George Chakiris wore more eyeliner than a glam band and I found his performance to be tiresome after a while. He showed little emotion or range and it was like his face had been shot full of Botox or something - one of the main reasons I had a hard time sitting through the film. When the lead character in a movie bores you, its kinda tough to really enjoy what you are watching. Even when he was twitching (you'll have to watch the film to figure out why he was doing that) he bored me to death. However, when Wings Hauser showed his true colors, I finally got interested in the movie and watched it through to the end. And I have to say appreciated the detective's taste in film (Nosferatu)!I'm assuming that all of the blue and red lighting used in the film was an attempt to be artsy or stylish but I found it absolutely unnecessary and thought it was rather silly - I feel that it took away from the film rather than enhancing it. It was quite overused. However, I did find the portable zip up coffin to be quite interesting.Although some reviewers would disagree, I actually did like the band (where the eyeliner was well placed :)). So if you can get past an emotionless vampire that shows no expression and wears more eyeliner than I do, go for it. You might want to take a look see at Mr. Hauser once he starts going off the rails, but you'll have to get through a lot of the movie before that happens.
kclipper
This is a very original take on the vampire genre during a time when a barrage of modern bloodsucking blockbusters filled our theaters and living rooms with originality and real bite.. 'The Lost Boys, 'Fright Night', and 'Near Dark' (just to name a few) kept us mesmerized at all the different styles and flavors filmmakers had to offer. Here's an overlooked and unappreciated little classic in the wake of the success of those great movies. Michael Fury (George Chakiris) is a classy and restrained vampire who travels to L.A. to investigate the many bodies turning up with fang marks and drained blood, and he's concerned about the impact it may have on the way people view the vampire community. Wings Hauser is a perverted filmmaker who's responsible for capturing the girls and staging their murders in order to catch a real vampire for his twisted collection of homemade films, and possibly become famous in the meantime. Pamela Ludwig is an occult enthusiast who instantly feels a strong connection for Michael, and story begins to unfold into an excellent final confrontation for the last thirty minutes or so of this unique concept that does a pretty good job of avoiding most of the worn-out clichés. Good direction, lots of surprises are abound, and you just gotta love Wings Hauser's intensely psychotic screen persona. The only thing that mars the mix is a slow first hour and an awful 80's goth rock band that unnecessarily interjects the action with a cheese-ball soundtrack. But all in all, 'Pale Blood' is an above average genre picture in drastic need of an official DVD release.
lost-in-limbo
A media storm is brewing in L.A. after a number of strange murders of young ladies being drained of blood. Michael Fury arrives in the city from London, and hires a vampire-obsessed investigator Judy to look into these murders. He encounters the erratic artist Van Vandameer, who seems to be interested in the case too, but for purposes unknown. Well, this turned out to be one nice surprise. I never even heard of it, but the video case looked tempting enough, and plot outline capped it off for me to purchase it. What comes of "Pale Blood" is a highly stylish, sparsely slow-tempo low-budget vampire yarn that's a little more unusual, and clever than most of its ilk. However I can see why some might find it a turn off though, but while it's not a faultless exercise. I was reasonably transfixed. The premise does come off slight (but there are some neat ideas, and references within), and the messy screenplay makes little sense with the main concerned being on the moody nocturnal atmosphere filled with dreary lighting, steamy downbeat Los Angeles locations, piercing sound effects and an ominously ticking time-bomb music score. It scores big hit on those facets. There's a real art house feel to it, and just what was the deal with the inclusion of that punk band. Every so often it would cut to them in the club playing their song. Boy did it ponder, although I got to hand it to them that it was a tune that doesn't leave your head anytime soon. So from what you grasp, the soundtrack is largely filled with sleek, bouncy rock songs that enlivens the late 80s feel. V.V. Dachin Hsu garnished direction seductively cruises along and pulling out elaborate suspense by effectively generating disorienting spells of slow motion and trippy visuals filled with blue or red shades. Some sequences are quite blurry and move along like a music video clip, while the production limitations draw up a welcoming claustrophobic edge. The performances are reliable, if mostly dry. George Chakiris' perfectly shaped understated, sullen performance emit's a dark, youthfully heart-broken vampire. Now that's the opposite for a Wings Hauser. His nutty, slime ball performance was good fun to watch. An admirably unhinged Pamela Ludwig is decent. Diana Frank and Darcy DeMoss are there to look pretty, and than show off their acting expertises. A fine, minor offbeat vampire flick that didn't blow me away, but it peaked my interest.
pumaye
WARNING ***SPOILERS*** This is a mediocre, but not totally flawed thriller masquerading as a vampire flick: a series of brutal murders are attributed by press and television to a vampire. In fact, is a madman, a would be photographer, trying to capture a real vampire. Alas, he takes two of them, one male and one female and his fate was doomed (he'll finish inside an asylum, talking vainly of his discoveries). Wings Hauser, as the wanna be vampire and true murderer, steals the scene with a very good villain, while the two vampiric leads, are not so convincing (especially Pamela Ludwig who is a Rosie McGowan look alike, but with less boobs). All in all, there are worst ways to spend 90 minutes, but this is not necessarily good.
