Short Film(s): Dead to the Last Drop

So, it was quite some time ago that I looked at Maxx Bloodd – Vampire Spy, a short film directed by and staring Rock Savage. The film, apparently from 1993, had ultra-low video quality and no IMDb page (it still doesn’t) but it has now had a Blu-ray release as part of the Rock Savage Collection Volume 1.

Also on that disc is Dead to the Last Drop – a short anthology of three vampire short films. I considered splitting the three films up, but it is the anthology that has an IMDb page and so I eventually decided to keep them together. Irreverent, with casual racism thrown in (but nothing as shocking as the blackface used in Maxx Bloodd), these are shorts for the viewer who likes their straight to video fare to be as low budget as possible.

Mod Mutilator as himself

The first short is called The Omega Wrestler, a title I assume nodding towards The Omega Man. It features the luchador-mask wearing Mod Mutilator (himself) who has settled down to watch wrestling with a concern that he is running low on beer and that he needs pizza. The last bit is easily solved and he orders a delivery.

death by silver kitchen knife

Meanwhile, a vampire queen (L M Woods) pitches up with her minions – including main minion Ivan (Don Woods), who informs her that this is the home of the wrester who killed her vampire sisters – Santo. After MM kills a random vampire with a silver kitchen knife, with the vampire queen laying siege, it becomes apparent he is not Santo and then, after Ivan suggests Blue Demon and this is refuted, Ivan loses his head for incompetence.

L M Woods as the vampire queen

The vampires decide they will kill the wrestler after he unleashes a racist tirade based on their Mexican heritage, and they eat the pizza delivery guy (Kenny Charnock). Separated from his pizza and down to his last beer, he needs reinforcements and this eventually takes the form of Harry Gross (Rock Savage) a psychic investigator in all three films. MM doesn’t want help with the vampires, he wants Harry to bring beer…

Marvin Kennedy as Dracula

The second short is the Vampire Pierre. Harry Gross is visited by a good vampire called Big D, or simply Dracula (Marvin Kennedy). Dracula made a killing investing in blood banks and doesn’t need to hunt people anymore. However, he was seduced by a French vampire named Fifi (L W Woods) who stole his family ring. The ring has the power to call and control zombies. She has stolen it for a French vampire named Pierre (Frank Vassallo) who wishes to use it to rule the world. Dracula hires Harry to get it back.

Rock Savage as Harry

Fifi is sent to take Harry out – though, luckily, he has a spectral gun that can kill things such as vampires – though he’ll soon discover it doesn’t work on zombies. This one stereotypes the French and has some incredibly crap bat on display but also concentrates on the Harry character, who is more a cameo in the other two shorts.

Frank Vassallo as Scarlett Sheik

The Final Short is Bloodsucking Sheiks. The short starts with Nazi doctor Von Cresse (Marvin Kennedy) – a scientist who developed a youth formula in the 1940s – with terrorist Scarlett Sheik (Frank Vassallo). Von Cresse has developed a new formula that will turn a person into a vampire. It is used on the Scarlett Sheik, and they intend to use it on his men also, creating a vampire terrorist cell.

evil mad scientist makes vampire

Agent Rex Jones (Eric Koger) goes to Tiki Joe’s Bar to get his new mission – finding and stopping the Scarlett Sheik. What he doesn’t know is where the terrorist is or what his plot entails. Luckily Harry Gross comes in – he was offered the job first and recommended Rex – who suggests Tiki Joe (Don Woods) might have info – indeed he has heard a rumour that they’ll attempt to assassinate the Israeli Prime Minister…

Pierre takes a bite

All three have moments set around race that is poor – though the stereotyping in the Vampire Pierre is probably the lesser as the other two carry quite offensive wording as well as falling back on lazy stereotypes. The Harry character is drawn as quite cool and, to be honest, felt like a non-vampire version of Maxx Bloodd. One for the low budget aficionados and the vampire completist.

The imdb page is here.