Terror of the Master – review

Director: Jeff Kirkendall

Release date: 1998

Contains spoilers

A straight to video film now on disc from SRS Home Video this was (according to IMDb) the directorial debut by Jeff Kirkendall and is full of the issues one would expect from a first effort, weirdly off framing being one such issue and just the strangest set of scene timings towards the end. Yet despite this I think it was better than some of his later films (I’ve reviewed the Temptress and the short 3 to Murder).

Maitely Weismann as Drew

It starts with a woman being chained in a cellar and, after the gun toting guys leave the cellar she tests the chains and girder she is chained to, in case she can get away, and then sees a shadowy figure – she screams. In an antique store, after hearing a radio bulletin about the latest in a string of kidnappings of women, a customer goes to the counter and believes she recognises the shopkeeper, Drew (Maitely Weismann), before realising she is also a news anchor on a local news service. The woman confides that she likes Drew better than that Dave Rydell (David Louis).

some odd framing

Why is she working the shop? It appears that it is a family business she co-runs with her sister Amelia (Jennifer Birn, The Temptress and 3 to Murder). Drew mentions her frustration with Dave to her boyfriend Jeff (Jeff Kirkendall, also The Temptress, 3 to Murder, Shadow Tracker: Vampire Hunter) and Sharkula) who councils patience, she’s only been at the station a year and she’ll get her break. He is frustrated with Amelia though, as she has been depressed since splitting with her boyfriend. To be honest there is a pap talk scene between Drew and Amelia, which was meant to establish character and relationship but just kinda dragged – and the film is only 75 minutes long.

a victim

Working in the store again, Drew seems ready to call it a night when a nervous looking woman, Beth (Kelly Chaisson Warner), comes in. She knocks over a cheap ornament, drops something and then leaves. A man’s face appears at the window. The next day Drew is doing a fluff piece for the station and, when she gets back to the office, discovers that a voice mail has been left telling her to be careful, if she goes to the police the woman will die. After she sees Dave’s latest kidnapping editorial she realises that Beth is the latest victim.

Drew, a cop and Ame;ia

She speaks to Amelia and decides to investigate – she dare not go to the police after the threat. Beth dropped a matchbook from a bar and a parking garage chitty and the game is afoot – but doesn’t last too long before Drew is kidnapped also. Amelia tracks her and Dave follows Amelia… And here is our strange timing… Drew is in a trunk of a car and taken to a derelict house… Amelia has been able to follow (but we have no sense that she is in a car)… Dave follows her and calls for a camera… as we cut between scenes it is apparent that it only takes the camera tech Lewis (Tim Hatch, also The Temptress, 3 to Murder, Sharkula and Shadow Tracker: Vampire Hunter) about a minute to get there. The timing is off.

Tony Turcic as Worthall

So, what is going on? Vampire Christopher Worthall (Tony Turcic, also Shadow Tracker: Vampire Hunter) was betrayed by vampire friend Darden Porter (James Carolus, also The Temptress, 3 to Murder and Bloodlust) over a female vampire (Shannon Von Ronne) who was a mutual romantic interest and was killed by hunters. Darden blamed Worthall for her death and poisoned him with strychnine (who knew that was a thing). Weak, Worthall got to the derelict house, to find it occupied by bank robbers and now has had them kidnapping women for him to feed on and get his strength back. Worthall has a line in hissing, long brown nails, fangs and we discover vampires can be killed through decapitation or a shot to the head. There is an ability to mesmerise also.

James Carolus as Darden Porter

The only other notable piece of lore (if you can call it that) is that before you discover his name the optional subtitles call Worthall a ghoul. The film had issues, as I have mentioned but it was actually quite good fun and very earnest. Despite the sisters' conversation moment that dragged, the short run time meant it didn’t overstay its welcome. The VHS transfer is as you would expect but, you know what, if you like straight to home video films there are a lot shoddier films out there. Don’t get me wrong, it’s far from a masterpiece and 3.5 out of 10 seems fair but you could do worse.

The imdb page is here.

On DVD @ Amazon US