Vampire Femmes – review

Director: Tim Sullivan

Release date: 1999

Contains spoilers

A shot on video flick from the late nineties, this is ghosting around on VHS (and had a DVD release at one point) and it is really from the low budget stables. It looks dreadful nowadays but there is a suggestion that the lighting was interesting once-upon-a-time, at the very least, and it has some interesting plot aspects.

It starts with headlights and a sign that suggests an open house viewing but only at night. The car comes to a halt and Frank (Richard Marks, The Malibu Beach Vampires) gets out of the car and knocks at the door. It is opened by a woman, Medea (Roxanne Coyne). She shows him round and asks if he likes games, taking him through the garage to the game room.

Roxanne Coyne as Medea

He sidles past her, through the door and complains that there is no real light. He won’t need it she says. A second woman, Persephone (Popi Ardissone) is in there and Frank clearly thinks his luck is in, until that is they attack – at the neck and wrist. There is a protracted feeding scene, which has some nice imagery even if it is almost lost in the murky VHS print.

at the chop shop

The next day Danny (Larry Richards) drops off Frank’s car at a chop-shop run by Nacho (Tim Sullivan) and Ed (Ron Ford, Addicted to Murder, Rage of the Werewolf & Twilight Vamps) to sell it on. Nacho is suspicious of Danny (which is a tad strange given they know they are trading in stolen cars) and checks the car whilst he is off calling a cab, finding an address. Meanwhile cop Ken (Randall Hunt) goes to a fortune teller (Randal Malone, Blood Legend & Sunset Society), is belligerent but then freaked as the fortune teller hits the mark and also tells him that his wife, Mary (Michelle Bousquet), will leave him.

Michelle Bousquet as Mary

When Ken gets home it is clear that he is a domestic abuser, Mary has a pre-existing bruise and has had enough when he starts in on her and so clocks him with a phone, packs a bag and gets out of there. As she drives down the road a figure seems to come down her windshield from the roof and then vanish. She stops and finds Jezebel (Heather Branch) by the car. Rather than freaked out, she gives her a lift and Jezebel takes her to the house she shares with her roommates (yes, she is the third vampire). Mary is also not particularly freaked out when she finds out they are vampires and offer to turn her. However this is one of the themes that I rather liked. Vampirism is used for female empowerment and it isn’t per se monstrous, indeed the vampires are described as Goddesses.

vampiric imagery

What further points to vampirism not being monstrous is the fact that the male characters are so morally dubious and therefore the actual monsters. Danny is a thief (who also tries to double cross the vampires), Ed and Nacho are dodgy as all heck, and Ken – the primary male character – is the true monster of the piece. Of course, the women are vampires still, but Ken is a piece of work. Now that isn’t to say this is a good film, it is clearly a low budget and pretty amateurish piece but the themes mentioned elevate it somewhat. Lore is basic – stake to the heart to kill and no going in sunlight (hence using Danny to do daylight stuff). 4 out of 10 due to the nice theme level and, if this was ever cleaned up, some of the lighting choices were interesting.

The imdb page is here.