Vampires Vs. Zombies
Encyclopedia
Vampires vs. Zombies is an indie horror movie, loosely based upon J. Sheridan Le Fanu
's classic 1872
novel Carmilla
. Unlike Le Fanu's story, however, most of the action in the film takes place inside a car.
Vince D'Amato is the director and screenwriter of this film. In the UK
it is rated 18; in the U.S. it is rated 'R' for horror violence and gore, sexuality/nudity and language.
. She then tells her father that she has had "the same dream again".
. The zombie's head goes flying skyward immediately following the impact, though its body still shows a head visibly attached. The audience is then treated to a techno rave ballad
as the jeep fades from view, and the beginning credits roll.
news reporter describes a recent and horrific epidemic
of zombiedom that has swept the calm countryside of the once peaceful set of woods with one road and a gas station
. The reports indicate that a symptom of said outbreak is "murder". They then pull up beside a stalled car with three occupants: an older woman and two younger women- one of whom is bound and gagged. Ignoring the bound and gagged girl, Travis gives the other girl a lift. This girl is possibly a vampire named Carmilla, or possibly not. This is followed by a very long sequence at a roadside gas-station in which a strange woman in gothic
make-up (possibly a witch or sorceress
) hands them a necklace.
drives up. As the driver is turning into a vampire, Travis kills him and uses some of his supplies to fix the jeep. He lets Jenny and Carmilla steal the Land Rover. As Travis drives ahead in the jeep, Carmilla and Jenny indulge in lesbian
sex
in the commandeered Land Rover. The destination is the original crypt
Carmilla had been buried in. Flashbacks of a madhouse
emerge, where Carmilla is revealed to be a nurse, and Jenny her insane patient. Later, they make their way to the crypt, where they encounter more zombies/vampires. After the true reality of the situation is revealed, they check into a motel. Bright-red stage blood flows in these gory and surreal scenes, which could be delusional or possibly flash-backs. There is also a vampire-hunter known as 'The General' who may be pursuing them, or possibly, arranging a rendezvous, due to his daughter being kidnapped by a female colleague of Carmilla.
The film ends with a spinning book and the words, The End.
Sheridan Le Fanu
Joseph Thomas Sheridan Le Fanu was an Irish writer of Gothic tales and mystery novels. He was the leading ghost-story writer of the nineteenth century and was central to the development of the genre in the Victorian era....
's classic 1872
1872 in literature
The year 1872 in literature involved some significant new books.-Events:*Paul Verlaine abandons his family to go to London with Arthur Rimbaud....
novel Carmilla
Carmilla
Carmilla is a Gothic novella by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. First published in 1872, it tells the story of a young woman's susceptibility to the attentions of a female vampire named Carmilla...
. Unlike Le Fanu's story, however, most of the action in the film takes place inside a car.
Vince D'Amato is the director and screenwriter of this film. In the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
it is rated 18; in the U.S. it is rated 'R' for horror violence and gore, sexuality/nudity and language.
Nightmare
The movie begins with a scene showing a sleeping girl being menaced by a female vampire in her bedroom. The dream is abandoned when the sleeping girl wakes up screaming in the front seat of her father's forest green Jeep CherokeeJeep Cherokee
Jeep Cherokee may refer to:* Jeep Cherokee * Jeep Cherokee * Jeep Grand Cherokee , , and * Jeep Liberty, a.k.a. Jeep Cherokee...
. She then tells her father that she has had "the same dream again".
Speeding Crash
Jenny and her father, Travis, who is at the helm of said forest green Jeep Cherokee, are driving at a steady 5 miles per hour, to an undisclosed location. Suddenly there is an incident. Jenny yells out "DAD!" as the jeep proceeds to plow over a zombie dressed up like a roadside construction workerConstruction worker
A construction worker or builder is a professional, tradesman, or labourer who directly participates in the physical construction of infrastructure.-Construction trades:...
. The zombie's head goes flying skyward immediately following the impact, though its body still shows a head visibly attached. The audience is then treated to a techno rave ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
as the jeep fades from view, and the beginning credits roll.
Zombie Hell
A radioRadio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
news reporter describes a recent and horrific epidemic
Epidemic
In epidemiology, an epidemic , occurs when new cases of a certain disease, in a given human population, and during a given period, substantially exceed what is expected based on recent experience...
of zombiedom that has swept the calm countryside of the once peaceful set of woods with one road and a gas station
Truck stop
A truck stop is a commercial facility predicated on providing fuel, parking, and often food and other services to motorists and truck drivers...
. The reports indicate that a symptom of said outbreak is "murder". They then pull up beside a stalled car with three occupants: an older woman and two younger women- one of whom is bound and gagged. Ignoring the bound and gagged girl, Travis gives the other girl a lift. This girl is possibly a vampire named Carmilla, or possibly not. This is followed by a very long sequence at a roadside gas-station in which a strange woman in gothic
Goth subculture
The goth subculture is a contemporary subculture found in many countries. It began in England during the early 1980s in the gothic rock scene, an offshoot of the post-punk genre. The goth subculture has survived much longer than others of the same era, and has continued to diversify...
make-up (possibly a witch or sorceress
Magician (fantasy)
A magician, mage, sorcerer, sorceress, wizard, enchanter, enchantress, thaumaturge or a person known under one of many other possible terms is someone who uses or practices magic that derives from supernatural or occult sources...
) hands them a necklace.
Checking into the Madhouse
As the gas-station attendant (played by producer Rob Carpenter) gets sucked into an orgy of violence at the hands of vampires/zombies, Travis, his daughter Jenny, and Carmilla drive off, only to break down further down the road. They are stranded for hours until a guy in a Land RoverLand Rover
Land Rover is a British car manufacturer with its headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire, United Kingdom which specialises in four-wheel-drive vehicles. It is owned by the Indian company Tata Motors, forming part of their Jaguar Land Rover group...
drives up. As the driver is turning into a vampire, Travis kills him and uses some of his supplies to fix the jeep. He lets Jenny and Carmilla steal the Land Rover. As Travis drives ahead in the jeep, Carmilla and Jenny indulge in lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
sex
Sex
In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...
in the commandeered Land Rover. The destination is the original crypt
Crypt
In architecture, a crypt is a stone chamber or vault beneath the floor of a burial vault possibly containing sarcophagi, coffins or relics....
Carmilla had been buried in. Flashbacks of a madhouse
Psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental hospitals, are hospitals specializing in the treatment of serious mental disorders. Psychiatric hospitals vary widely in their size and grading. Some hospitals may specialise only in short-term or outpatient therapy for low-risk patients...
emerge, where Carmilla is revealed to be a nurse, and Jenny her insane patient. Later, they make their way to the crypt, where they encounter more zombies/vampires. After the true reality of the situation is revealed, they check into a motel. Bright-red stage blood flows in these gory and surreal scenes, which could be delusional or possibly flash-backs. There is also a vampire-hunter known as 'The General' who may be pursuing them, or possibly, arranging a rendezvous, due to his daughter being kidnapped by a female colleague of Carmilla.
The film ends with a spinning book and the words, The End.
Critical reception
- According to 'Dr Gore' the film demonstrates "Grade-Z incompetence". He gives it a "Landfill" rating.
- 'Wooden Spoon' describes the film's script as "abominable" and opines that it is "worse than Troll 2Troll 2Troll 2 is a 1990 horror film directed by Claudio Fragasso and starring Michael Stephenson, George Hardy, Margo Prey, Connie Young , Deborah Reed, and Jason Wright...
".
- 'Movie House Commentary' reflects that "the actors deliver their lines with the unnatural inflections of small-time appliance store owners doing their own local TV commercials".
- According to Something AwfulSomething AwfulSomething Awful, often abbreviated to SA, is a comedy website housing a variety of content, including blog entries, forums, feature articles, digitally edited pictures, and humorous media reviews. It was created by Richard "Lowtax" Kyanka in 1999 as a largely personal website, but as it grew, so...
's Movie Review, director "Vince D'Amato took a premise that was basically guaranteed to make his movie an instant hit with the indie horror crowd in spite of his nonexistent budget, and he fucked it until it bled. The resulting wretched, scarred, abused, tortured rape victim of a movie is an unwatchable seventy minutes of shattered homes and broken dreams."
- Some reviews of the film are positive: Horror Express stated that "what we have is a film that purports to be based on Sheridan Le Fanu's short story, 'Carmilla.' I've read that story more than once, and although this is a loose adaptation, it's more faithful than some other filmmakers who adapted Le Fanu's work, seemingly without reading it."