starring BILLY ZANE, BRAD DOURIF, KAM HESKIN, and FRANCESCO QUINN as “VLAD”
“The story is engrossing…. including an age-old curse, time travel, romance, and a present-day Vlad-worshipping cult; the actors do an admirable job in making their characters stand out particularly Hasperger, who speaks only in (authentic, no less) Middle English; and Quinn as a menacing, commanding Dracula; the sparing use of CGI is quite effective; and the horror aspects are dark and hard-hitting without being gratuitous.” HORROR.COM
“VLAD aims far higher than the average vampire movie…..splendid cinematography throughout…..darkly beautiful.” LA TIMES
“VLAD boasts enough camp, skin, and 15th century flashbacks fo torment to make it fitting fodder for campus screens.” HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
LOGLINE: Four graduate students, at the behest of a Bucharest professor (Dourif), dare to enter the draconian heart of Vlad Drakul’s dark past. Suspected by their Romanian guide (Zane), one of the students secretly possesses the rumored necklace buried in Vlad’s tomb, an evil so powerful it can transcend time and space. SYNOPSIS: The Award Winning Horror Fantasy film VLAD chronicles the far-reaching consequences of a professor’s (Child’s Play veteran Brad Dourif) request that his students visit the tomb of the infamous Vlad Drakul (aka Vlad the Impaler). Known as one of the cruelest figures in world history, Drakul’s reputation for dismembering his victims ultimately led to the belief that he himself may have been a vampire — he was, in fact, the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula. With this in mind, four foreign-exchange students, along with their Romanian tour guide (Billy Zane), venture into the bowels of Drakul’s final resting place. When the students come into contact with a legendary necklace, they realize that its rumored ability to traverse throughout time and space is no myth. Vlad features performances from Kam Heskin, Monica Davidescu, Nicholas Irons, and Paul Popowich. TRT: 98min Action / Horror
<div>3.8 out of 5 stars (<a href=”http://www.amazon.com/Vlad-Brad-Dourif/product-reviews/B000AM4PK4/ref=cm_cr_dp_all_summary?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending”>14 customer reviews</a>)</div></td>
<td><a name=”A1YMUIIM0DZ68Q|EUf|1″></a> (Ohio) – <a href=”http://www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member-reviews/A1YMUIIM0DZ68Q/ref=cm_cr_dp_auth_rev?ie=UTF8&sort_by=MostRecentReview”>See all my reviews</a></td>
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I’m impressed, although I’m not a huge “Horror” fan this movie was well done and I’m sure it’s fair to totally judge it ad “Horror”. Nice mix of the real character (Vlad) and present day. Love the Romanian locations. Not your typical “Vampire” flick at all!! Francesco Quinn reminds me of young a Anthony (his dad). Nice mix of History and fiction. Vlad the impaler rides again.
From Imdb.com
30 out of 36 people found the following review useful:
<strong>Vlad is the perfect mixture</strong>, 26 August 2004
Author: <a href=”http://www.imdb.com/user/ur2098478/comments”>J.R. Thompson</a> from North Hollywood, CA
I’ve read other people’s comments and I’m surprised that a couple had so many problems with this movie. Vlad is the perfect mixture of historical fact and Romanian myth. It takes the whole vampire myth and returns it to it’s rightful owner. Vlad Tepes was the basis of Stoker’s Dracula and the vampire myth started in Romania and it’s surrounding countries. I really liked how this movie didn’t have the cinematic bloodsucker that we are all too used to, but instead had a tortured spirit that was doomed to wander the earth. The photography and locations are impressive (shot in the Carpathians) and the characters are believable. I’d definitely recommend this intelligent vampire story to anyone who is a genre fan, into historical pieces, or even just needs something to watch on a Friday night. I think that anyone who comes into this movie looking to see it for what it is, not some hack and slash horror film but a look into the historical Vlad mixed with a modern day adventure element, will enjoy the movie.
16 out of 24 people found the following review useful:
Author: <a href=”http://www.imdb.com/user/ur3900124/comments”>tedbrooks47 (tedbrooks47@yahoo.com)</a> from Los Angeles, CA
I was lucky enough to catch this film at a screening in Los Angeles and enjoyed it immensely. What I liked most was the way the film blends all the classic elements in a traditional vampire film, but remains unique in its approach. Rather than relying on blood and gore, it portrays Vlad the Impaler as more than a monster. We’re shown glimpses of his past and quickly empathize with his pain, even as we’re terrified by his brutality.
The love stories woven into the film and the pace at which it’s told keep you emotionally invested and on the edge of your seat. The tone and feel of romance, aided by the beautiful backdrop of the Carpathian mountains, is undeniable and moving.
The film carefully balances love and anguish while merging past and present worlds. Even though it’s set in modern day, the film shows how we as people face the same struggles throughout our history. Vlad is incredibly well thought out and acted, and should be enjoyable to a wide range of people. The nudity and violence in the film is done with taste and purpose and I’d recommend this film to anyone that wants a romantic saga about one of the world’s most notorious monsters.
25 out of 35 people found the following review useful:
<strong>Unbelievably good, great musical score</strong>, 23 October 2003
Author: <a href=”http://www.imdb.com/user/ur2783643/comments”>buddybrd</a> from South Florida
This movie kept my attention, and kept it till the end. The actors all did a solid job of making their parts live. Brad Dourif and Billy Zane gave the film class and credibility. Kam Heskin is a hottie, and carried her part well. Francesco Quinn makes your skin crawl in this horror genre tale, admirably making the role of Vlad the Impaler come to life and chilling you down to your socks! (He looks a lot like his dad Anthony Quinn in some of the scenes) The Romanian actress (whom I’ve never seen before) did a great job of looking terrified & sexy. I wonder if she speaks any English? If not, she did a great job of handling the wordy role. The musical score really punches up the terror in the scary scenes, and sounds like a score from a Hollywood major film. This movie was filmed on location in Romania, with the major horror parts actually filmed in the Carpathians at Vlad’s real castle. The Dracula character takes on a new & completely different direction, which in no way mimics former Dracula movies. I enjoyed this one….</td>
I’m impressed, although I’m not a huge “Horror” fan this movie was well done and I’m sure it’s fair to totally judge it ad “Horror”. Nice mix of the real character (Vlad) and present day. Love the Romanian locations. Not your typical “Vampire” flick at all!! Francesco Quinn reminds me of young a Anthony (his dad). Nice mix of History and fiction. Vlad the impaler rides again.
From Imdb.com
30 out of 36 people found the following review useful: Vlad is the perfect mixture, 26 August 2004
Author: J.R. Thompson from North Hollywood, CA
I’ve read other people’s comments and I’m surprised that a couple had so many problems with this movie. Vlad is the perfect mixture of historical fact and Romanian myth. It takes the whole vampire myth and returns it to it’s rightful owner. Vlad Tepes was the basis of Stoker’s Dracula and the vampire myth started in Romania and it’s surrounding countries. I really liked how this movie didn’t have the cinematic bloodsucker that we are all too used to, but instead had a tortured spirit that was doomed to wander the earth. The photography and locations are impressive (shot in the Carpathians) and the characters are believable. I’d definitely recommend this intelligent vampire story to anyone who is a genre fan, into historical pieces, or even just needs something to watch on a Friday night. I think that anyone who comes into this movie looking to see it for what it is, not some hack and slash horror film but a look into the historical Vlad mixed with a modern day adventure element, will enjoy the movie.
16 out of 24 people found the following review useful: A Must-See!, 31 August 2004
Author: tedbrooks47 (tedbrooks47@yahoo.com) from Los Angeles, CA
I was lucky enough to catch this film at a screening in Los Angeles and enjoyed it immensely. What I liked most was the way the film blends all the classic elements in a traditional vampire film, but remains unique in its approach. Rather than relying on blood and gore, it portrays Vlad the Impaler as more than a monster. We’re shown glimpses of his past and quickly empathize with his pain, even as we’re terrified by his brutality.
The love stories woven into the film and the pace at which it’s told keep you emotionally invested and on the edge of your seat. The tone and feel of romance, aided by the beautiful backdrop of the Carpathian mountains, is undeniable and moving.
The film carefully balances love and anguish while merging past and present worlds. Even though it’s set in modern day, the film shows how we as people face the same struggles throughout our history. Vlad is incredibly well thought out and acted, and should be enjoyable to a wide range of people. The nudity and violence in the film is done with taste and purpose and I’d recommend this film to anyone that wants a romantic saga about one of the world’s most notorious monsters.
25 out of 35 people found the following review useful: Unbelievably good, great musical score, 23 October 2003
Author: buddybrd from South Florida
This movie kept my attention, and kept it till the end. The actors all did a solid job of making their parts live. Brad Dourif and Billy Zane gave the film class and credibility. Kam Heskin is a hottie, and carried her part well. Francesco Quinn makes your skin crawl in this horror genre tale, admirably making the role of Vlad the Impaler come to life and chilling you down to your socks! (He looks a lot like his dad Anthony Quinn in some of the scenes) The Romanian actress (whom I’ve never seen before) did a great job of looking terrified & sexy. I wonder if she speaks any English? If not, she did a great job of handling the wordy role. The musical score really punches up the terror in the scary scenes, and sounds like a score from a Hollywood major film. This movie was filmed on location in Romania, with the major horror parts actually filmed in the Carpathians at Vlad’s real castle. The Dracula character takes on a new & completely different direction, which in no way mimics former Dracula movies. I enjoyed this one….
