- Directed by Chip Josin
- Written by Britt Bankhead, Chip Joslin
- Stars Britt Bankhead, Eric Roberts, Grace Patterson
- Run Time: 1 Hour, 26 Minutes
- Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRBX5fUPV7E
Spoiler-Free Judgment Zone
It’s got vampires, action, spiritualism, romance, and angst, so there’s a lot to like about it. Britt Bankhead pulls off a decent job as his first lead in a movie, and Eric Roberts is always a hoot to see. It’s pretty good for an indy work, and we’d give it an overall thumbs up.
Spoilery Synopsis
It’s Halloween, and two couples get together to go into the Masker Hotel, which is supposed to be haunted by as many as 200 ghosts. No, it’s really a surprise “Welcome Home” party for Jake, who has jus tcome home from overseas. Samantha hints that she’s pregnant with Jake’s baby.
The guy from “You Hear it First” arrives with his cameraman, and he didn’t know there was a party, he’s just here to film for his TV ghost-show. The girls tell him that something’s been going on in this town for a while, but people are still disappearing. Then the two girls reveal they are vampires and bite them both.
Will, Jake, and Samantha soon find out they’re in the hotel with a bunch of vampires. There’s a lot of fighting.
Jake goes to the sheriff, who blames Jake for killing his daughter Samantha, who got lost somewhere along the way. The sheriff has Jake committed…
Nine Years Later, Jake’s still in the asylum, and he gets visions of Samantha wanting help. He tells the doctor that he’s normal again, and he’s due to be released soon. He denies seeing Samantha, who we see in the room with him like he does, and he says the vampires were just his imagination.
He’s released, and we soon see him carrying a body out to the desert to bury and patching a hole in his leg. “Samantha” still wants his help.
We cut to the library, where Samantha’s sister Crystal and her three friends are researching the deaths from nine years ago. Crystal is a bartender and meets Jake later that night. The sheriff and deputy Will come in looking for trouble but Jake leaves.
Crystal and her friends go to a party, and she tells them that Jake’s back in town. Jon and Josie go off into the woods to smoke, and Jon gets bitten by another vamp, as do many of the other “kids.” Jake shows up and takes a head off one of the undead.
Jake kidnaps Mary, one of the vampire women, and takes her home to his lair. No, that was a flashback, maybe. He leaves Crystal and Haydin in his garage and goes vampire hunting; he still sees Samantha.
Jakes goes to the hotel, but Will is there, and he’s a jerk. Crystal and Haydin show up as well, and they all look for each other. Will’s been in denial about the vampires, even though he’s seen them himself.
Suddenly, vampires attack! Everyone decides to hide in the basement. Will calls his father, the Sheriff, who thinks Jake has been killing people. Josie also shows up, now a vampire, and that results in another fight. Will gets bit, and the sheriff takes it poorly.
The Sheriff wants to fistfight Jake, but then Haydin shows up and bites the old man.
Jake wakes up, and Crystal and Erica are tied to old beds in the asylum. Doctor Stoker comes in and sews Erica’s mouth shut before biting her all over. Samantha leads Jake downstairs; she lets him out somehow. The sheriff and Dr. Stoker obviously know each other; they have a business arrangement. The doctor turns on the sheriff, and he gets a vision of Samantha before Jake shoots him.
Samantha stakes Dr. Stoker in the back before shooting herself in the head. Jake sets his explosives, grabs Crystal, and goes outside as the whole place blows up.
Commentary
It’s got some noticeably weird editing in spots as some scenes start and end abruptly, and possibly out of order. So someone can be committed to an asylum for nine years just on the word of one sheriff? It must be the South.
It’s low-budget, but the pacing is decent. The sets and settings are good, as is the camerawork and lighting. The music is pretty bland, but not annoying. Eric Roberts is always fun to see, even though he’s not trying very hard here.