John Carpenter’s VAMPIRES. Did the creator of “Halloween” and “The Thing” make a good movie?

Vampires have been ground through pop culture in many different ways (intentionally not saying all, because surely someone will come up with something fresh on the topic sooner or later). But in 1998, they weren’t as overdone a motif as they are today. So when John Carpenter, known for his knack for horror films, as evidenced by classics like “Halloween” or the fantastic “The Thing,” decided to tackle them, it should result in something good, right?

Jack Crow (played by James Woods) leads a group that tracks and kills vampires on behalf of the Vatican. We meet him as he’s about to eliminate another nest of bloodsuckers. The task is completed, although they fail to send the leader of the Children of the Night to the other world. Soon after, the leader attacks Jack’s team, leaving only Crow and his assistant Montoya (Daniel Baldwin) alive after the clash. The two severely battered hunters won’t rest until they avenge their friends and complete their mission.

In one interview, Carpenter admitted that he was convinced to work on the script (based on John Steakley’s novel “Vampire$”) by the quasi-western atmosphere. Interestingly, after a series of financial failures, culminating in the disaster of “Escape from L.A.,” the director wanted to quit making movies because, as he put it, “it stopped being fun.” Nevertheless, he decided to make “Vampires,” which turned out to be his only profitable title of the nineties. Despite this, professional burnout apparently progressed, as since then the director has only created “Ghosts of Mars” and “The Ward,” both received lukewarmly by both audiences and critics. Today, he seems to be more active in the music industry, successfully touring, although he doesn’t rule out returning behind the camera (and in front of it, he would most like to see his favorite actor, Kurt Russell). He also had a hand in the well-received reboot of “Halloween” in 2018 (essentially his own hit from 1978) and its two sequels. He also wrote scripts for comics related to his films—for example, a continuation of “Big Trouble in Little China.”

“Vampires” can’t be considered a full-fledged horror, although it’s quite brutal at times. The titular creatures, however, are decidedly devoid of romanticism here, resembling more wild animals, unrefined and full of aggression. A rather overwhelming, gloomy atmosphere emanates from the screen. And that’s my biggest criticism because it would have been much better to infuse the whole thing with a solid dose of black humor and create something akin to “From Dusk Till Dawn,” or at least slightly alleviate the grim, even slightly apocalyptic atmosphere. The usually laid-back James Woods, who agreed to portray the main character because he wanted to have an action movie to his credit, plays his role surprisingly seriously, if not stiffly. Crow is a determined tough guy, but he lacks the charm that characterized, for example, George Clooney’s character from the aforementioned title or, to stay close, Snake Plissken from Carpenter’s “Escape from New York” (and its sequel). However, in “Vampires,” you can still see some Western influences, whether through the settings or the music (composed, of course, by the director himself). For some, Sheryl Lee’s performance, most famous for her role as Laura Palmer in “Twin Peaks,” will also be a plus.

Overall, it’s not too bad to watch, but “Vampires” doesn’t stay in memory for long, and Carpenter has made much better films. Interestingly, two sequels were made, although basically, apart from the title and the memory of one of the characters, they have no connection to the “first” part. Neither in terms of content nor quality. Probably that’s why they didn’t hit theaters but went straight to the DVD market. Jon Bon Jovi played one of the main roles in the first of them.

It’s worth seeing how the once-king of low-budget horrors and author of several solid classics dealt with the topic of vampires, although unfortunately, there are better titles with Children of the Night in the lead roles.