Customer Reviews

Strange Things Happen At Sundown

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

If quentin tarrantio and anne rice got together and made a vampire movie it would be similar to this film. The makers of the film have made vampires something to fear again in their descriptions of these sociopathic bloodsuckers who live on to feed on the blood of their victims.Another I love about the movie is some of the characters like the reaper, a chilling vampire hitman who's frightened of his neat freak psycho wife. Reaper's wife profanity-laced tirades against her husband are hilarious!The heroine of this movie, a vampire hitwoman who has vendatta against brutal vampire marcel and his girlfriend amy who turned her into a vampire are chilling in it's intensity.I love the dialogue of vampire gangsters Jimmy fangs and his crew who sound like they come straight from a episode of the sopranos.the scenes with Marcel and amy and their hostage, a born again christian who seeks to save amy's soul are great as well.There are no wimpy soul-searching vamps in this movie.All of the vampires in this movie are bloodthirsty who revel in their killing of the victims.Another plus of the movie is sometimes gorgeous camerawork in the movie and the scenes of bloodletting and gruesome violence are shocking but appropiate for this film. This is one of the all-time best vampire movie I ever seen with over-top violence, memorable characters, witty humor and great photography all add up to classic tale of vampiric horror with a dark comic edge.

What would you get if you combined the Vampire and Mafia movie genres? Simply put, you'd get "Strange Things Happen at Sundown." The movie so smoothly and easily introduces the concept that if vampires did indeed roam the earth today that the logical progression in their history would be towards organized crime. It just seems to make sense for them. They are not romanticized like other vampire movies. They are portrayed as brutal drinkers of blood that possess no remorse or compassion until of course one of them falls under the charms of a born again Christian. It is a great blending of sadism and humor without over-doing either element. This film is not for the weak of heart as it is a definate gore-fest nor is it for those easily offended by naked, writhing, sensual, hot, erotic(phew I'd better stop), human females.

In closing the best compliment that I can pay this film is that it is a micro-budget movie that does a wonderful job of never reminding you of that fact as you watch the film. Enjoy!!!

Interesting concept for the plot, but not for the mainstream viewer. I would have giving it 5 stars BUT the twitching of victims was like Chinese water torture. Some movies have needless love scenes, this one has needless, and sometimes endless, twitching. The plot was quite refreshing compared to the endless rehashing of classic vampire tales. It was nice not being able to predict where the story was heading. If you like B Movie horror films, see this movie. But if you want/need the hollywood movie styling (a la Interview with a Vampire), keep looking.

I do not discount Indie films, too many rough gems are lost that way. I could not have been more intrigued with this film. WAY better than average over the usual expectations for Indie, and really a fresh approach-THAT WORKS! Expect a film that does not try to be more than what it is, an entertainment vehicle with a fresh take, and having FUN along the way. I'm happy it was a purchase for me Vs a rental, as I've watched it 10 times thus far and still smile-wickedly-over the anally-retentive Countess Bathoria parts---get it, to see what I mean ;)

I saw the preview of this film at the NY Film Festival. It is a fantastic glimpse into the lives of vampires walking amoungst our daily activities in New York,including mob vampires,a born again Christian and countless other colorful characters. Though the movie did not lack blood and gore, I enjoyed the dialogue reminiscent of Scorcese and Tarantino. Many twists and turns never before ventured in the vampire genre. The music alone makes the movie worth seeing. Bravo to these young film makers.

Up until tonight, Blade II was my favorite vampire movie of all time. It was dark, violent, and had fun action. All of that changed, though, after seeing Strange Things Happen At Sundown. This is to vampire movies, what Dawn of the Dead is to zombie movies. It's quick, graphically violent, darkly funny, and profane. It's probably what would happen if Quentin Tarantino would have directed a vampire movie.
I already mentioned that Strange Things is violent, but it simply must be seen to be believed. It's definately in the top 10 most violent films I've ever seen. And the ending is simply brilliant, just like the rest of the film. So see Strange Things Happen At Sundown if you're a fan of vampire films or independent horror movies. You could do worse. Actually, you couldn't do much better.

When a group of mobsters hunt down one of their own for ripping off the club, they expose themselves to a vengeful vigilante. STRANGE THINGS HAPPEN AT SUNDOWN plays out like a b-edition of the SOPRANOS, except that all of the lead characters are Vampires including the avenger as well as those who are contracted to kill for the mob. The camera work, plot, acting and FX range from fair to good. On the down side, at a bloated 2 ¼ hours, the film consists of much unnecessary dialogue, which also exposed the limitations of the actors. The gore is OK, but certainly not as plentiful (or as credible) as some reviewers would have you believe. Much of it lies in the shadows or beyond the camera. Indeed, the foreground of the film is not generally well lit and many of the kill scenes are also obscured by camera angles that reveal less of the victim (and more of the killer). The film also has a slight grainy-less than sharp look about it which also degraded these scenes. The film's biggest flaw is that it was unable to decide whether it was a comedy or a horror outing. Sure, mobsters often exhibit a bravado driven swagger that can be acceptably humorous, (but this ain't no INNOCENT BLOOD). For example, one is confronted with a character known as the Reaper, who is the supernatural version of Murder Incorporated, except that he has an obnoxious, over the top, nagging wife. No one knows what he looks like, except when he reveals his true self near the film's conclusion. Trust me it is not worth writing about. Overall while the concept of the Reaper is inspiring, the manner in which he was portrayed left a lot to be desired. While there was much to like about this film, there were also many misfires that could easily have been avoided. On the upside, Zombie aficionados take note, as these Vampires create a sub race of worker Vamps who behave more like Zombies. In fact, there was some serious carnage near the film's conclusion, even an evisceration or two. I would have liked to have seen more of this Zombie-Vamp carnage. In fact, it could have played a more prominent role in the film as it is a great concept. While the FX was a little spotty, one must applaud the filmmaker's attempt to push the envelope and create something different. All things considered this is a fair to good indie effort that is worth watching especially for those interested in the Vampire and even Zombie genres. Recommended viewing.

Strange things happen at Sundown succeeds in many ways for an ultra low-budget horror flick. It's gory, funny, sexy, and full of Tarantino's profanity and action. Overall Strange things Happen At Sundown is a fun film.

Strange Things was a great movie. It brought the vampire genre down intothe dirt, into reality. Gone are the days of romantic vampires, thanks to brilliant directing and superb acting.

Actor Joe Demarco deserves an Oscar for his portrayal of Vampire Gangster Vinny "The Fang"

Having a taste for cheap b-movies is one thing, but recommending shot-on-video, ultra-low budget, badly acted cheese fests to the general movie watcher is another. In this day of CGI and 40 million dollar budgets, most people don't get the charm and fun of a movie made, not for millions, but simply for thousands of dollars. You have to be careful when recommending a film like that, because most times you know that they just won't get it. A b-movie has to deliver in a lot of ways and disguise it's low budget origins to win the hearts of the fickle mainstream movie fan. Strange Things Happen At Sundown just happens to be one of those films and if you don't like this movie there is something wrong with you.

The beauty of this flick is the blending of genres that it pulls off seamlessly. I doubt that I have ever seen such an amalgam of so many different types of movies. Each subplot has its own style and unique characters, yet none deviate from the main storyline. The ambition and the ability to have actually pulled this off deserve admiration, but then add the fact that it is one hell of an entertaining film.

It begins with what seems to be a Scorsese-inspired gangster story, but it is quickly revealed that these are no ordinary wiseguys, they're vampires as well. The fear inducing darkness of vampires has always lacked the brutality of what the gangster element adds to it. The concept is a perfect merging and the portrayal is pulled off beautifully. With names like Jimmy Fangs and Nicky the Tooth, you know right off that you are in for a wild ride.

After a particularly bloody opening sequence and a prelude to what irreverent humor is coming when a female victim is spared by Joey the Butcher as he simply puts "Hey, I wanna bang this broad", the plot diverges into three separate storylines that will by the end combine back into one. There are of course several other small subplots strewn about that sometimes threaten to steal the spotlight with their absolute witty genius, like the two vampire bodyguards who seem to be stuck in the eighties complete with hair metal fashion sense and obscure Nelson references or the vampire blood-tainted marijuana that turns a bunch of ravers into flesh hungry zombies.

The vampire-gangster plot tends to be the most memorable with immensely funny cross-references of both vampire and gangster lore. A very memorable scene involves an argument between Nicky and Joey about Nicky's fang dysfunction. It seems that he is only able to extend one of his fangs, and he is no less self-conscious about that fact. The other two plots seem to take a much more serious approach, which was a smart move. If the whole movie had been contrived to be humorous it wouldn't have worked. It's not a comedy. It's a serious film that just happens to have naturally funny characters.

The second plot contains a young angst-ridden couple, Marcel and Amy, who have stolen money from the vampire gangsters and are on the run. They eventually take a born again Christian girl, Annabelle, hostage and set off to find a better life for themselves. This plot actually has a nice morality type twist to it, as Annabelle convinces Amy that being a vampire is wrong. Amy sees the grotesque world she lives in and the absolute viciousness of her partner Marcel. She attempts to change her ways and find Jesus, but how is such a thing possible?

The last plot, a revenge story, involves a mysterious female vampire of immense power on a rampage, killing other vampires, searching for the person who turned her. It's not revealed until near the end who that person is, but it ties everything together in quite a nice little conclusion.

Nothing about Strange Things Happen At Sundown is predictable. It's very original in it's conception and it's delivery. The conventions of what a vampire is considered to be are thrown out the window. They walk around in daylight, a knife to the heart is just as good as a stake, and aside from drinking blood and having vampire powers, they concern themselves with all of the normal things regular people do. How could you have Mafioso vampires that were repelled by garlic?

The film does tend to drag out a little bit at a whopping two hours and fifteen minutes. Some scenes could have been trimmed down, especially the human death scenes. The filmmakers wanted to show that dying from a vampire bite was extremely painful. Repeatedly, victims are shown writhing in agony for extensive periods of time. This gets monotonous after awhile and could have simply been illustrated one time and been left at that. That small complaint aside, Strange Things Happen At Sundown really shines as a testament to what low budget filmmakers can do when they have the ambition and the willingness to work hard at their craft.

Technically, the film is very professionally made. There is some quite impressive cinematography, with lots of low angle and skewed shots very reminiscent again of a Martin Scorsese film. The quick editing is a dead giveaway of the hours of hard work, revealing nothing of the films low budget origins. The score is low key, but very effective and accentuates the film were it is needed. The DVD quality is top notch with deep dark wet colors for interior shots and a washed out pale brightness for exterior scenes.