A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night (2014)

The world's first Iranian Vampire western is fantastic. The movie is based on a graphic novel and the title character has vigilante qualities making her similar to Batman, ready to avenge the mistreated women of Iran. The movie has gorgeous black and white cinematography (that echoes classic German expressionism), and a heartwarming quirky romance (very different from the sappy melodramatic likes of Twilight). The movie also has great commentary on the state of Iran's youth abandoning tradition, the youth's relationship with their parents, drugs and addiction, as well as commentary about loving one's self and finding one's self worth. Plus the movie has great shots of a Vampire skateboarding, and a fantastic soundtrack. My only problem with the film is the cynism expressed by the title character, though the cynical dialogue she spews is similar to dialogue from other modernized vampires in film such as from Lestatt in Interview With the Vampire, Let the 

Right One In (2008) or some of the dialogue from the main vampire's in Neil Jordan's most recent vampire film Byzantium (2012). I did like how the main character seems to see her cynicism questioned by the romantic interest, and the ending was refreshingly different from some of the other most recent vampire films. While the movie is set in Iran, it is filmed

in southern California. Most of the cast and crew though are from Iran though and the movie is shot in the authentic language. This movie is a must see for all horror/vampire fans, as well as festival favorite at artsy film festivals winning many awards and should appeal to art-film fans. The movie has a "certified fresh" 96% critic rating out of 91 reviews and only four of those being "rotten" or bad, and a 76% fan rating.The movie is currently available on instant streaming on Netflix. I give the film a 4.5/5, and you can watch the trailer here. 

Fright Night Part II (1988)

 For those of you that are unfamiliar with the 80s cult classic Fright Night (1985) and its sequels and remakes, I advise reading about it here before continuing to read this review.This sequel came out three years after the original, and it has William Ragsdale and Roddy McDowall reprise their roles as Charlie Brewster and Peter Vincent respectively. This film is just as fun as the first and just as well acted and the cinematography and music are just as great as the first film as well. The only areas where this film really lacks are in its special effects and writing. The writing is still pretty good overall, but there are points in the film where certain things (although may be cool) don't make a whole lot of sense (I'd give the specific example but I don't want to give the surprise away). The special effects however are really where this film suffered, specifically the effects with the vampires. The vampire effects are much different from the first film, (which is too bad because the vampires in the first Fright Night are some of the most unique and coolest looking vampires in the history of film) here they sometimes come off as fake and hokey. The plot of the film is that it is years after the events in the first film, and Charley is now a young college student who has undergone years of therapy that has convinced him that the events in the first film never happened and that vampires don't exist. He also has a new girlfriend, on the anniversary of the events of the first film, and sort of to show himself that he has been cured of his delusional beliefs about vampires, Charley decides to reconnect with the washed up horror movie actor turned TV host, Peter Vincent. Upon visiting Vincent's apartment building though, Charley once again sees someone carrying a coffin into the building, just like the beginning of the last film. Shortly after seeing the coffin and those carrying it, Charley becomes stalked by a beautiful woman, who as you find out later is actually Jerry Dandridge (the vampire from the first film)'s sister bent on getting revenge on Peter Vincent and Charley. The actress who plays the vampire in this film does a wonderful job of being very hypnotic and exotic. The sets are great in this film too, some return from the last movie, and others are very appropriately 80s gothic. This film was not as big of a success as the first film, due partially to the fact that it had a limited theater release, and it's almost impossible to find on any form of home video.

The VHS release of the film came in a coffin shaped box and is now a collectors item, the DVD went out of print very shortly after it was first released (plus the DVD is a horrible fuzzy Pan-and-Scan transfer) so it's hard to find, and it is still not yet known if the film will be released on Blu-Ray, although if amazon is correct you can buy a copy on Blu-Ray for $400. I enjoyed the film despite its flaws and not being as good as the first, I give it a 4/5. You can view the trailer below: 

Martin (1976)

This film is one that should be a vampire classic but for some reason often gets overlooked. Martin immediately preceded George A. Romero(the Living Dead pentology, creator of Tales From the Darkside)'s Dawn of the Dead (1978). Martin is a low budget (sometimes artsy) independent film that examines someone who could either just be a regular angsty teen who doesn't fit in, or an 84 year old vampire, you can't really tell though because martin doesn't have any traditional signs of being a vampire except for the craving of blood, but since he doesn't have fangs he has to get it through slashing his victim's wrists. The film is a very interesting look at how we humans as a whole are affected by traditions and superstitions and the faultiness of our own memories (his flashbacks might actually be from movies he's seen instead of actual memory. This film also serves well as a psychological case study of this person who may be a sick teen, or maybe real vampires are just totally different from what we think.  This film can be found on several underrated movie lists, or cult horror film lists including the three main movie books I consult: Rue Morgue Magazine's 200 Alternative Horror Films You Need to See, Horror! by Kim Newman, and 500 Essential Cult Movies by Jennifer Eiss, yet it is STILL largely unheard of. My main beef with this one was that the blood was super fake and there was too much of it, otherwise I give it a 4.5/5. Look for a cameo by a young george romero as the priest. You can view the trailer below:

Fright Night (1985) Original

Yet another original, Fright Night (1985) has a huge cult following, a sequel, a remake, and it's sequel had a remake as well.This 80s classic was written and directed by Tom Holland two years before he would go on to write and direct Child's Play (1987). This is arguably the first time the story of "my neighbor is a [insert supernatural beast here]" was filmed, though the story might be overdone and trite now, it even pre-dates The Lost Boys (1987). Once Bitten (1985) starring a young Jim Carrey, had a similar plot and came out the same 

 year, but Fright Night is by far superior. It is a perfect horror comedy, part parody and tribute of the horror genre featuring the main character teaming up with a washed-up horor movie star to slay the vampire. It also has a great 80s soundtrack and a well done dance sequence. The special effects are some of the best of all the 80s horror flicks, and it has a unique brand of humor that keeps it fresh to this day, as well as the vampire played by Chris Sarandon (Susan Sarandon's first husband and namesake). Sarandon's portrayal of the vampire is totally unique, at once terrifying and seeming like a regular joe you could hangout with. The film is also actually pretty scary in parts (most 80s horror flicks don't scare me). I really enjoyed the music and decided to post my favorite song from the film here (though this version is not actually in the film). There was a better vocal version of this song but that's from the sequel and can be heard here. Plus this movie has the best/scariest movie poster/DVD cover of all time, I remember seeing it in video stores and having nightmares about it when I was little. I give it a 5/5