"Out for Blood" is nothing new to the vampire genre, but there is some redeeming values in it.
**SPOILERS**
After a few too many warrants for bad behavior, police officer Hank Holten, (Kevin Dillon) is reprimanded and sent off by Captain John Billings, (Lance Henriksen) on a missing person's case. Spotting the young girl, Layla, (Jodi Lynn O'Keefe) at a night club, he follows her inside and witnesses a massive vampire orgy. Bitten in the process but escaping, Layla convinces him that he was bitten by a vampire. He can't convince anyone what happened, and eventually tracks down his ex-girlfriend, Susan Hastings, (Vanessa Angel) a novelist of vampire books, and manages to get her on his side. Together, they track down the leader of the vampire cult that bit him before he becomes a vampire himself.
The Good News: There are a few really nice moments in here. As a special effects extravaganza, it isn't all that bad. The head vampire in particular has some great design work on him, with huge ridges on the face, pointed ears, a pronounced face and a short, pug-like snout which makes him look really demonic. It's a great look, and his initial appearance makes great use of his presence. The special effects also extend to the deaths, and are quite brutally done. With some gory neck-biting that actually looks like biting, a tongue bitten off, a really impressive decapitation with an unexpected object, and the requisite staking, they all come off quite nicely. The highlight is the massive orgy, which is quite nice to see in a film like this where gratuitous nudity is making a comeback, and to do it in such a well-done sequence is nice to see. It's all there to please any fan of such scenes, which makes it that much more well done. As clichéd as the ending is, it does provide one of the best gags in the film, where a character appears in a room despite the person watching it on a monitor can't seen them on it. A really well-done touch that shouldn't work but does.
The Bad News: There really wasn't a whole lot to this one, as much of what's wrong is due to the fact that almost nothing happens in here. After getting introduced to the plot-line fairly late into the film, the main action in the beginning of the film is the massive orgy scene, and it's just a matter of personal taste whether that will appeal or not. If it doesn't, then the opening boredom will register more with them than others, as it's really the only thing remotely close to action that we get, and it's not all that spectacular beyond the nudity. It's all fairly hokey and ends rather climatically, not having anything to do with the one hero in the film. It's not until the ending confrontation were it starts to pick up, and it's not that special when it occurs. That and the orgy are also examples of the fact that the film is way to shy about going forward on the action. What should be big action scenes meant to drum up excitement in the proceedings, they're far too lackadaisical to be considered action in here, and when it comes upon such scenes, it seems to back away and go around them, which is a major cheat to the audience. These should've been the moments where it becomes obvious as to what's going on, but they're just reminders of the film's biggest flaw, which is that nothing really happens here for it to break away from it's clichéd tag. Just about all the elements are here, and can be spotted fairly quickly. The wavering cop, the sympathetic captain, the vampire's nightlife in a rave, the continuing exploits to resist the change into a vampire, and the one expert who knows what's going on to a clueless and rejecting head in charge are simply some of the clichés in here, and it would have a lot more in here as well. These major flaws hold the film back.
The Final Verdict: If you can overlook the lack of action, the clichés and the meandering pace, there might be some enjoyment in this one, as it does have some positive things about it. It's nothing major vampire fans have seen before, so they might wanna exercise caution before delving into one like this, while more casual horror fans might give it a try if at nothing else.
Rated R: Graphic Language, Graphic Violence, Nudity and several S&M related sex scenes
**SPOILERS**
After a few too many warrants for bad behavior, police officer Hank Holten, (Kevin Dillon) is reprimanded and sent off by Captain John Billings, (Lance Henriksen) on a missing person's case. Spotting the young girl, Layla, (Jodi Lynn O'Keefe) at a night club, he follows her inside and witnesses a massive vampire orgy. Bitten in the process but escaping, Layla convinces him that he was bitten by a vampire. He can't convince anyone what happened, and eventually tracks down his ex-girlfriend, Susan Hastings, (Vanessa Angel) a novelist of vampire books, and manages to get her on his side. Together, they track down the leader of the vampire cult that bit him before he becomes a vampire himself.
The Good News: There are a few really nice moments in here. As a special effects extravaganza, it isn't all that bad. The head vampire in particular has some great design work on him, with huge ridges on the face, pointed ears, a pronounced face and a short, pug-like snout which makes him look really demonic. It's a great look, and his initial appearance makes great use of his presence. The special effects also extend to the deaths, and are quite brutally done. With some gory neck-biting that actually looks like biting, a tongue bitten off, a really impressive decapitation with an unexpected object, and the requisite staking, they all come off quite nicely. The highlight is the massive orgy, which is quite nice to see in a film like this where gratuitous nudity is making a comeback, and to do it in such a well-done sequence is nice to see. It's all there to please any fan of such scenes, which makes it that much more well done. As clichéd as the ending is, it does provide one of the best gags in the film, where a character appears in a room despite the person watching it on a monitor can't seen them on it. A really well-done touch that shouldn't work but does.
The Bad News: There really wasn't a whole lot to this one, as much of what's wrong is due to the fact that almost nothing happens in here. After getting introduced to the plot-line fairly late into the film, the main action in the beginning of the film is the massive orgy scene, and it's just a matter of personal taste whether that will appeal or not. If it doesn't, then the opening boredom will register more with them than others, as it's really the only thing remotely close to action that we get, and it's not all that spectacular beyond the nudity. It's all fairly hokey and ends rather climatically, not having anything to do with the one hero in the film. It's not until the ending confrontation were it starts to pick up, and it's not that special when it occurs. That and the orgy are also examples of the fact that the film is way to shy about going forward on the action. What should be big action scenes meant to drum up excitement in the proceedings, they're far too lackadaisical to be considered action in here, and when it comes upon such scenes, it seems to back away and go around them, which is a major cheat to the audience. These should've been the moments where it becomes obvious as to what's going on, but they're just reminders of the film's biggest flaw, which is that nothing really happens here for it to break away from it's clichéd tag. Just about all the elements are here, and can be spotted fairly quickly. The wavering cop, the sympathetic captain, the vampire's nightlife in a rave, the continuing exploits to resist the change into a vampire, and the one expert who knows what's going on to a clueless and rejecting head in charge are simply some of the clichés in here, and it would have a lot more in here as well. These major flaws hold the film back.
The Final Verdict: If you can overlook the lack of action, the clichés and the meandering pace, there might be some enjoyment in this one, as it does have some positive things about it. It's nothing major vampire fans have seen before, so they might wanna exercise caution before delving into one like this, while more casual horror fans might give it a try if at nothing else.
Rated R: Graphic Language, Graphic Violence, Nudity and several S&M related sex scenes