Tale of A Vampire

The Movie

"He lives by blood. He feeds on it. He thrives on it. And to kill is the greatest thrill he knows. He is... the Vampire. Julian Sands sharpens his fangs in the terrifying chiller Tale of a Vampire as a modern-day Dracula. Alex, scouring London for the lifeblood he craves and the lover he lost years before. Hounded by a sinister stranger and obsessed with the mortal woman Anna, Alex struggles with his heart, his lust for blood and his immortality in a world he will never be able to leave... Tale of a Vampire Terror and true love can make the deadliest playmates."

Directed by Shimako Sato
Screenplay by Shimako Sato and Jane Corbett
Story by Shimako Sato

Julian Sands as Alex
Suzanna Hamilton as Anne / Virginia
Kenneth Cranham as Edgar
Marion Diamond as Denise
Michael Kenton as Magazine Man
Catherine Blake as Virginia (5)
Mark Kempner as Morgue Official
Nik Myers as Rent Boy/Newscaster's Voice
Ken Pritchard as Bum 1
Ian Rollison as Bum 2
David King as Waiter
Adrianne Alexander as Prostitute
Mark Motileb as Child
Keri Motileb as Child
Lisa Motileb as Child

Review

This really is a tedious, pretentious film, enlivened only by Anna, (Suzanna Hamilton), who carries the plot, almost single-handed. Stalked by both Alex, a vampire, and the mysterious Edgar, she shows little curiosity, and a rather embarassing willingness to date every older man that offers.

But at least she has more than one facial expression, and is not given to long sulky silences, like our hero. Incidentally, his table manners really are appalling; no wonder he has to kill half of London; he gets more blood on his shirt than he does in his mouth, and most of it is simply wasted.

There's a surreal librarian, who thinks of all her readers as 'family' (go figure), plus a poor man's Renfield; a 'Magazine Man' who keeps a hamster in his pocket, but otherwise has no clear link to the plot.

All in all, this movie seems designed to appeal to blood fetishists rather than vampire fans - but I supect their boredom threshold will be met too soon.

The film ends with a neat twist; but it's not a satisfying finale; too many loose ends, and not really clear if we are supposed to feel it's a happy ending or just a clever one.

Released 1992
Running Time 93 minutes
MPAA Rating R