VAMPIRE ZOMBIES...FROM SPACE (2024)

 

DIRECTED by Mike Stasko

SCREENPLAY by Jakob Skrzypa, Alex Forman, and Mike Stasko Based on a story by Jakob Skrzypa and Alex Forman

STARRING - Andrew Bee as Chief Ed Clarke

Rashaun Baldeo as Officer James Wallace

Jessica Antovski as Mary MacDowell

Oliver Georgiou as Wayne

Craig Gloster as Dracula

Robert Kemeny as Dylan

Erik Helle as Roy MacDowell

Simon Reynolds as Col. Harlan Talbit

Judith O'Dea as Vampira

David Liebe Hart as Nosferatu

Martin Ouellette as Coppola's Dracula

Lloyd Kaufman as Public Masturbator

Mark Lefebvre as Mayor John Douglas

Bridget Opfer as Jackie Douglas

Jakob Skrzypa as Hankey

Alex Forman as Elmo

Tyler Colley as Dink

Curtis Coleman as Officer Chuck

Anthony Bonnano as Officer Daniels

Catherine Valle-Taylor as Bernice MacDowell

Nick Shields as Dr. Spice

PLOT - A race of alien vampires led by Dracula launch an attack upon Earth, starting in the small American town of Marlow.

Dracula's plan is to turn the entire town into vampire zombies (from space), once the town is taken the vampire zombies will then swarm outwards and overrun the entire world - only a small band of townsfolk can stop this deadly plague...from space !!!!!!

PERFORMANCES - As you can probably guess this 2024 Canadian horror/sci-fi spoof is a tribute to the drive-in B-movies of the 50's - most particularly the films of Ed Wood (the local hardware store in the movie is even named after him - Ed's Wood and Hardware). The Ed Wood movie it bears the biggest similarity to is Plan 9 From Outer Space, which it could almost be an unofficial sequel to.

Like that film what we get here is a large ensemble cast comprised of unknown actors, friends of the director and a smattering of more well known actors (at least to those in cult movie circles). These cameos include Troma front man Lloyd Kaufman as the friendly neighbourhood masturbator (he literally just hangs around outside people's houses knocking one out) and the original Night Of The Living Dead's Judith O'Dea as Vampira (a character from Plan 9).

The other actors all play the type of stock characters that you used to see in these types of films.

We have Andrew Bee as Ed Clarke, the local police chief who's cynical, hard smoking, hard drinking and an utter foul mouth (he certainly drops more F-bombs than you'd ever get in a 50's movie), his excessive drinking is a running gag throughout the movie - he's never without a hip flask full of whiskey.

Then there's the rookie cop -James Wallace (Rashaun Baldeo) whose more optimistic outlook may be a smokescreen for a previous encounter with the space vampires.

Then there's Jessica Antovski as plucky heroine Mary - a girl whose entire family has become zombified.

Best of all though is Oliver Georgiou as Wayne who's basically the closest thing this film gets to a male lead hero. Wayne is a 1950's greaser (with a heart of gold), he's initially a bit of a bad boy - he even has his own gang complete with an obligatory member who wears 3D glasses at all times. Clad in a black leather jacket with brylcremed hair - he's every inch the misunderstood 50's teen (true to form Georgiou looks about 35). Georgiou just seems to get the role - he's somewhere between a deliberately bad impersonation of James Dean with a bit of the Fonz thrown in for good measure, he nails the stereotype perfectly.

Then there's Craig Gloster as Dracula - physically he completely looks the part, so much so that you could easily imagine him playing the big D in a legitimate horror movie. Then you learn a bit more about this Dracula's character and you find out he's completely useless - he's basically harassed middle management who's been promoted beyond his competence into leading this invasion of Earth. EVERYONE gives him a hard time - his supreme leaders, his staff of underlings, even his rebellious teenage son (who once again looks about 40). Gloster plays it with an exasperated edge and is pretty entertaining to watch.

SEX &VIOLENCE - There's a scene about midway through the film that has violence with OVERTLY sexual undertones. Basically Wayne shows Mary how to stake a Zombie-Vampire through the heart- which she proceeds to do in slow motion, complete with heavy breathing and the actors pretty much pulling orgasm faces. It's a REALLY odd scene - obviously the inference is the stake "penetrating" the vampire, but it's neither as funny or clever as the filmmakers obviously intended it to be - it's nicely filmed though (as is much of this movie).

The rest of the violence is tonally VERY different to the rest of the movie - whilst the storyline, acting and special effects are a love letter to 50's B-movies, when it comes to the violence it goes to full on 80's style splatter - zombies are staked, intestines are eaten, people die left, right and centre all in glorious practical VHS era style horror gore. Once more, it seems weird at first but it's clearly just the filmmakers homaging not just the 50's but also the 80's, eras they obviously have a great affection for. It's nice to see, it really is.

SPECIAL FX - Gloriously tacky Ed Wood style flying saucers and mother ships (complete with obligatory strings holding them in front of the camera), lovely handmade model shots of buildings and lashings and lashings of practical gore FX. Good stuff.

There's also a bit of tastefully done CGI...

The Zombie makeup effects are particularly good, giving us some excellent Night Of The Living Dead style walking dead.

RATING - Although this movie is intentionally "bad" there's actually quite a lot to love here - the performances are spot-on accurate, there's some good jokes, excellent practical gore and did I mention that the film looks absolutely beautiful ? 

The black and white cinematography looks stunning (far better than anything that actually would have been screening at a 50's Drive-in). You can tell that despite it's deliberately shonky moments there's actually been a lot of love and attention lavished upon this.

My only criticism is that some of the running jokes outstay their welcome in places but other than that this a lovely little tribute to the bygone days of the Drive-in theaters.

My advice is to get some beers in and watch this on a Friday night in a triple bill with Ed Wood's original Plan 9 From Outer Space and it's 2015 remake. You'll be guaranteed a night of campy, schlocky fun.

4 Frisbee flying saucers out of 5.

ART -