Pale Blood is a weird one. This is a vampire movie, but it plays out like a mystery/thriller giallo with a vampire story shoved in. The plot is simple: two detectives are searching for a serial killer who may be a vampire. There are several twists within, including one of the detectives being psychic. The movie does a lot right, but at the same time, too much wrong. With a few adjustments, I would have liked this more, but too many times it got distracted with shots of traffic, alongside radio chatter, and turning into a music video for the band Agent Orange. On the plus side, it is good at setting a cold, almost psychedelic, tone; these were the parts that reminded me of slasher movies from Mario Bava, and Dario Argento. Another probable inspiration is Manhunter (1986). Overall, this was pretty good; trouble is, the bad parts drag this down to the point of failure. I think this totally deserves a remake. I'll end this with my favorite part: the villain. It's made pretty clear early on who that is, but I'll keep it a secret, just out of respect. Wings Hauser plays Van Vandameer - a psychotic director - and he plays the part with such glee. Truly the star of the show, and much more interesting than any of the other characters. I recommend this for fans of '80s, and '90s, giallo. Vampire fans should keep expectations low.
Review by BronsonBlockedParent2024-03-25T03:21:44Z
Pale Blood is a weird one. This is a vampire movie, but it plays out like a mystery/thriller giallo with a vampire story shoved in.
The plot is simple: two detectives are searching for a serial killer who may be a vampire. There are several twists within, including one of the detectives being psychic.
The movie does a lot right, but at the same time, too much wrong. With a few adjustments, I would have liked this more, but too many times it got distracted with shots of traffic, alongside radio chatter, and turning into a music video for the band Agent Orange.
On the plus side, it is good at setting a cold, almost psychedelic, tone; these were the parts that reminded me of slasher movies from Mario Bava, and Dario Argento. Another probable inspiration is Manhunter (1986).
Overall, this was pretty good; trouble is, the bad parts drag this down to the point of failure. I think this totally deserves a remake.
I'll end this with my favorite part: the villain. It's made pretty clear early on who that is, but I'll keep it a secret, just out of respect. Wings Hauser plays Van Vandameer - a psychotic director - and he plays the part with such glee. Truly the star of the show, and much more interesting than any of the other characters.
I recommend this for fans of '80s, and '90s, giallo. Vampire fans should keep expectations low.