The Seven Vampires

Director - Ivan Cardoso (The Scarlet Scorpion, A Werewolf in the Amazon)
Starring - Andrea Beltrao (Romance), Dedina Bernardelli (Eye of the Storm), and Tania Boscoli (Irrational Heart)
Release Date - 1986
Genre - Horror
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I wondered when the shit streak would hit again.  After reviewing four or five films that received a four out of five or higher I knew it would only be a matter of time before I found myself reviewing a couple horrible horror flicks.  When I received the Werewolf in the Amazon Collection from Alternative Cinema I thought it looked pretty rad.  I knew nothing about the films in the set or Ivan Cardoso but I was willing to give them a chance when I saw Paul Naschy's name attached to it.  I assumed that all the films in the collection were werewolf flicks but I was wrong.  After reviewing the first film that was a mummy flick I was surprised to see the second film was a vampire film.  I was not looking forward to moving on to this one after seeing The Secret of the Mummy but the next film The Seven Vampires was an improvement.  

     The film begins with a wealthy man picking up an exotic plant that eats flesh from a loading dock to take back to his laboratory.  He plans on doing research on the strange plant but he is unable to control the creature and it attacks him.  Sometime passes and his widow has started up a club where she is known for her vampire routine but when her paying customers are attacked and their blood is drained they start to believe that the vampire dancers are actually vampires but when a masked man is found running around they start to suspect who is really behind the murders.


     My first impression of The Secret of the Mummy was that it was a poorly put together film that was difficult to watch.  I hoped that the next film would be an improvement.  For the most part, The Seven Vampires was a vast improvement but was still far from perfect.  The acting in this one campy and fun.  The subtitles is hard coded but the film is in color so it is easier to read than the other film.  The cast are having fun and it shows in every scene.  Sadly, their characters are very underdeveloped which makes the cast look like they are not doing a good job.  The story for this one is fun and clever but fails to go anywhere with it.  A plant that turns people into vampires is great.  I really enjoyed that idea but it feels like the writer thought of that but nothing else.  The film has a poor ending and anything after the plant turning people into vampire is a joke.  They really needed more story before they set out to film.  Finally, the film lacks blood and gore but does have some pretty entertaining practical effects when it comes to the vampire plant.  It looks great and but does not set the tone of the film.  The film does not follow up the campy looking plant with some solid kills and bloodshed.  Overall, The Seven Vampires starts out strong but is unable to go the distance.  The film is unable to properly end and give the viewer a conclusion.  This is better than The Secret of the Mummy but not by much.