Kingdom of the Vampire

Director - J.R. Bookwalter (The Dead Next Door, Ozone)

Starring - Matthew Jason Walsh (Stage Fright, Zombie Cop), Cherie Patry, and Shannon Doyle (Flashpoint, The Contract)

Release Date - 1991

Genre - Horror

Tagline - "Her bark is worse than her bite!"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     Back over the summer I went through makeflix.com, J.R. Bookwalter's movie distribution site, and ordered some of his releases that I didn't have in my collection.  I had the Zombie Cop Bad Movie Police release but lost it when I left college.  When I saw that all his sov films from the early 90s was in a Bad Movie Police set I decided to snag that.  It was the cheapest way to get those films so I didn't mind the set.  However, just a few weeks after buying that set he revealed that those same six films would be getting a blu release.  Then he revealed his SOV Six Pack release to the world.  It was absolutely amazing and I had to have it.  The moment pre-orders were available I jumped on it and I'm glad I did.  This set is absolutely amazing.  I had to wait a few weeks but I was finally able to dig into it.  The first film on the chopping block is 1991's Kingdom of the Vampire.

     The film follows teenage Jeff (Walsh) who works night shift and then supports his mothre during the day...because she is a vampire.  He has to take care of her in order to prevent her from killing the neighbors which occasionally happens.  Things go from messy to chaotic when Jeff meets a beautiful young lady and the two starts dating.  His bloodthirsty mother becomes jealous.  To make matters worse, the town police suspects Jeff and his mother for the disappearence of his relatives who was last seen on their street trick or treating.  

     Kingdom of the Vampire is one I was not familiar with until I buy the Bad Movie Police set over the summer.  I had the Brett Kelly remake I bought sometime ago but never watched.  In fact, until over the summer I had no idea it was a remake.  With that being said, I thoroughly enjoyed this sov flick.  Sure, it's nowhere as fun as the other films I've seen from Bookwalter but it was still entertaining enough.  In fact, I kind of liked the lowbrow nature of the film.  The acting in this one is pretty amateur but the cast is really dedicated to their role.  The lack of experience, or inexperience, of the cast is overshadowed by their determination to deliver what the scene was calling for.  I respect that kind of dedication.  The story for this one is super simple and works but really stretches itself thin for the hour run time.  A man trying to hide his evil mother from the general public in order to save her really is a solid story especially for a no-budget sov flick.  However, this story does become flat as the film progresses.  It would have made much more of an impact if some of the repetitive scenes were cut.  Finally, has some bloody moments but if you are looking for amazing practical effects and gore you will be very disappointed.  The bloody scenes are not that impressive and easily forgettable.  Overall, Kingdom of the Vampire is not going to be very everyone.  However, if you dig early 90s sov horror flicks then this one may be for you.  I really enjoyed it for what it was.