30 Day Horror Challenge: Day 6

The vampire movie is one that has saturated the horror genre in the last few decades. It has creeped into so many sub-genres, that there's even prepubescent girls have been known to engage in debates involving them. Unlike werewolves, vampires can be branched out into many different directions, which makes this decision a very tough one.

Your favorite vampire movie.

Innocent Blood (1992)

It's interesting to note that the first vampire stories evolved from the lack of medical knowledge of how a body dies and decomposes. A panic about vampirism occurred in New England in the late nineteenth century because of a tuberculosis outbreak.

From the classic Nosferatu and Dracula, the myth of the vampire in movies has evolved to include the deformed, the suave and the teenage soap opera. With all these bases now covered, what could possibly be unique about a vampire film? How about a dark horror comedy with mob influence?

John Landis, who helped define eighties movies, directed this ode to vampires and the mob. It starts off with a beautiful vampire feeding on a victim, which turns out to be a mob boss, played by Robert Loggia. The vampire has a moral code and only feeds on criminals. When her meal is interrupted, the mob boss turns into a vampire instead of the lunch that he was supposed to be.

As he discovers his powers and tries to create a mob army of the undead, the vampire teams up with a cop to stop what she started. There is a scene towards the middle of the film where Don Rickles finally dies from his boss's bite and starts to turn into a vampire. The scene is surprisingly effective and has to be seen to be believed. As with any John Landis film, there are cameos. Look closely at the paramedics. One is played by horror director Dario Argento.

This film has a unique twist to the story. Unique for 1992, at least. It is definitely worth at least a rent. It may end up being a movie you come back to.