Innocent Blood [Blu-ray]

Director: John Landis John Landis

Overview

An uneven but entertaining blend of graphic horror and black comedy from John Landis, very much in the mode of the director's successful An American Werewolf in London. French actress Anne Parillaud -- star of Luc Besson's acclaimed thriller La Femme Nikita -- plays Marie, a lithe and lovely vampire with a conscience who will not take "innocent blood" and maintains a low profile by dining exclusively on criminals and lowlifes. She finds a virtual smorgasbord in Pittsburgh's criminal underworld, arriving in the thick of a bloody mob war sparked by ruthless kingpin Sal Macelli (Robert Loggia). After preying on one of Macelli's hoods (Chazz Palminteri), Marie fumbles her attack on the boss himself and he manages to escape, eventually transforming into a vampire himself. Macelli soon comes to appreciate his new superhuman condition and hatches a diabolical scheme to control the syndicates by turning his underlings into vampires -- including his beleaguered lawyer, Emmanuel Bergman (Don Rickles). Marie, faced with a new and powerful undead enemy, is forced to take matters into her own claws. To this end she enlists the reluctant aid (and eventual affection) of undercover cop Joe Gennaro (Anthony LaPaglia), whose cover has just been leaked to the press, making him a target for Macelli and his growing army of blood drinkers. Landis has crafted a dark and brooding film, pumped up with bouts of extreme gore and gangland violence -- but where American Werewolf's occasional comic touches helped to ground the story and give the "straight" horror scenes more punch, most attempts at humor here seem jarring and out of place. The film's highlights come from numerous horror in-jokes, including cameos from Sam Raimi, Clive Barker, Dario Argento and Linnea Quigley; Rickles' explosive death scene ranks among the weirdest in cinema history.

Product Details

Release Date:	09/19/2017
UPC:	0888574535544
Original Release:	1992
Rating:	NR
Source:	Warner Archives
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo]
Language:	English
Time:	1:55:00
Sales rank:	15,035

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Anne Parillaud	Marie
Robert Loggia	Sal `the Shark' Macelli
Anthony LaPaglia	Joe Gennaro
David Proval	Lenny
Don Rickles	Bergman
Chazz Palminteri	Tony
Rocco Sisto	Gilly
Tony Sirico	Jacko
Tony Lip	Frank
Kim Coates	Ray
Marshall Bell	Marsh
Leo Burmester	Flinton
Rohn Thomas	Coroner
Angela Bassett	US Attorney Sinclair
Luis Guzman	Morales
Tom Savini	News Photographer
Gil Cates Jr.	Dog Boy
Charlie Gomorra	Gorilla
Lamont Arnold	Morgue Desk Man
Yancey Arias	Coroner's Assistant
Frank Oz	Pathologist
Pitty Jennings	Reporter
David Early	Reporter
Forrest J. Ackerman	Stolen Car Man
Elaine Kagan	Frannie Bergman
Michael Ritchie	Night Watchman
Bernard Hocke	Motel Clerk
Sam Raimi	Roma Meats Man
Dario Argento	Paramedic
Marina Durell	Nurse
Harry Gions	Orderly
Steve Johnson	Orderly
Robert Walker	Bruno
Linnea Quigley	Nurse
Michael Wolk	Surgeon
Russ Cochran	Panhandler
Teri Weigel	Melody Lounge Dancer
Lisa Ann Baker	Melody Lounge Dancer
Christina Jimenez	Melody Lounge Dancer
Christina Bowers	Melody Lounge Dancer
Kim Currow	Melody Lounge Dancer
Christina Diaz	Melody Lounge Dancer
Kim Melton	Melody Lounge Dancer
Robin Place	Melody Lounge Dancer
Regina Poole	Melody Lounge Dancer
Tracy Rolen	Melody Lounge Dancer
Tammy Ulm	Melody Lounge Dancer
Katrina Witt	Melody Lounge Dancer
Maribe Zolli	Melody Lounge Dancer
Ron Roth	Gus
Vic Noto	Tommy
Jerry Lyden	Vinnie
Rick Avery	Cab Driver
Bob Minor	Bus Driver
Don Rickels	Actor
Gilbert Cates	Dog Boy
Peter Cushing	Van Helsing
Sharon Howard-Field	Actor
Christopher Lee	Count Dracula
Dan Quayle	Vice President of the United States
Robert Walker Jr.	Bruno
Ira Newborn	Composer

Technical Credits

Michael Wolk

John Landis	Director
Rick Avery	Stunts,Stunts,Stunts
Leslie Belzberg	Producer
Lee Rich	Producer
Jonathan Sheinberg	Executive Producer,Producer
Michael Wolk	Screenwriter
Robert Stromberg	Special Effects
James Beshears	Sound Effects
Simon Coke	Sound Effects
Joseph Geisinger	Sound Effects
Syd Dutton	Special Effects
Sharon Howard-Field	Casting
Charlie Croughwell	Stunts
Jeff Cadiente	Stunts
Andy Gill	Stunts
Merritt Yohnka	Stunts
Monty Cox	Stunts
Tom Elliott	Stunts
Jeannie Epper	Stunts,Stunts
Steve Hulin	Stunts
Clay Boss	Stunts
Kurt Bryant	Stunts
Branscombe Richmond	Stunts
Spiro Razatos	Stunts
Glory Fioramonti	Stunts
Bill McIntosh	Stunts
Brad Orrison	Stunts
Bill Taylor	Special Effects
Troy Brown	Stunts
Don Pulford	Stunts
Gregg Smrz	Stunts
Buck McDancer	Stunts

Editorial Reviews

Some directors don't aspire to anything other than to be good showmen. John Landis, his films crammed with references to his idols and powered by an energy that seeks to entertain above all else, is one of Hollywood's most infectious storytellers. Innocent Blood combines two of his greatest strengths, horror and comedy, with a dash of a mob spoof thrown in (the cast contains many future The Sopranos players). Against a Pittsburgh backdrop, it features cameos by Dario Argento and Sam Raimi (George Romero was sick on his cameo-shooting day), Don Rickles melting, and a charming French vampiress (Anne Parillaud) who bites Chazz Palminteri because "he annoyed me." The cast is game, the story is pleasingly modest, and the script is loaded with entertaining one-liners; and the entire production has fun playing with the idea of a mob inundated with the undead. Landis has called this film his "guilty pleasure." It's nowhere near as accomplished as Ghostbusters and Men in Black as far as comedy thrillers go, but with a guiding principal that's more goofy than scary, it's nonetheless a thoroughly enjoyable popcorn movie.

All Movie Guide