Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat [Includes Digital Copy] [Blu-ray]

Director: Anthony Hickox Anthony Hickox

Overview

Director Anthony Hickox (Waxwork) crafted this entertaining bit of horror-western fusion about the vampiric residents of a remote, dusty desert town who have chosen to derive their sustenance from a plasma-manufacturing plant in an attempt to put aside their monstrous nature and peacefully co-exist with humans. When the plant begins malfunctioning, the town's leaders summon the designer, David Harrison (Jim Metzler), to look into the problem. Soon after Harrison and his wife Sarah (Morgan Brittany) arrive, however, they find themselves in the thick of an escalating rivalry between two vampire factions -- one led by peaceful Count Mardulak (David Carradine), who ordered the blood plant as part of his plan to integrate the dying vampire race into human society; and the old-school bloodsuckers, under the sinister Jefferson (John Ireland), who consider Mardulak and his followers traitors to their predatory heritage. While the Harrisons' fates hang in the balance, the scales are jostled further by the arrival of a man named Van Helsing (Evil Dead star Bruce Campbell, in a surprisingly low-key performance), descendant of the legendary vampire hunter, whose disorganized efforts at wiping out town's undead populace are impeded by his growing attraction to a pretty young vampire (Deborah Foreman). With tongue firmly in cheek, this semi-parody plays off audiences' familiarity with the conventions of the vampire genre, but it seldom sacrifices creepiness and suspense when needed. It marked a creative step forward for Hickox (who would later stumble with Hellraiser III), who clearly tailors his projects to seasoned horror buffs.

Product Details

Release Date:	08/17/2021
UPC:	0031398328650
Original Release:	1990
Source:	Lions Gate
Language:	English
Time:	1:44:00
Sales rank:	15,097

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

David Carradine	Mardulak
Jim Metzler	David
Morgan Brittany	Sarah
Deborah Foreman	Sandy
Maxwell Caulfield	Shane
M. Emmet Walsh	Milt
Bruce Campbell	Van Helsing
Dana Ashbrook	Jack
John Ireland	Jefferson
Elizabeth Gracen	Alice
Dabbs Greer	Actor
John Hancock	Actor
Bert Remsen	Actor
Richard Stone	Composer

Technical Credits

Anthony Hickox

John Burgess

Anthony Hickox	Director,Screenwriter
Dan Ireland	Executive Producer
William J. Quigley	Executive Producer,Producer
Jefferson Richard	Producer,Producer
Jack Lorenz	Executive Producer
John Burgess	Screenwriter