2024, 98 mins, Lightbulb Film Distribution/Walkden Entertainment
Directed by Michael Stasko
Starring Andrew Bee, Rashaun Baldeo & Jessica Antovski
Pure camp from the very first frame to when the end credits roll, Vampire Zombies… From Space! is an undeniably silly and cheap schlockfest that is both a parody and an affectionate recreation of bargain basement 1950s horror and sci-fi B-movies, with a goofy influence from filmmakers such as Ed Wood and Mel Brooks being evident throughout.
Vampire Zombies… From Space! wears its tiny budget proudly, and embraces corny visual effects at every opportunity, but boasts some surprisingly impressive effects in some areas, with the film having great gore effects even if the CGI and visual effects remain cut rate.
The plot is both overstuffed and ridiculously simple, with the ridiculous premise revolving around an evil scheme by a space-dwelling Count Dracula (Craig Gloster) to invade and take control of a small American town in the 1950s using his minions who are simultaneously both vampires and zombies.
So it’s up to the denizens of the sleepy community of Marlow, including a world-weary cop (Andrew Bee), his rookie partner (Rashaun Baldeo), a farm girl (Jessica Antovski) who has a personal connection to the vampire invasion and an Elvis-esque greaser (Oliver Georgiou), to stop the bloodsucking menace from decimating their beloved town.
Shot in black-and-white, the film perhaps looks a bit too glossy and modern to really convince us it is a relic dug up from the 1950s, but overall the stylistic choice works. There’s a great joy to seeing toy spaceships on wires being used, as well as a rubber puppet on a string being used to convey Dracula in his flying bat mode.
The cast is appropriately stone-faced and self-serious to make the parody work well, but the standout is Robert Kemeny as Dracula’s nerdy and kind-hearted son Dylan, obsessed with 1950s pop culture and at odds with his father’s world domination plot. While he only has a small role compared to some other characters, Kemeny’s energy and comedic timing enliven proceedings every time he’s on screen.
There’s also cameos for familiar genre faces such as Judith O’Dea (most famous as Barbra in the original Night of the Living Dead) and Troma Films founder Lloyd Kaufman. Their appearances definitely help suggest what vibe co-writer/director Michael Stasko is going for, with this feeling like a Troma film at times, with its mix of low-brow comedy and extreme gore.
The second half of Vampire Zombies… From Space! is a definite improvement on the first, which maybe spends a bit too much time setting up a plot which ultimately matters little anyway, and is mostly focused on the clichéd cop characters played by Bee and Baldeo, who are fine in their roles but perhaps a little bland when compared to some of the film’s more outlandish characters.
The second half picks up the pace a bit and it is where most of the film’s best gore moments are found, with some surprisingly brutal blood and guts effects and a massive body count as the film builds to a chaotic, mayhem-filled finale.
While not a roaring success, I appreciate the hand-made quality of Vampire Zombies… From Space! and what the filmmakers were able to achieve on a modest budget. While it certainly won’t appeal to all filmgoers, if you like 1950s schlock then this pays homage to that subgenre in the most affectionate way.
3/5 STARS
TINSEL and TAP SHOES 