Vampires and Other Stereotypes: Collector's Edition – Visual Vengeance (Blu-ray)

Release Date: USA, 1994
Director: Kevin J. Lindenmuth
Writer: Kevin J. Lindenmuth
Cast: Bill White, Ed Hubbard, Wendy Bednarz, Rick Poli, Anna Dipace, Suzanne Scott, Laura Vale, Monica Batavanis, Fia Perera, Mick McCleery

Release Date: October 24th, 2023
Approximate Running Time: 87 Minutes 29 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: Dolby Digital Stereo English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $29.95

"A pair of paranormal investigators are making their nightly rounds on the seedy streets of New York City when they encounter a group of party-hopping girls looking for a warehouse rave - who have also just accidentally opened a portal to hell. What follows is a night of practical effects monster mayhem as the group try to save themselves, and the entire planet, from a demonic invasion." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3.25/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "New director-supervised SD master from 1-inch tape".

Vampires and Other Stereotypes comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 40.8 GB

Feature: 20.3 GB

The source used for this transfer is in very good shape; there are only a few minor source-related imperfections. Colors generally look good, image clarity is strong, and black levels fare well. That said, this is another good transfer from Visual Vengeance.

Audio: 3.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a Dolby Digital stereo mix in English, and included with this release are removable English SDH. There are no issues with distortion or background hiss; the dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced.

Extras: 

Extras for this release include Vampires and Other Stereotypes Visual Vengeance trailer (1 minute 9 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), Vampires and Other Stereotypes original trailer (2 minutes 18 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a behind the scenes image gallery with music playing in the background, Kevin Lindenmuth early Super 8 films (26 minutes 26 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo with optional audio commentary with Kevin Lindenmuth), an interview with publicist Joe Mauceri (23 minutes 46 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with photographer Sung Pak (9 minutes 9 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with special effects artist Scott Sliger (7 minutes 23 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with makeup effects artist Ralis Kahn (17 minutes 31 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actress Sally Narkis (7 minutes 18 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actress Suzanne Turner (3 minutes 1 second, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actor Mick McCleery (9 minutes 56 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actress Laura McLauchlin (3 minutes 20 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with director Kevin Lindenmuth (25 minutes 22 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with Kevin Lindenmuth, an audio commentary with Mick McCleery and Kevin Lindenmuth, an audio commentary with Tony Strauss of Weng’s Chop Magazine, reversible cover art featuring original VHS art, 'Stick your own' video store sticker sheet, a collectible folded mini-poster, a six-page leaflet with an essay titled Bloodsucking on a Betacam Budget written by Tony Strauss, and a limited-edition slipcover (first pressing only).

Other extras include trailers for The Wrong Door, Scream Dream, and Date with a Vampire.

Summary:

The narrative revolves around two men hunting supernatural beings who end up at a warehouse where a portal that allows the demons to roam the earth has opened up.

Vampires and Other Stereotypes is a textbook example of why one should not judge a book by its cover. Anyone expecting this to be a film about vampires, or at least traditional vampires, will be disappointed. The main focus is an assortment of demonic beings that are being hunted by two men, who it is later revealed are actually vampires. In fact, it is not until about the last twenty minutes that the vampires show their fangs and who they really are.

Despite being billed as a horror film, when it comes to carnage, things are limited. And though there are practical special effects in Vampires and Other Stereotypes, there really are not any memorable gore set pieces. That said, most of the special effects are makeup-related.

The thing that you quickly notice while watching Vampires and Other Stereotypes is how dialog-heavy it is. And though there is some humor, it mostly misses the mark. Also, some of the humor comes from the tricks that the demons play on the humans trapped in the warehouse.

Everything about Vampires and Other Stereotypes screams a low-budget horror film. Notably, the use of one location for the bulk of the narrative and one note performance That said, the one area where Vampires and Other Stereotypes do a good job is backstory. Ultimately, Vampires and Other Stereotypes is a film that most will find a chore to get through.

Vampires and Other Stereotypes gets a solid release from Visual Vengeance that comes with the best possible audio/video presentation and an abundance of extras.

Written by Michael Den Boer