Vampire Killers!
Official Overview:
Four 20-something college students -- Johnny, Nicole, Orville, and Travis -- are solicited by their professor to hunt and destroy vampires in the Los Angeles area. College kids by day, vampire killers by night, the foursome are hot on the trail of Vamp Queen, Charlotte Ross, who attacks their friend and colleague, Katrina, and turns the tables on the team because -- as they soon discover -- Charlotte doesn't have a heart ... literally... and thus cannot be killed.
Episode 1: Charlotte
Episode 2: The Feeding
Episode 3: Kat Trap
Episode 4: Your Word is Coming to an End
Episode 5: The Turning
Episode 6: The Pledge
Horror.com Mini Review:
I must confess that I don't have a lot of experience with episodic web-series. I know there are quite a few of them out there with their devotees, but I'm more a feature-length kinda gal. So when I sat down to watch Vampire Killers!, I was expecting the usual homemade-style, quick n'dirty short horror film vibe. Even though I was on set for one day of filming a few months back on behalf of horror.com, it really did not prepare me for the impressive cinematic look, feel and sound of the finished product.
The first 2-minute (give or take) episode grabbed me by the throat right away with its fly on the wall look at an alluring hive of sexy vampire ladies shown suggestively stripping, sucking, and stalking. While their surroundings are crass and dilapidated, there is something about these immortals that exudes class and sophistication. We get just a taste of their refined decadence, then we move on to episode two, The Feeding, which showcases the feline, seductive Ania Spiering as Charlotte Ross, the queen of the L.A. vampire coven.
The cinematography makes the most of the light and shadow, and while the locations are limited and some of the shots are a bit clichéd (one moment of our heroes striding towards the camera brings to mind The Mod Squad meets The Devil's Rejects), the overall atmosphere is quite impressive. Employing tried and true favorite formulas (black-clad vamps with traditional fangs), and mixing them with updated modern techniques (camera work inspired by The Shield, and gritty dialogue littered with f-bombs), Vampire Killers! works on several levels given its inherent webisodic limitations.
While each episode is just a little tease, we do get to know the vampire killers of the title, played by Tim Fields, Nick Heany, Kit Pacquin, Marco Mannone, and Ginger Pullman. Armed to the teeth with claw hammers, machetes, and some pretty heavy artillery, these mortals are not to be messed with… then again, they do have an unkillable adversary in Charlotte Ross. Who will live, and who will die? I know the answer to that, and I suggest you tune in to VampireKillers.tv to find out for yourself.
[end]
= = =
Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson