Blade: House of Chtuthon (DVD)

So when the series debuted on Spike TV, I thought I'd give it a try even though Snipes would not be playing the role. Nope, this time the conflicted bloodsucker is portrayed by Kirk "Sticky Fingaz" Jones — a rapper-turned-actor.

The story of the series focuses on the House of Chtuthon, an ancient sect of villainous vampires who inhabit this really cool mansion. They are growing stronger every moment, as they get closer to meeting their objective to create a vaccine which will give rise to a new breed of super-resilient vampires. In order to stop them, Blade joins forces with Iraq war vet Krista Starr (Jill Wagner), whose beloved brother was slain by the sect and who will go to any lengths to infiltrate the House of Chtuthon and take them all out in the bloodiest, most violent ways possible.

The sin of Blade: House of Chtuthon isn't just its weak acting and well-treaded story line — it's the sluggish direction and make-you-wait screenplay, which provides a downright boring viewing experience. Jones is a good looking man, but he has no spark in this show. Wagner is pretty to look at too, and she's trying a bit harder than her counterpart; but really the star of the show is Neil Jackson as their nemesis, Marcus Van Sciver. Unfortunately, he's not given center stage.

I suppose the DVD has more sex and violence than the Spike series did (the box art is emblazoned with all those "too hot for TV!" come-ons) and there are no commercial interruptions, but really this one is for the hardcore Blade series fans only.

Audio Commentary:

by director Peter O'Fallon

by writers David Goyer and Geoff Jones