Vampire Journals (1997)

This is my most favorite movie! I am in love with David Gunn as well. He is an exceptional actor. I only wish that he would do more movies. Plus, Ted Nicolaou is a genius. His writing is profound. You must overlook the fact that this movie was made by a low budget company. It is filmed in Romania and provides great visuals of their architecture and landscape. Plus, a lot of the people in it are from Romania, which gives this film a tremendous amount of credit. Zachary is perhaps the best vampire character ever written. His humanity and unending torture draw you in and make you love him. This story is classic and beautiful. It had me fascinated from beginning to end. It is a must see for any vampire fan.

Like my previous reviews i don't want to lose time writing about the movie plot line 'cause i think that if you are reading this it's because you have already seen it right? Here we have really beautiful movie, great stages, finest acting and a sublime haunting soundtrack, one of the best i've ever heard i just can't get that piano out of my head. This is another delivery from Ted Nicolaou the one who directed the subspecies saga and i think that most of you must agree with me that this movie it's his finest work. In Vampire Journal happens something interesting and it lies in the acting work, the characters are well portrayed by this unknown actors and that its the veil that all low budget movies must have. the Ash character really have that vampire feel that all we are expecting in a kind of films like this and Jhonaton Morris set his trademark by doing this role, David Gunn in the Zachary role as a vampire slayer did a fine work but he cannot simple match Mister Morris acting, but in Vampire Journal there's one character that really stole the show, I perhaps have never seen a female vampire portrayed so damn well like the one we can find here, everything in she seems completely right, her movements, the way she talk and even her blood drinking, i am referring to Ilinca Goia as Cassandra, she did a amazing outstanding job and without a hell of doubt her character is one of the most beautiful I have ever seen, every scene where she appear its a rewind must, all her movements are so memorable, she is (and this is my very personal opinion) the ultimate female vampire set on screen, i can say the same thing of Claudia's role played by Kirsten Dunst in Interview with a Vampire but thats another history.Another highlight in this film is in charge of Kirsten Cerre as the gorgeous human pianist, she looks so lovely, so tender we all love her from the first scene she appears on screen and its very clear why Ash an Zachary fall in love with her she is simple beautiful. For those who like dark movies and Gothic creepy stages then this movie is for you you won't be disappointed, though I recognize that to get this movie its a little bit difficult but i can assure you that the searching its well worthy, all vampire lover most appreciate this movie and enjoy it and a personal thanks to Ted Nicolaou for giving us all this hours in vampire entertainment trough all this years. Hail Radu, Hail the Bloodstone but above all Hail Cassandra.

I have seen a lot of vampire flicks in my day. This was on the edge of being a good story. I love the Victorian flair of the inside of the mansion, the four poster beds, etc. That's apparently where the budget ended.The master vampire, Ash is the only real actor in the film. His lines are delivered believably. The only time our hero, Zachary actually acts is when Sofia catches him drinking blood from the psychofant and screams her name and throws himself at the door. The one thing that really brought the film down a notch was the deadpan monologue from Zachary. It was clumsily read, with no feeling, no passion. Granted, Zach was a depressed vampire.. but you can be passionately depressed.I think it would have been better to have had a third party read the monologue. Perhaps someone found the 'Vampire Journal' and was reading it... with a bit more pizzaz than it's writer.Watch the film, rescue the elements that are good and marvel at them. There is some good camera work, their corpses reconstituting themselves every evening was a nice touch, knowing the master was a once a vampire hunter... nice.

I am a huge fan of the Subspecies films, and so it was with much eagerness that I sat down to watch this offshoot of the series. I have never been so thoroughly disappointed in all my life.The opening credits are great, set in a snowy, eastern European cemetery with moody shots of beautiful headstones. Sadly however, the credits come to an end and the movie begins.Whiny, self-pitying vampire Zachary is determined to rid the world of his own kind, especially powerful vampire Ash, who has set his sights on Zachary's would be girlfriend, Sofia. Sofia, a mortal pianist, has no idea what is going on until Ash imprisons her in his mansion. It is then up to Zachary to save her...because she obviously can't save herself. If you thought Brad Pitt as Louis in "Interview With the Vampire" was bad, he's got nothing on Zachary, let me tell you. Zachary slogs through the entire film, sulking and frowning and delivering such poor-me lines as: "I am Gods most forsaken creature." Yeah, well, we all have our problems. Go sit in the sunlight if you're so miserable, but please spare the rest of us your tragic whining. Sofia fares no better, klutzily stumbling through her performance and giving us a stiff, weak heroine. And Master Vampire Ash is ridiculous. The guy looks like Michael Bolton, which is really the only scary thing about him. The film moves slower than a three legged constipated turtle, and although the sets are beautiful, they are filled with lifeless (no pun intended) characters that I could not believe in, much less care about. I kept hoping that Radu would show up and give them all a good smacking-about-the-face, but sadly this was not to be. The Subspecies films work for the exact reason that this one does not: Subspecies gives us a strong, unrepentant vampire who never apologizes for what he is and enjoys what he does. It's easier to hate Radu than it is to like Zachary. This film gets a 1 on a scale of 10, and the 1 is for the scenery.