Greetings, once again, everyone... I am Belfazaar Ashantison and this is the Bat's Belfry... A monthly movie review for the Vampire Church Newszine... I am sorry, but my partner in crime is absent this month, so I am flying solo...
For this month's movie, I have chosen "Reign in Darkness", a 'new' release at local movie establishments... It's rated "R" due to the 'vampiric violence', but to me, it was not worth the rating... More on this later...
This movie is a low budget Australian flick that gave me a mixed impression of Matrix - meets - Blade, and throw in just a hint of Quentin T, in it... It's a spicy little mix, even though it is kind of slow in the action department...
OK... Here are the stats...
Production Group: Rapid Fire Productions
Cast:
Kel Dolan, David No, Lance Bates, Chris Kerrison and David Allen
Directors:
Kel Dolan and David Allen
The Story Line...
While working on a retroviral cure for the HIV virus, molecular biologist Michael Dorn, becomes accidentally infected with RVK-17, a heretofore, untested version of the retrovirus...
Michael and a mystery associate, who is reminiscent of an FBI undercover agent in more than just his appearance, leave to find a 'victim' (who just so happens to be some homeless person) to test this new batch on, when the vagrant turns the tables on his would - be assailants, and causes Michael to impale himself with the syringe containing RVK-17.
Michael must then fend for his existence from someone who is supposed to be there to protect him. Learning that tables quickly turn when you become the subject of your own experiments... Now he knows why this man is called a 'cleaner'...
The Agent, thinking that he had 'cleaned up the mess' turns long enough to signal an all clear and back, only to discover himself, how quickly the retrovirus works its particular brand of magick... Turning the once human molecular biologist into a new breed of vampire...
Much to Michael's dismay, a very secretive group of finaciers, are pulling the strings in this particular experiment. And, upon finding out that Michael has become infested, set out a more than slightly mental bounty hunter named Lance Bates hot on his trail...
Here the story becomes the same old song and dance you've seen a hundred times before. Dishevelled, down-trodden hero is pursued, captured and escapes to exact his revenge. The only real difference is that now it has a vampiric twist.
Well that and a few gore-filled kill scenes. David No, does a good attempt at a psychotic, drug addicted recently turned vampire working as a snitch to the controlling faction...
This controlling faction is none other than the last surviving group of true vampires... Holed up in a sanctuary turned prison they are attempting NOT to make other vampires, but to make better vampires and disease free humans...
Go figure!!!
The humanitarian actions underlined by greed and sadistic nature... I wish someone would write a good script where there is all the action required, but the humanitarian efforts survive and thrive despite the odds...
Wishfully dreaming of that day...
Vitae Dominae
Belfazaar Ashantison
