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Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Return To Salem's Lot (1987)

Written and directed by Larry Cohen (IT'S ALIVE, GOD TOLD ME TO), this bizarre horror comedy’s tone is subtle and I’m not sure everyone watching it gets that it is a comedy. An arrogant writer (Michael Moriarty) decides to spend some time with his psychologically disturbed son (the inept Ricky Addison Reed) at a small house left to him by his aunt in Salem’s Lot. Soon, he and the boy are in the middle of Vampire Hell. Whether intentional or not, the non vampires are an annoying bunch and the vampires are much more fun to be around so one‘s sympathies are with them. There are some amusing touches like when after feasting on a young Goth girl, June Havoc applies fresh lipstick or when forced to drink cow’s blood out of necessity, Evelyn Keyes pouts, “I much prefer human blood”. After awhile even young Ricky Addison Reed’s horrendous line readings become tolerable. The film’s best performance comes from director Samuel Fuller as a curmudgeonly Nazi hunter turned vampire hunter. With Ronee Blakley (NASHVILLE), Tara Reid and Andrew Duggan.

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