Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: After her brother is murdered by her ruthless neighbor, Buffer, Delores Carter seeks a professional gunfighter to get revenge and hires the mysterious Drake Robey. What Delores doesn't know is Robey is a vampire who is responsible for a series of mysterious deaths around the local old west town. Who's in it? The movie stars Michael Pate, Kathleen Crowley, John Hoyt , Bruce Gordon and Eric Fleming. Review: I had planned on watching another vampire movie this morning but came across Curse of the Undead first. The idea of a vampire movie mixed with the western genre was interesting and I did enjoy Billy the Kid Versus Dracula more than expected so I decided to give it a try.  Unfortunately, it failed to live up to expectations. As far as the western part of it goes, that truthfully wasn't terrible. It had the evil landowner (Gordon), a beautiful damsel in distress (Crowley), a small-town preacher (Fleming) who was obviously the movie's hero, and an unstoppab...

Synopsis: A pair of newlyweds, Gerald and Marianne, are driving through Bavaria when their car runs out of gas. They find lodging in a small village and accept an invitation to a costume ball held by a local, Dr. Ravna, not knowing he is the leader of a vampire cult. When Marianne is kidnapped by Ravna during the party, Gerald tries to rescue her but finds the villagers unwilling to help. Who's in it? The movie stars Clifford Evans, Noel Willman, Edward de Souza, Jennifer Daniel and Jacquie Wallace. Review: I was reasonably confident I had seen The Kiss of the Vampire before. However, it was a long time ago and as has often been the case as I've gotten older, I didn't remember anything about it. So, I decided to give it a try. I'm always a bit pessimistic when it comes to vampire movies from the 60s and 70s. While there are some good ones, many (most) tend to be too predictable, too corny or not much better than a soft-core porn film. I am happy to say this is one o...

Synopsis: After attempting to replicate Frankenstein's experiments, Dr. Gustave Niemann is sent to prison. Niemann, however, escapes with the help of another inmate, Daniel, a hunchback who is looking for a new body. The pair commit murder to take over a traveling horror exhibit and resurrect Dracula, whose body is one of the attractions, to get revenge on the man who sent Niemann to prison. Later, they meet the Wolf Man and come across the original Frankenstein's monster. Who's in it? The movie stars Boris Karloff , John Carradine , Glenn Strange , Lon Chaney, Jr . and Anne Gwynne. Review: I had some time yesterday evening while my wife was at her sewing studio so, since I recently re-watched Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man , I figured I would give House of Frankenstein another try as well. I didn't remember much about this movie, other than I recalled not enjoying it as much as I thought I would. After re-watching it, I now remember why I had that opinion. On the s...

Synopsis: A pair of newlyweds purchase a castle in 19th century Austria, unaware of the vampire that hides in the wine cellar. Soon after, the vampire targets the bride, Louise, turning her and a castle servant into vampires too, leaving her husband, Marquis Wolfgang, and a vampire expert, Dr. Nietzsche, to stop them. The movie is also known by the title Curse of the Blood Ghouls . Who's in it? The movie stars Walter Brandi, Dieter Eppler, Graziella Granata, Luigi Batzella and Genna Gimmy. Review: I started to watch Slaughter of the Vampires a few weeks ago but was only able to get through the first few minutes and then forgot all about it until coming across it again last night. I decided to watch it this morning and, overall, I would say it was a good choice for a vampire movie. One thing I liked most about this movie is it doesn't waste time. Unlike so many other films, the filmmakers seemed to understand they only had a little over an hour to tell the story and got righ...

Synopsis:  Charley Brewster travels with his friends to Romania to study European artwork as part of a college class. Shortly after arriving, however, he discovers his professor is really infamous vampire Elizabeth Bathory. By the time he convinces his friends he isn’t crazy, it’s already too late and it is up to him to rescue his girlfriend with the help of a reality show vampire hunter. Who's in it?  The movie stars Will Payne, Jaime Murray, Sean Power, Sacha Parkinson and Chris Waller. Review: I had to wait even later than usual for my daughter to get done with theater rehearsal so, in an effort to stay awake, I decided to re-watch Fright Night 2 . The film, much like the first time I watched it, proved to be a surprisingly good choice. The title of the movie is deceptive. Instead of a sequel, as the number 2 would suggest, it is in fact a remake of the 1985 movie set in a different location. When I realized this the first time I watched it, I had some serious doubts. How...

Synopsis: Goody and Stacy are a pair of vampires who refuse to feed off humans and live their lives, at night, trying to keep up with trends so they can continue to pass for women in their 20s. Their lives become more complicated when Stacy falls in love with the son of a vampire hunter and Goody runs into a past love. Who's in it? The movie stars Alicia Silverstone , Krysten Ritter , Wallace Shawn , Malcolm McDowell , Dan Stevens , Sigourney Weaver and Richard Lewis . Review: I forgot to pre-select a morning movie last night and, needing something to watch, I picked out Vamps solely because it had been in my movie library for some time. While I would still stop a bit short of saying it was a good movie, it did turn out to be better than I was expecting. I think the thing I liked best about this film is it does a good job imagining the problems modern-day vampires might have. In the case of Goody (Silverstone), Stacy (Ritter) and their other vampire friends, it included everyth...

Synopsis: Lady Jane Ainsley hunts down vampire Armand Tesla in London during World War I and successfully stakes him, freeing his werewolf assistant from his curse. Twenty-four years later, with London under threat of bombing because of a new World War, Scotland Yard, not believing her vampire explanation, wants to charge her with murder. However, before that can happen, a bomb reopens Tesla's tomb and workers remove the stake, freeing him to regain control over his former assistant and seek revenge against the woman who defeated him. Who's in it? The movie stars Bela Lugosi ,  Frieda Inescort , Nina Foch, Roland Varno and Miles Mander. Review: My wife needed to take my daughter to a friend's house this evening (about a two-hour drive there and back) so, since I had some free time while waiting for her to safely return, I filled it with a movie. As far as I'm concerned, you can't go wrong with a Bela Lugosi vampire movie, so I ended up watching The Return of the ...

Synopsis: With authorities hot on his trail in the Balkans, Dracula boards a train and flees to the United States. Assuming the identity of Bellac Gordal, a Czech artist he killed on his journey, Dracula moves in with the artist's California family while continuing his killing ways and pursuing Bellac's cousin, Rachel. Who's in it? The movie stars Francis Lederer, Norma Eberhardt, Ray Stricklyn, John Wengraf and Virginia Vincent. Review: I've had The Return of Dracula on my list for several years and finally had the opportunity to watch it this morning. While I had more than my fair share of doubts about a film that doesn't have Bela Lugosi in the title role, it ended up being a solid choice. Despite (like most Dracula movies) ignoring the fact Dracula was supposedly killed, the film stays mostly true to form in terms of the Dracula legend. Dracula/Bellac (Lederer) has a good mix of charm and mystery, creating questions about his quirky habits while, at the sa...

Synopsis: German widow Nadja and her son, Elias, board a plane to New York, where she hopes to receive treatment for what appears to be cancer. The plane is hijacked mid-flight and Nadja is shot by one of the men. However, instead of dying from her wounds, as would be expected, Nadja reveals her real condition, vampirism. Determined to protect her son, she soon starts a fight with the hijackers but as her ability to control her disease diminishes and one of the men injects himself with her blood, the plane is soon filled with blood-lusting creatures. Who's in it? The movie stars Peri Baumeister ,  Carl Anton Koch ,  Alexander Scheer ,  Kais Setti and Gordon Brown . Review: My wife and I had time for two movies last night and while I took a quick shower, she picked out Blood Red Sky on Netflix. The movie's description didn't do it a lot of favors, and we both had some serious doubts about the film. However, it turned out to be surprisingly unique and entertaining. My ...

 I love vampire movies and while most of my favorites were made before I was born, two of them were from my 1980s childhood, Fright Night (1985) and The Lost Boys (1987). Today, for reasons I can’t even begin to explain, I asked myself “which is the better of the two?” So, I decided to do an analysis based on five categories:   Category 1 – The cast. I think the thing that stands out for me most when I think of The Lost Boys is the list of actors that could be considered who’s who of the 80s and 90s. There are the “two Coreys” Corey Haim and Corey Feldman . Joining them are Kiefer Sutherland and Alex Winter with Jason Patric and Dianne Wiest having significant roles. Fright Night also has some recognizable names, like Chris Sarandon , Roddy McDowall and William Ragsdale . However, as far as star power goes, I think they are simply outnumbered. Winner: The Lost Boys Category 2 – The main protagonist. While I get why people loved Haim (rest in peace) and I ...

Synopsis: Antonio Sordi is a talented artist whose morbid paintings of deceased women are in demand. Sordi has a secret, however. He believes he is the reincarnated form of a 15th-century ancestor who was burned at the stake for being a vampire and stealing souls. This results in him stalking female victims to kill and then boil after using them as models for his paintings. The movie is also known under the title Track of a Vampire . Who's in it? The movie stars William Campbell , Marissa Mathes , Lori Saunders , Sandra Knight and Karl Schanzer . Review: I overslept by a few minutes this morning and, with my routine thrown off a bit as a result, picked the first movie that popped up in my library, Blood Bath . It was short enough for me to finish watching it before starting my day but other than that, I was left a bit undecided about whether it was a good choice or not. This is a very strange horror movie, to the point I was beginning to wonder if the writers were on some sort o...

Synopsis: As a child, Ellen made a pledge to a mysterious creature in exchange for ending her loneliness, leaving her broken and "soiled" until she falls in love with and marries Thomas Hutter. Soon after their wedding, Thomas is given the task of traveling to Transylvania to complete a real estate transaction with Count Orlok. He accepts despite Ellen's pleas not to and soon discovers Orlok is both a vampire and the creature Ellen made her pledge to years earlier, a pledge Orlok does not intend to let Ellen break. Who's in it? The movie stars Lily-Rose Depp ,  Bill Skarsgård , Nicholas Hoult , Willem Dafoe and Emma Corrin .  Review: While I'm a big fan of the original silent film version of Nosferatu , I had some doubts about this remake when it came out in December. As a result, I decided not to see it in the theater and instead waited until I could watch it at home. My wife and I did that last night, and it turns out I enjoyed the movie a lot more than expec...

Synopsis: Author Ben Mears returns to his hometown to write a book about a house from his childhood he believes to be haunted and evil. While there, a mysterious plague begins to infect residents, and he soon realizes everyone is being turned into vampires. Who's in it? The movie stars David Soul , James Mason , Bonnie Bedelia , Julie Cobb and Elisha Cook, Jr. Review: I remember seeing Salem's Lot when I was just four years old, and it was a television mini-series (we had four channels to choose from back then) and didn't remember much about it. I noticed they remade it recently and decided to re-watch the original before seeing the newer version. After doing so, my opinion of the film was mixed. Movies based on Stephen King books tend to be hit-or-miss for me. Some of them are decent while others were probably better in print. This movie, or at least this version of it, probably falls in the latter category. I'll start out by saying the vampire part of the movie wa...

Synopsis: After one of his patients dies in 1880, Dr. John Pierre is convicted of malpractice and sentenced to life's imprisonment in a penal colony but is instead sent to a prison for the criminally insane run by Dr. Callistratus. Callistratus puts John in charge of helping with blood transfusion experiments on inmates, something he is very uncomfortable with even before he discovers the horrifying reason for the experiments. Who's in it? The movie stars Donald Wolfit , Vincent Ball , Barbara Shelley , Victor Maddern and Andrew Faulds . Review: I had planned on watching another movie this morning but decided on Blood of the Vampire instead because it popped up on the list first. Unfortunately, this one wound up being a rare miss for me as far as movie choices are concerned. The premise of this movie isn't an awful one. In fact, the idea of putting a scientific spin on vampirism is somewhat intriguing. Callistratus (Wolfit) isn't some supernatural demon, he's a...

Synopsis: A series of mysterious deaths in the village of  Kleinschloss cause the village leaders to suspect a vampire. Soon after, suspicions fall on an eccentric man by the name of Hermann Gleib because of his obsession with bats. However, the answer may not be as simple as that. Who's in it? The movie stars Lionel Atwill , Fay Wray , Dwight Frye , Melvyn Douglas and George E. Stone . Review: I picked out The Vampire Bat as my movie this morning for a pair of reasons. One of them was the number of recognizable Hollywood actors that starred in it, especially Hollywood's first scream queen, Wray and a horror movie icon, Frye. The other was the movie's description made it sound like a combination of my two favorite genres, horror and mystery. I think it ended up being a great choice. I think the thing I liked best about this film was the mystery surrounding the deaths. Everyone in the village seemed to be quick to believe it was the work of a vampire, likely one in the ...

Synopsis: After her carriage driver abandons her in a Transylvanian village, French schoolteacher Marianne Danielle accepts an invitation to stay with the Baroness Meinster despite warnings from the locals. While there, she discovers the Baroness' son chained to a wall and frees him, not knowing he is the vampire, Dracula. As Dracula begins feeding on the villagers, the only hope is the vampire hunter Van Helsing. Who's in it? The movie stars Peter Cushing , Marita Hunt , Freda Jackson , Yvonne Monlaur and David Peel. Review: I've been trying to get back in the habit of watching classic movies in my free time and came across The Brides of Dracula last night on Amazon Prime. It's a film I've wanted to watch in the past but never got around to seeing. I changed that early this morning and, overall, thought it was an OK film. David Peel made a halfway decent Dracula, though I'm not really sure if he was supposed to be the real Dracula or just being referred to...

Synopsis: A team of criminals is hired to abduct Abigail, the young daughter of an unknown wealthy man with the promise of being paid a percentage of the $50 million in ransom money. They hold Abigail in a remote mansion with the expectation of it being a simple 24-hour job. Instead, they soon learn the mansion is an elaborate and unescapable trap and their hostage is really a centuries-old vampire. Who's in it? The movie stars Melissa Barrera , Kathryn Newton , Alisha Weir , Dan Stevens and William Catlett. Review: I came across Abigail on Peacock a few days ago and, while I was concerned the trailer gave away too much of the movie for me to be surprised by it, I gave it a chance last night. It turned out to be a great choice. I'll start out by saying that group of criminals had to be some of the dumbest people I've ever seen in a horror movie. Not only were there red flags to begin with, starting with the whole "hand over your cell phones" thing, they still ...

Synopsis : A space shuttle crew encounters an alien vehicle while doing research on the passing Halley's Comet. The alien craft contains seemingly dead bat-like creatures as well as three well-preserved human-like beings. By the time the shuttle returns to Earth, all onboard are dead but the three preserved bodies remain intact and are recovered for research. Unfortunately, the aliens also happen to be vampires capable of sucking a person's lifeforce from their body and turn them into one of their own. Who's in it? The movie stars Steve Railsback , Mathilda May , Frank Finlay , Patrick Stewart and Peter Firth. Review: I had heard about the movie Lifeforce before but couldn't remember if I had ever seen it. Since we were looking for something to watch anyway and this happened to be available on Amazon Prime, my wife and I gave it a try last night. Unfortunately, it wasn't as good as we hoped it would be. This movie is a great example of a good premise that gets w...

Synopsis: The merchant ship Demeter takes on cargo in Bulgaria and sets sail for London. At first, things seem to be going smoothly but a half-dead female stowaway is soon discovered in one of the crates and not long after that, crewmembers are brutally killed one-by-one whenever the sun goes down. The deaths are eventually blamed on a terrible evil known to many by the name Dracula. Who's in it? The movie stars Corey Hawkins ,  Aisling Franciosi ,  Liam Cunningham ,  David Dastmalchian and  Javier Botet . Review: My wife wanted to see this movie when it was out at theaters, but I had a lot of doubts about it. My biggest concern was, since it is a movie based off a chapter in the book Dracula,  and Demeter 's fate is fairly common knowledge, I thought it would end up being too predictable to be entertaining. We finally got around to watching the movie last night on Paramount Plus and it turns out I was wrong. The movie was much worse than I was expecting it t...

Synopsis: A popular Los Angeles high school student learns she is "the chosen one," a re-incarnated vampire slayer that has lived multiple lives and has been killed multiple times by the vampire, Lothos. She is reluctant to accept her inherited role but soon must protect her high school from Lothos and his vampire army. Who's in it? The movie stars Kristy Swanson , Luke Perry , David Arquette , Donald Sutherland , Rutger Hauer and Paul Reubens . Review: I needed a break after doing yard work and wound up looking for something to watch while I caught my breath on the couch. I hadn't seen this movie in a long while and decided to put it on. Even now, I still enjoy it as much as when I first saw it. Is it a goofy movie? Yes, at least at times. However, in a world where movies tend to take themselves a bit too seriously (mostly out of fear of trolls nitpicking every mistake), there's nothing wrong with goofy from an entertainment standpoint. In fact, in many ways, ...