Kingdom of the Vampire
Review by Peter Syslo

KINGDOM OF THE VAMPIRE (2007) is a really cool DVD package from the folks at Tempe Video (www.tempevideo.com). It contains the 2007 version (remake) of the film and also the original 1991 version, which is remastered. I know I always say that I am sick of remakes, but this is one successful case where a lesser-known film was taken and redone in a very interesting way. I actually have never heard of the original film, but prior to the boom of the internet many things like this just quietly passed me by. That is one great thing about the cyber age and the internet revolution – smaller, independent art forms can have their voice heard and can reach many people.

KINGDOM OF THE VAMPIRE (2007) is written by Janet S. Waltham and is directed by Brett Kelly. It stars Brett Kelly, Karin Landstad, Anastasia Kimmett, and Chip Hair. For comparison, the original 1991 version is directed by J.R. Bookwalter and it stars Matthew Jason Walsh, Cherie Patry, Shannon Doyle, and Tom Stephan.

The 2007 film is about the relationship between a dominating mother and a submissive son, who are both vampires (in the remake you kind of wonder if they are really vampires, though). The son, Jeff, tries to lead a normal life by having a night job at a video store and he develops a relationship with a girl named Nina. Meanwhile, the mother is killing people in the community, while Jeff is always cleaning up the mess she left behind. The mother and Jeff constantly clash over the vampire “philosophy” and she wishes that Jeff would simply embrace his vampire self. After awhile, the police chief gets suspicious and starts investigating Jeff and his mother. Jeff tries to keep up a relationship with Nina, but she wants to know what he is ultimately hiding. In the end, all things come to a head and unfortunately, tragedy befalls our main characters.

I liked both versions of this film and it is interesting because the two versions sort of complement each other, almost like an original/sequel dynamic. The 2007 remake seems to focus more on the passionate relationship of Jeff & his “girlfriend” Nina and in this one, the mother is more of a “romantic” vampire; there is kind of that Lestat/Louis relationship between mother and son (the mother seems to bask in the glory of being one of the last vampires and she is very “operatic” about the whole idea). Conversely, the mother in the original is much more ruthless and is like Carrie White’s mother – abusive and deranged in her philosophy and mindset. I think that the original focuses much more on the human aspect of a son defying the overbearing rule of his mother and the problems only intensify with the vampire factor thrown in. T he relationship between Jeff and Nina doesn’t seem as strong as in the remake but you do get the idea that Jeff is trying to be a normal adolescent, and this is what he has to put up with on a daily basis. In short, the two films focus more heavily on different aspects of the story, but the overall plot is the same. However, you almost get the feeling at the end of the remake that the mother and Jeff may not really be vampires. In the remake, they don’t look as vampire-like and it makes you wonder if they are really vampires or has the mother just lost touch with reality and brainwashed Jeff into believing that he is a creature of the night (plus Jeff says something at the end which makes you think) - I guess that it could be left open to interpretation.

Regarding the other aspects of the films, the 2007 version does look and sound really good; the camera work is very smooth and the shots flow together very nicely, telling the story with that classic “vampire” atmosphere. The 1991 version also looks and sounds good and is very impressive for the time period, before digital video – the remastering probably refined it some. The acting in both films was pretty good, although I think that some of the acting in the original seemed to be a little more “natural” – at times, some of the acting in the 2007 version seemed a bit over dramatic, but one could say that it fits in with some of the ambiguity of the characters (namely the mother). I felt that the mother (Patry), in the original, was the best performance of that film and I felt that Nina (Kimmett) was the best in the 2007 remake – I don’t know what it was but she just made her “crush” on Jeff so realistic and passionate; she made me wish that the 2007 ending was different.

Cutting to the chase: I liked both versions of this film, nearly equally. I think that they are well worth the time and Tempe has really put together a great package, having both on the same disc. If I have to choose though, I think that I probably like the 2007 version slightly more than the original – that is because 2007 gave me a little more of an emotional response (it was like a dark romance). The only thing I didn’t like about these two films was the ending, especially in the 2007 version – I felt that the film climaxed and then that was it; I wanted to see more, a different outcome, or something else. I guess you could say that I invested myself in the film and I guess that is “kudos” to both filmmakers.