“With its breathless romanticism and divided group loyalties, Night stylishly reinvents juvenile pulp with flashy pyrotechnics.”—Ronnie Scheib, Variety

After stumbling into an underground nightclub (in the bowels of an abandoned amusement park!) and getting a peck on the neck from the proprietor (the statuesque Hoss of Wolfsburg and Jerichow), Lena (Herfurth of A Year Ago in Winter) quickly transforms from a shabby pickpocket into a smoldering sexpot with some curious midnight cravings. She catches the eye of hunky cop Tom, but he soon realizes Lena is part of a foursome of vivacious babes who are really into Berlin’s nightlife. Director Gansel (The Wave) serves up this modern vampire tale with a bloody wink and a few fresh twists thrown in for good measure (who knew that only females are vampires?). In German with English subtitles.

Showtimes:

• Friday, July 8, 8:00pm
• Tuesday, July 12, 8:15pm
• Thursday, July 14, 8:00pm

Gene Siskel Film Center • 164 N. State St.
$11/General Admission; $7 Students (with I.D.); $6 Film Center Members
Discounted parking at the InterPark Self-Park at 20 E. Randolph St.
Rebate ticket available at Gene Siskel Film Center Box Office

(312) 846-2800 • http://www.siskelfilmcenter.org

ChicagoVampire.com has been given a set of Admit Two passes to a special advanced screening of PRIEST 3D, which will take place this Thursday night (May 12th). To win one of these passes (each good for admission for 2 people), simply email PriestChicago@gmail.com with the Subject Line ChicagoVampire.com.

Winners will be notified by/receive their tickets via email – you’ll have to print them out yourself. First-come, first-served – good luck!

PRIEST, a post-apocalyptic action thriller, is set in an alternate world — one ravaged by centuries of war between man and vampires.  The story revolves around a legendary Warrior Priest (Paul Bettany) from the last Vampire War who now lives in obscurity among the other downtrodden human inhabitants in walled-in dystopian cities ruled by the Church.  When his niece (Lily Collins) is abducted by a murderous pack of vampires, Priest breaks his sacred vows to venture out on an obsessive quest to find her before they turn her into one of them.  He is joined on his crusade by his niece’s boyfriend (Cam Gigandet), a trigger-fingered young wasteland sheriff, and a former Warrior Priestess (Maggie Q) who possesses otherworldly fighting skills.

From the always-awesome Kreepylady Kristin:

At long last, our wait is over. Jim Mickle’s post-apocalyptic bad-ass vampire film is finally here! Looks like a lot of Chicago horror folks will be headed to see this on Saturday. Starring Danielle Harris, Kelly McGillis, Nick Damici and Connor Paolo, the story is one of survival after a vampire epidemic halts any notion of normalcy in mankind. Humans become the hunted. Cities in ruins. These vampires are not sparkly, or even attractive. They are vicious, feral beasts out for fresh long pig on a stick.

Connor Paolo plays Martin, whose family gets slaughtered by the beasts and joins a rogue hunter played by Nick Damici (MULBERRY STREET).

Event Details: http://www.musicboxtheatre.com/features/stake-land/

ALSO!

Thanks to Glass Eye Pix, there will be 6 character portraits available for viewing to get a feel for them before watching the film. Larry Fessenden:

“The idea was to invite some of our favorite directors to contribute to the mythology of Stake Land. Each brought their own sensibility to the world that Nick Damici and Jim Mickle created in the feature. And the actors were very gracious to work on these mini-films on their days off during the shoot, lending their talents to directors they didn’t even know. It was a tribute to their commitment and their affection for Stake Land.”

Watch the first two character portraits and check out all the information on this at DreadCentral.com

Stake Land viral site: http://ontoneweden.com/

It was inevitable that somebody would make a movie parody of Twilight and the recent resurgent vampire mania in general. Luckily, that movie looks really funny. VAMPIRES SUCK opens nationwide on Wednesday, August 18th, and [website] has passes for an early-bird Tuesday night (the 17th) advanced screening!

The first 15 people who go to http://www.gofobo.com/rsvp and input the code PRMOPLS8 to RSVP will each receive 2 printable passes, each admits one person, for the Tuesday night screening*.

Even better, there’ll be a contest at the screening for Best Vampire Costume (with prizes!), so be sure to wear your fanged finest.

We’ll also have some tasty Vampires Suck shwag to give away at Lady~A’s CAKE OR DEATH? Birthd~A Celebr~Ation at the Vampire Social Club at Late Bar on Thursday the 19th, along with special guest DJ Scary Lady Sarah.

* The screening is first-come, first-served, so get there early to assure entry. Passes do NOT guarantee admission if theater is full.

It was inevitable that somebody would make a movie parody of Twilight and the recent resurgent vampire mania in general. Luckily, that movie looks really funny. VAMPIRES SUCK opens nationwide on Wednesday, August 18th, and [website] has passes for an early-bird Tuesday night (the 17th) advanced screening!

The first 15 people who go to http://www.gofobo.com/rsvp and input the code PRMO01KY to RSVP will each receive 2 printable passes, each admits one person, for the Tuesday night screening*.

Even better, there’ll be a contest at the screening for Best Vampire Costume (with prizes!), so be sure to wear your fanged finest.

We’ll also have some tasty Vampires Suck shwag to give away at Lady~A’s CAKE OR DEATH? Birthd~A Celebr~Ation at the Vampire Social Club at Late Bar on Thursday the 19th, along with special guest DJ Scary Lady Sarah.

* The screening is first-come, first-served, so get there early to assure entry. Passes do NOT guarantee admission if theater is full.

From Chicago Vampirologist Marty Riccardo:

It seems that a thousand vampire movies have been made over the years, and most of them are pretty bad.  When I come across one that has some quality, I want to spread the word.  I recently watched two that impressed me.  Each of them has come up with a unique premise for a vampire movie, and each of them keeps you guessing about what is fantasy and what is reality.

The first one is titled Bled from 2009.  What if there was a mind-altering drug that could take you into a full-blown vampire experience?  Those who go on this drug trip find it intoxicating and addictive.  The folks who put this film together clearly have a serious interest in how the vampire has a powerful impact on human consciousness.  The gothic imagery and scenery are impressive.

www.bledmovie.com

The other film is even better.  It is a Spanish movie with English subtitles  from 2006.  Titled A Real Friend, it also has a very original story idea.   A young girl has imaginary monster friends who seem quite real to her,   and one of her friends is a vampire.  I like the strangeness and slow pace  of the film. The tension builds to a powerful climax.

http://www.thelightningbugslair.com/2008/09/leatherface-shows-his-tender-side.html

For those who have Comcast free movies on demand in America, these films are available during the summer.

The first trailer for LET ME IN, the American remake of the sublimely beautiful 2008 Swedish vampire film LET THE RIGHT ONE IN, has hit the web, and it looks promising:

Meanwhile, TWILIGHT: ECLIPSE is already destroying box office records, bringing in over $30 million from its 12:01 AM and 3 AM screenings at more than 4,000 North American theaters early Wednesday morning. This was the biggest release in US film history (the prior record was the midnight debut for “New Moon” last November, $26.3M).

And, finally, Chicago vampirologist Martin V. Riccardo brought this to our attention: As ridiculous as it sounds, Ancestry.com reports that Robert “Edward Cullen” Pattinson is related to Vlad Tepes, aka The “Real” Dracula: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/06/24/2935904.htm

By Kristin Carroll

The release of Daybreakers has the Spierig brothers putting an interesting spin on tired vampire stories. With the recent over saturation, many people have simply tuned out bloodsuckers and fangs. Feel free to do so only after giving this one a chance. The film is a fun ride, with exciting action sequences, an interesting plot, and plenty of blood. We are introduced to a future in 2019, where an unknown virus has transformed the majority of the world into vampires. As a result, humans are close to extinction. Almost all remaining are harvested in labs, providing minimal sustenance to the overpopulated vampires.

From the start, the story sucks you in. (Excuse the pun.) Ethan Hawke is introduced as Edward Dalton, a hematologist tasked with developing a blood substitute to replenish food supplies. His research company operates under the leadership of designated bad guy, Charles Bromley, played by Sam Neil. The atmosphere portrays a barely contained panic amongst everyone, as they face their impending doom of starvation. With no substitute-cure in site, vampires begin feeding on themselves, turning into brutal monsters, mirroring corpses with wings and fangs. One cannot help but be drawn into the dark desperation of the vampires.

The film advances with Dalton meeting a renegade group of humans including Willem DaFoe, who discover a vampire cure. As a sympathizer of humans, Dalton rallies for this cure rather than the blood substitute his lab seeks. DaFoe nails his performance, adding comedic value with his warrior-attitude. Both his and Hawke’s appearance in the action sequences are second to none, keeping viewers glued to the screen. The special effects are gripping, memorable and intense, leaving no room for disappointment.

Character development sometimes stops short of its potential, with a missed opportunity to further dissect the relationship between Bromley and his daughter. She refuses to turn vampire, and ultimately, Bromley aids in her demise. We’re nudged to dislike him from the start, though portraying his character as more than one-dimensional would have helped add depth to the storyline. The fact that he isn’t the only evil character, further underscores this lost chance.

Without giving too much away, Daybreakers is an exciting ride, and one I’d recommend seeing in the theater for the action sequences. Although it’s catalogued within the horror genre because it involves vampires, it’s not terribly scary, save for a few jump inducing moments. It should more adequately be billed as a futuristic action-adventure film. But that’s knit picking. Just go see it.

ENTER FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN THE "DAYBREAKERS" SWEEPSTAKES

In Theaters January 8th

The “Subsider” Grand Prize

• Autographed "Daybreakers" poster
• One Pair of tickets to see "Daybreakers"
• Blood Energy Potion
• B+ human blood aluminum water bottle
• meekssandygirl Crochet Vampire Bite Necklace
• "Daybreakers" soundtrack CD
• "Daybreakers" Sunglasses
• Human Blood-y Mary recipe card

The “Edward Dalton” Prize

• "Daybreakers" poster
• Blood Energy Potion
• B+ human blood aluminum water bottle
• "Daybreakers" soundtrack CD
• "Daybreakers" Sunglasses
• Human Blood-y Mary recipe card

The “Audrey Bennett” Prize

• "Daybreakers"poster
• Blood Energy Potion
• B+ human blood aluminum water bottle
• "Daybreakers" soundtrack CD
• "Daybreakers" Sunglasses

ENTER HERE