Sundown: The Vampire In Retreat (1990) 7/10

Like many horror fans, I love Bruce Campbell. I cut my horror teeth on Army Of Darkness and eventually discovered Evil Dead 1 & 2 which led me deeper down the rabbits hole. Ever since that time as wee child i knew that Sundown: The Vampire In Retreat existed. I searched high and low but couldn't find it anywhere. It was impossible to find on ebay since it was in its infancy and no local rental places had it in stock. Fast forward to a few months ago, out of nowhere, the film is finally released on dvd. Was it worth the wait? Yes.

Sundown is about a small town in the middle of nowhere that serves as a haven for a group of vampires. Shedding their homicidal behaviour they get their blood through a complicated process that creates artificial blood. Now they can finally live in peace and no longer have to hunt by night and live hand to mouth. The problem? Some of the vampires are bored and want to go back to the old ways so they sabotage the machine and prepare for war.

The film is wonderfully silly and light hearted and a true pleasure to watch. The general atmosphere is akin to aforementioned Army Of Darkness. Now, Bruce Campbell plays a fairly small role here. He plays the great great great grandnephew of Van Helsing. David Carradine plays the head vampire and there's a slew of character actors that round out the rest of the cast. The pacing is great and although the film is on the long side it doesn't feel long. The production value is very high here as well. The film was shot in stunning 35mm film using cranes and aerial shots, jibs, dolly shots, you name its probably represented here. The film was actually shot in muab Utah so the scenery is truly a feast for the eyes as well.

Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat is a breath of fresh air in a time where nihilism, hyper violence and cynicism are the norm in the horror world. Its so refreshing to see a well acted, beautifully directed horror film that's light hearted and fun. This is a must see for Bruce Campbell fans and fans of comedy/horror films in general.

Gore-mild

Nudity- none

Overall - 7/10