not as good as all the hype

Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

Blistering performances.

What do we have here then? A Jess Franco vampire Western, shot in Spain on a micro-budget. Lina Romay plays Alice Brown, a journalist who travels to Sh*t City in search of someone called Frank Spencer (Steve Barrymore). He warns her that the town has been taken over by vampires. Spencer's initial voice-over compares the town to an old stage set, and even mentions Universal mummy actor Tom Tyler.As with all One Shot Productions' collaborations with Franco, this is shot entirely on video and features many outdated digital effects. It plays like an elongated music video from the early eighties. The vampire attacks, dreamed of by a naked sleeping Romay, are as thrilling as they could possibly be under the circumstances. In fact, I'd go as far as saying that stutter-motion punk-vampires baring their fangs under a cloud of harsh video lighting are far more effective in their own way, than an over-priced CGI bloodbath. Stylish and sophisticated it isn't, but there are raw and savage chills here. And then, with typical Franco unevenness, this is followed by an intimate shared shaving scene that achieves nothing and goes on long enough to bore rigid even the most committed viewer (although I have seen reviews that touch on this scene as a highlight). The delirious riot of sensuality that can accompany the vampiric act can be a very evocative thing to explore, but really, was there really no-one around to trim this segment (no pun intended)? Other scenes, like the two half-naked vampire lesbians enjoying each other, to the sound of pouring rain and the relentless windscreen wipers on Romay's (clearly static) car, are strangely effective and hallucinogenic – especially as their lovemaking is next to a window letting in glaring sunshine. Somehow, it works.Other scenes, like Romay being arrested in her car by a voice-over, are definite one shot productions.When she is eventually seduced by the two, they move in an eerie and unnatural crab-like contortions. The resulting scenes achieve little than remind us that Romay is a good 25 years older than her attackers.Another riotous mixed bag from latter-day Uncle Jess. There are good scenes and moments here, but you may have to fast-forward through the static erotica to find them.

Vampire Junction (2001) * (out of 4) Jess Franco film, once again for One Shot Productions. I really have no idea what the story is about but it's something like a woman (Lina Romay) being stalked by two lesbian vampires. I think this is the final Franco/One Shot film that I needed to watch and I've got no problem in saying this is the worst period of Franco's career. There are some terrible films in this period and while this here only gets one star, it's actually one of the better ones. The biggest killer is that there isn't any type of story and the budgets are so low that it's really not clear what the hell Franco is trying to do. To make matters worse, for some reason he tries various camera tricks with color that just don't work. The performances are all bad and the direction is lazy but we do get countless lesbian scenes so have it.

If you're a big fan of Jess Franco or Lina Romay then this is worth watching just to see newer work and compare it to the older stuff. If you've never seen any of their work, this isn't a good introduction.The plot is convoluted and incoherent, as is much of Franco's work, but in this film he adds some cheap special effects, and as much of his trademark camera work as can be done with a video cam in a hotel room. It's basically a vampire tale, without the eroticism of their Lust for Dracula or the interesting things done with film in their earlier works. I say their work because I give Lina Romay at least as much credit as Franco, maybe more.There is the almost obligatory scene of euro-skanks having pseudo-relations with each other, although it gets a little better at the end when Ms. Romay joins the action. She still manages to bring some fun into what would otherwise be a complete mess; without her I doubt anyone would allow Franco near a camera.If you're a fan of the seventies euro-sleaze Franco specialized in, this isn't quite up to that level, although it tries. Watch it for a glimpse of what he's up to now, but don't expect a lot.

"Vampire Junction" isn't all that terrific, but there are plenty of Franco-ish touches on display.**SPOILERS**During a daylight rainstorm, journalist Alice Brown, (Romay) drives to a remote Old West town in search of pioneering surgeon Dr. Spencer, (Steve Barrymore) a potential interview subject. Upon her arrival, she is directed to a nearby saloon, where a fatigued Dr. Spencer cowers at a table near Irina, (Samantha Olsen) his wife. Offering her a room for the night, she is tormented in her sleep by a series of visions of vampires who try to attack her. Upon awakening, she finds herself unable to leave the town following a strange murder. Resigned to staying, she pumps the residents for information and suffers countless visions of vampires. Finally figuring out that she's the target of a deranged vampire Countess who wants to initiate her into the vampire fold, she fights to escape the town and it's deadly creature.The Good News: This one wasn't the complete train-wreck that was to be expected. One of the most striking things about this one was that it was far sleazier than it should've been. The most memorable one, which is the dream vision of two naked women rubbing all over each other in a really long, intense sex scene. That both are wearing bright red fright wigs is a really new touch, and gives it a small spark of ingenuity. As it continues, they both start to lick up shaving cream from each other, and in the shining moment of sleaze, bring out a razor and shave each other's private areas until they bleed. It is a really unforgettable moment that wouldn't seem out of place in the earlier versions of his works. As usual in one of these films, Romay is without clothing for much of her screen-time, and that in itself is a take-it-or-leave-it affair that will automatically differentiate those who want to view this from those who won't. The surreal aspects of the film, from the constant hallucinations to the dream-like imagery and the non-linear plot will seem like old hat for Franco, and they are pulled off here in nice detail. The film does feel like many of his classics and gives it a nice appeal to his older fans. Some of the dream-like moments are pretty surreal, such as the man sequences where the vampires are drifting up and down staircases or the disappearing lone male vampire in the middle of the town countless times, do give it a nice atmospheric quality and are quite well handled. This really did have some good moments.The Bad News: This wasn't all that great, and there were a few things wrong with it. The most obvious is that the film literally doesn't make any sense. Whole scenes are thrown in just for random effect and have no bearing on what's going on at all. The constant scenes of the reporter in the hotel room typing away at the computer are randomly there and have no purpose, as the mystery about what's going on is never presented in the manner that it has to be solved with some sleuthing. The threat of what's going on isn't revealed until the end anyway, so there's no reason to be writing down thoughts and ideas anyway. This is all the more confusing as it feels like a western, as evidenced by the old west facades, characters and clothing worn by the male characters, but the action takes place in seemingly modern day with cars, laptop computers and cell phones. Even more confusing is a vampire who can be reached at his very own web address. It's all just really hard to explain and doesn't make a whole lot of sense. There's also a plethora of shots or ideas that are started and never follow through on. The reason for the interview is never given, and once the first denied opportunity passes, it never is brought up again. The main heavy isn't told until mid-way through, and the motivations are never really clear. There's also a couple of times a scene of a person driving in a heavy rain-storm are shown but they don't really amount to anything. There is also a strange male narration at the beginning that may or may not be speaking for a female character. If you can stand it, these are stand-able problems, but the film is just so confusing that it's hard to get through.The Final Verdict: While it's nowhere near as good as the features from his earliest works, this is still a relatively harmless Franco effort from his newer catalog. It features enough sleaze and perverse story-telling to appeal to fans of his classics, but there isn't anything else on display that would warrant anything more than a passing rental if interested for his non-fans.Rated R: Full Nudity, several sex scenes, Violence and some Language