Vampire Zombies... from Space! (Blu-ray Review)
Director
Michael StaskoRelease Date(s)
2024 (January 20, 2026)Studio(s)
Dot Film Company (Cleopatra Entertainment/MVD Entertainment)- Film/Program Grade: B
- Video Grade: A
- Audio Grade: A
- Extras Grade: A
Review
Science fiction films of the 1950s were typically shot in black & white and centered on monsters threatening humanity and a race against time to stop them. That era was also the heyday of director Ed Wood, whose Plan 9 from Outer Space ranked for years as the worst movie ever made. Vampire Zombies... from Space! is a contemporary film that revisits those days in a parody that captures both the innocence and the audacity of low-budget sci-fi filmmakers.
In 1957, the small fictional town of Marlow has been targeted by intergalactic beings for invasion by vampires who have discovered a way to infect humans and turn them into a cross between vampires and zombies. An eerie opening scene shows a mother of two being killed by an explosive ray from a flying saucer. Many of these saucers are hovering over the town under the command of Count Dracula (Craig Gloster), whose make-up and high-collared cape suggest Bela Lugosi’s megalomaniac nephew.
Extraterrestrial Dracula’s goal is to assemble a personal army of vampire zombies. He’s counseled by a trio with vampiric credentials: Nosferatu (David Liebe Hart), a vampire lookalike of Francis Ford Coppola’s Dracula (Martin Ouellette), and Vampira (Judith O’Dea, “Barbara” of George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead). Dracula and his army of the undead are opposed by the local police force, the U.S. military, and even anti-establishment teenagers.
Police chief Ed Clarke (Andrew Bee) is a drunk and Colonel Harlan Talbot (Simon Reynolds) is a walking nutcase sent by the military to help fight the zombies but is more inclined to spout deranged monologues. Wallace (Rashaun Baldeo), a recent transfer cop from the big city, is the only character who seems level-headed. He can’t get used to the dysfunctional police and tries on his own to figure out how best to save the town.
Director Mike Stasko has fashioned an homage not only to Ed Wood’s films but also to Night of the Living Dead, any number of Dracula films, and 1970s gorefests. The blend is ambitious and often hilarious as the mash-up pokes fun at many tropes of low-budget filmmaking. However, this film is beautifully shot, suggesting Mel Brooks’ take-off on Universal horror films of the 1930s, Young Frankenstein. In addition to the obvious visual gags such as bats and miniature flying saucers on visible strings, a flying saucer with bat wings, and the exaggerated make-up for Dracula, the film offers some impressive special effects, such as the destruction of the mother, gory blood-soaked images of zombie victims, and grotesque zombie make-up. One sequence is particularly funny and well executed. It involves an unusual fight between two brothers.
Unlike the monster flicks dating back seven decades, Vampire Zombies... from Space! contains quite a lot of salty language, much of it standing in for what could have been clever dialogue. The finale boasts impressive production value with 150 extras battling the invaders. The spoof will be best appreciated by those familiar with the movies being lampooned, but even without that reference, the film is a goofy excursion into a bizarre world.
Captured digitally by director of photography Ken Amlin with Arri Alexa cameras, Vampire Zombies... from Space! is presented in black & white in the widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The cinematography is beautiful, capturing the sci-fi monster movies of the 1950s with crisp, sharp images. Costumes, period automobiles, hairstyles, and everyone smoking cigarettes suggest a bygone era. Blacks are deep and velvety and the grayscale is nicely rendered. The opening sequence grabs the viewer with its dramatic lighting, flashlights throwing odd shadows in a cornfield, and an otherworldly, blinding ray seeming to freeze the helpless family.
Two soundtrack options are available: English 2.0 Stereo and English 5.1 Surround. English SDH subtitles are an available option. Dialogue is clear and distinct, essential for a comedy in which the jokes must be heard clearly. Sound effects include the humming of flying saucers, an explosion, crowd chaos, gunfire, body parts being ripped and torn, wooden stakes being driven into zombies’ hearts, and police sirens.
Bonus materials on the Blu-ray release from Cleopatra Entertainment include the following:
- Audio Commentary with Director and Cast & Crew
- Cast & Crew Interview (16:23)
- Cult Icons: Judith O’Dea (4:04)
- Cult Icons: Lloyd Kaufman (3:19)
- Deleted Scenes (4:54)
- Windsor International Film Festival Highlights (1:30)
- Slideshow (3:12)
- Trailer (1:20)
- Mirror Life: Modern Zombies Trailer (2:24)
- Fear Cabin Trailer (1:20)
- Cocaine Werewolf Trailer (1:24)
- Afraid Trailer (1:00)
- The Beast Hand Trailer (1:10)
- Silent Bite Trailer (1:19)
- Lion Girl Trailer (1:58)
Commentary – Director Mike Stasko and cast and crew members share this commentary. Stasko says that, inspired by Young Frankenstein and Ed Wood’s films, he first had the idea of Vampire Zombies... from Space! when he was in the tenth grade. He tried to make the movie with his friends. Years later he found a hard copy of the script and adapted it. Many scenes from that original screenplay made it into the final film. That’s why, he explains, that many of the gags seem to be “sophomoric” since it was written when he was just that—a high school sophomore. Stasko says that he was fortunate to have a cast of very good actors, two of whom were “really great,” though he tactfully doesn’t identify them and provides background on key actors. Various crew members contribute anecdotes about the making of the film. One of the little girls in the flying saucer attack didn’t like having stage blood splattered all over her and told her mother she didn’t want to do this anymore. Location filming took place in the towns of Essex, Harrow, and Kingsville in Ontario. The sheriff’s office was shot in the historic Essex Railway Station. Stasko and co-writers Jakob Skrzypa and Alex Forman discuss early versions of the script and the use of stock footage in the TV news coverage scene. Clips from Wings, Night of the Living Dead and White Zombie were included. A second unit involved 150 extras who created the “chaos” needed for the battle between the townspeople and the aliens as multiple cameras ran simultaneously. Among the extras were lots of family and friends. Stasko regrets that the last few minutes of the film lack any jokes. He confesses that he and the producers didn’t know how to end the film. Their final choice leaves the viewer with an element of mystery. Summing up the commentary, Stasko notes, “It feels like a 30s film... it took a community to make this film... on a shoestring budget.”
Cast & Crew Interview – Mike Stasko, writer/co-producer Jakob Skrzypa, writer/co-producer Alex Forman, cinematographer Ken Amlin, production manager Ted Bizarre, make-up artist Stephanie Johnston, and special effects expert Mitchell Branget discuss inspirations for Vampire Zombies... from Space! Clips from the film and behind-the-scenes footage are shown as they speak.
Cult Icons: Judith O’Dea – O’Dea introduces herself as “Barbara” from the original Night of the Living Dead. She plays Vampira, one of the three-creature counsel in Vampire Zombies... from Space!, and was impressed with the energy of the young cast and crew.
Cult Icons: Lloyd Kaufman – Kaufman, the president of Troma Entertainment, plays a character in the film who repeatedly exposes himself in public. In a jokey interview, he speaks about horror films he’s seen and declares “I live on in Vampire Zombies... from Space!”
Deleted Scenes – The five scenes included are Wallace Confronts Greasers, Clarke and Wallace in Cemetery, Mary Returns Home, Mrs. Alfonzo, and Cleaning Up Bodies.
Windsor International Film Festival Highlights – In montage format, the cast and crew are shown on stage at the Capitol Theatre in Ontario, Canada in October, 2024. The audience is shown filing in and eventually packing the theater where the film will be shown. There’s no narration.
Slideshow – Several behind-the-scenes photographs show green-screen shots, application of horror make-up, and the crew setting up and filming scenes. The movie’s theme song, Smoke Smoke Smoke, is played as one picture after another is shown.
Vampire Zombies... from Space! is an affectionate send-up of movies loved by not only the filmmakers but many of us who spent countless Saturday matinees at local movie theaters savoring the action and easily forgiving the unconvincing special effects. Though some “effects” are intentionally tawdry, others are state-of-the-art, such as the gore effects and zombie make-up. The film reaches back to the 50s but takes a detour to the 70s with these graphic images. Many performances are over the top, which is part of the fun. The film has nostalgic value, but also delivers an entertaining if often loopy story.
- Dennis Seuling