A group of three friends are camping in the southwest when one of them goes on a coke bender and decides to drive into a small town near them to fill up on gas. He picks the wrong station. Acting like an ass, he pisses off one of the three old men who run the station. The old man knocks his block off (literally) and we learn that this small town is inhabited by nothing but vampires. They use super sun block to protect their skin during the day and drink a synthetic kind of blood to survive. The only problem is, something is wrong at the plant and they have to bring in an outsider to help. In comes David (Jim Metzler) and his family. They eventually discover the town is run by a guy named Mardulak (David Carradine) who is really Dracula! Oh, and along comes a descendent of Van Helsing (Bruce Campbell) just to spice things up. One more oh: there’s a conflict between the vampires, one group wanting to go back to the old ways, the others, led by Mardulak, hoping to stay the course. A big fight happens, vampires die, and conflicts get resolved. It’s just another couple of days in Sundown.
This is the second film by Anthony Hickox, coming fresh off his big debut with Waxwork. As with his previous movie, this one continues along with the horror comedy, although Sundown is much more in the comedic realm than Waxwork. There’s really nothing scary going on here, other than a few minor bits. Mostly, it’s fairly gory and fairly funny. The mood is light and stays that way throughout. There’s a few rollicking fight scenes and a lot of rifle blasting at the end. This movie could be called a Horror Western, I guess, but since its set in the modern 80s, I would say not. This was a bit too goofy for me to highly recommend but it is fun, if a tad bit long (knocking fifteen minutes off would have helped). Special kudos to the cast, who seem to be having a blast.
Sundown isn’t a movie that will set your vampire ass on fire. It’s good, not spectacular. The jokes are middling but the spirit is right. Everyone is enjoying themselves, chewing the scenery in all the right places. Overall, it’s the kind of movie that is amusing as a Saturday matinee kind of thing, when you’ve got nothing else to watch but still want to be entertained. A good effort, not as good as Waxwork or its sequel, but fun nonetheless.
Two Stars out of Four