Blood Ties (1991 - TV) from Tuna

Blood Ties is not at all what I was expecting from a vampire film.

The first thing to know is that they no longer like being called vampires. They prefer the term Carpathian-American, and live in Long Beach, California, home of the Queen Mary, the Spruce Goose, and the Long Beach Grand Prix. Two of their number moved to Texas to bring up their son more normally. Unfortunately the hunters (SCAV, or Southern Christians Against Vampires), led by uber-creepy Bo Hopkins give the parents the old wooden stake in the heart, dirt in the mouth, and burn the body treatment, but let the son escape hoping he will lead them to the main nest. Of course, he obliges, and the two groups head for the inevitable showdown.

Harley Venton plays is a reporter, and a member of the board of the Carpathian clan. He is also accused by them of being an assimilationist, as he would rather use the law to stop the hunters than to attack and suck their blood. His love interest is a deputy DA.

NUDITY REPORT
Kim Johnston Ulrich briefly shows her breast at the end of the film.
The low IMDB rating is a little unfair. They managed to come up with a totally new twist on the vampire theme, which I would have thought impossible, and the film had real energy. It was also symbolic of any minority's struggle against bigotry. I didn't mind watching it at all, although I hope never to have to sit through another normal vampire film.  

The Critics Vote

  • the only reviews online are from bad movie sites - see the IMDb page.

The People Vote ...

IMDb guideline: 7.5 usually indicates a level of excellence, about like three and a half stars from the critics. 6.0 usually indicates lukewarm watchability, about like two and a half stars from the critics. The fives are generally not worthwhile unless they are really your kind of material, about like two stars from the critics. Films under five are generally awful even if you like that kind of film, equivalent to about one and a half stars from the critics or less, depending on just how far below five the rating is.

My own guideline: A means the movie is so good it will appeal to you even if you hate the genre. B means the movie is not good enough to win you over if you hate the genre, but is good enough to do so if you have an open mind about this type of film. C means it will only appeal to genre addicts, and has no crossover appeal. D means you'll hate it even if you like the genre. E means that you'll hate it even if you love the genre. F means that the film is not only unappealing across-the-board, but technically inept as well.

Based on this description, this film is a C.

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