Sundown: The Vampire In Retreat

Mardulak (David Carradine) is a benevolent vampire who wants to reform his kind and teach them to live in peace with humans. To this end, he has established a vampire community in Purgatory, Utah, and hired a scientist to perfect an artificial form of blood. But against this idea of peace and fake "food" is rival vamp Ethan Jefferson (John Ireland), and he's amassing an army of vampire malcontents to destroy Mardulak and return the population of Purgatory to their bloodsucking lifestyle. Caught in the middle are the scientist (Jim Metzler) and his family (Morgan Brittany, Vanessa Pierson, and Erin Gourlay); Robert Van Helsing (Bruce Campbell), descendant of the venerable hunter of vampires, who has "stumbled" into Purgatory; and a couple of hapless teens who witness the death of a friend at the hands of a hotheaded vamp.While it's not the first vampire movie to be set in the Southwest U.S.--it was preceded by Kathryn Bigelow's NEAR DARK (1987), among others--SUNDOWN: THE VAMPIRE IN RETREAT is perhaps one of the first to suggest that vampires could safely venture out into the light of day using sunscreen and big cowboy hats. Other intriguing and original ideas, combined with loads of wry humor, blood & violence, and numerous stars of TV & film, make this movie a stand-out satire of both vampire films and westerns. All of this is underscored, of course, by top-notch performances from Carradine, Campbell, Ireland, and venerable actor M. Emmet Walsh (1984's BLOOD SIMPLE, among countless others).Aside from the hilarious, well-written script and the wonderful acting, another notable aspect of this film is Richard Stone's musical score. Astute moviegoers will recognize the influence of numerous Western scores, as well as bits and pieces from the themes of various vampire films. The result is a delightful musical pastiche that is almost as satirical and as entertaining as the overall film itself.The DVD edition of SUNDOWN: THE VAMPIRE IN RETREAT from Lions Gate offers a pristine digital transfer of the film at its original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 (enhanced for widescreen TVs), along with an outstanding Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. Bonus material includes a feature commentary with director Anthony Hickox and cinematographer Levie Isaacks; interviews with stars David Carradine, Bruce Campbell, and M. Emmet Walsh; and a cool photo gallery.SUNDOWN: THE VAMPIRE IN RETREAT is a unique and satirical horror comedy that should appeal to anybody who enjoys both vampire films and westerns, and it will especially appeal to fans of actors David Carradine and Bruce Campbell. At amazon.com's reasonable price of admission, all serious horror fans should consider adding this wonderful film to their collections.

Keep the remote in your hand because you are gonna need it. Bruce Campbell is amazing (as usual). But you can't hear him (or anyone else) once you lower the volume for absurdly loud background sounds.

It's an 80s vampire western with Bruce Campbell. Dont really need to say more. Watch it.

This is if not one of the best Vampire movies I have ever had the pleasure of watching. I actually remember stumbling upon this gem one night in 1991 late night on Cinemax while I was living in Mesa AZ with a friend. After I watched it I was hooked. I am not a big fan of Vampire movies but this one was just one you don't ever forget. This has to be a cult classic at least. Most movies just fall by the way side that are extremely good. Luckily this was not one of them. I'm glad I found this, as it is never shown anymore least that I know of. The whole cast in here is perfect and the comedy and dark humor even better. If your a fan of any humor, horror, or just a real good movie to curl up to with your favorite person and watch one night this the perfect one.

I had no idea that this movie existed. I was scrolling through the horror movie section in my Prime Video account when I saw this one available to rent or buy. An old horror comedy starring Bruce Campbell? Hell yeah! So I watched it, and it was alright. The acting was ok except for the two little girls. Bruce Campbell of course was hilarious, unfortunately he wasn't the main character like the poster art would make you believe. The movie has some good humor and the story involving vampires trying to coexist with humans by drinking synthetic blood reminds me a lot of the show True Blood that would come out years later...I wonder if the creators of the show were fans of this? It does have some decent practical effects, though the stop-motion bats sometimes don't incorporate very well. Really the only problem with the movie is that it adds a lot of characters and details that either don't get explored/explained very much or are completely superfluous to the story...wow, that's a big word that I thought I'd never use. Also the weird soap opera drama between the husband and wife feels totally out of place with the movie's tone, as does the attempted rape scene early on. Also also the drawn out shootout at the finale is, well, pretty drawn out. I get that this is a homage to westerns, but even those movies don't have gunfights that last over 20 minutes. Overall this movie is an ok watch if you're a fan of horror comedies, vampires, and Bruce Campbell even if he's underutilized. Also David Carradine is in this, which is pretty cool even if he also is underutilized.

I love this movie. Sure - it's kinda stupid, but its a lot of fun. David Carradine is fabulous as the not-so-villainous villain. Bruce Campbell has a minor role, but he manages to steal a enough scenes so that his fan-base will be happy ... although the real scene-stealer here is M. Emmet Walsh as Mort (the raggedy and unexpectedly heroic gas station attendant). The film has it all: vampires, cowboys, gunfights, and good dose of comedy. It's up there with the original Fright Night as one of my all time favourite vampire flicks. As for the DVD, it's a good as you can expect with with crisp picture, clear audio and subtitles. I'd really love to see this on bluray in HD, but I'm happy with this DVD version in the interim.

"Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat," released by Vestron on Blu-ray, is a fantastic way to relive childhood memories. The delivery was prompt and efficient. The movie itself is a fun blend of horror and comedy, featuring a unique plot that remains entertaining even today. The picture quality is excellent, enhancing the viewing experience and making the film feel fresh. This release captures the charm and quirky appeal of the original, proving that it still holds up well over time. For those who grew up with this cult classic, it's a must-have. Vestron has done a great job with this release, making it highly recommended for both nostalgic fans and new viewers.

Amusingly campy, as expected.

Oui merci ce film retient bien Bruce Campbell donc oui il m’a plus et puis avec l’exelant Carradin ct grandiose

Ich kann mich da nur anschliessen, Ich habe ebenfalls schon Jahre auf diese veröffentlichung gewarten, und mittlerweile hatte ich die Hoffnung auch schon aufgegeben ....Und hier ist er nun ... *Sundown - Rückzug der Vampire*Ein wirklich unterhaltsamer Film mit sehr viel HumorKann ich nur empfehlen, und dann auch noch zu diesem Preis!!!

Well I’ve been waiting for this to come out on blu ray for a long time as my dvd version I had someone nicked it and it was very very rare till this came out but I bought this as it looks better on blu ray thanks vestron for bringing it back .