SYNOPSICS
Blood Ties (1991) is a English movie. Jim McBride has directed this movie. Harley Venton,Patrick Bauchau,Kim Johnston Ulrich,Michelle Johnson are the starring of this movie. It was released in 1991. Blood Ties (1991) is considered one of the best Horror,Thriller movie in India and around the world.
This film concerns the exploits of the "Carpathian American" society in Long Beach. Carpathian Americans are just like any other expatriate organization, they enjoy family get together, and share business opportunities (cf the Italian Americans ...). There is just one minor difference, the Carpathian Americans seem to have a predilection for drinking human blood. The film begins somewhere deep in the bible belt where teenager Cody wakes to find that intruders have just skewered his parents and are about to set fire to them for good measure. Despite being shot by a crossbow bolt Cody makes his escape from the "hunters". He remembers his parent's advice to him that if he was ever in trouble he should contact his uncle in Long Beach. The uncle turns out to be a local businessman (of an unscrupulous nature) and also a leading light in the "Carpathian American" society. Cody is introduced to other members of the society notably Harry, a crusading journalist and his non-Carpathian ...
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Blood Ties (1991) Reviews
B-movie that doesn't take itself seriously
I was pleasantly surprised when I saw this as it was both funny and put a modern twist on the vampire theme. It's got enough to keep it going although perhaps not for those who like the traditional depictions but fun. Best suited for a late night movie-fest.
Hot, well-written "modern vampire" movie
Their ancestors came from Carpathia. They're stronger, live longer, and heal more quickly than other people. And, yes, they have a taste for blood, especially in moments of extreme anger or passion. But don't call them "vampires"; that's the name given to them by the group SCAV (Southern Coalition Against Vampires), people whose rhetoric makes them sound more like recruiters for the KKK than heroic "vampire hunters" such as Van Helsing or Buffy. As you can see, this film tried - and succeeded - to get away from traditional "Bram Stoker" derivatives and come up with its own ideas about what "real" vampires are. Our hero, Cody (a very young Jason London) is sleeping peacefully in his and his parents' isolated farm house when intruders (from the aforementioned SCAV) break in and kill his parents by staking them in the heart and filling their mouths with Carpathian earth (apparently their theory on how you make sure a staked vamp stays dead). He comes into his parents' room while they are still there, and is shot in the side, but is allowed to get away by his parents' killers in hopes that he will lead them to other vampires (as SCAV calls them). Not knowing what else to do, Cody travels to California to a distant relative, Eli (Patrick Bauchau). He soon learns the truth about his heritage - his parents were "Carpathian-Americans", the term our modern-day, "real" vampires use for themselves. Cody soon finds himself unsure whether to listen to the leader of a group of young C-A's who ride motorcycles a'la the Lost Boys, who tells him, "If you're gonna have the name, you might as well have the game", or the older Harry (Harley Venton), who does not advocate killing because "it makes us what they (SCAV) say we are" and tells Cody, "This is what your parents didn't want for you. This is why they left". In the end, he has a choice of whether to participate in the death-by-blood-drinking of his parents' killers ordered by Carpathian elders who keep to the "old (vampirish)ways". Harry also has a controversial relationship with a lovely blonde (Kim Johnston Ulrich) who Eli refers to as a "WASP popsy" and "the Pilsbury Dough Girl", and who the rival for his affections, sexy fellow Carpathian Celia (Michelle Johnson), who is more than happy to "do the nasty" with Harry "Carpathian Style" (in other words, with biting and blood), refers to as a "Twinkie". A gem in the made-for TV vampire genre that shouldn't be overlooked by fans.
Surprisingly Intriguing
*Partial SPOILER alert* I randomly picked up this video when scanning the video store for vampire movies to watch for a paper and I expected it to be complete and utter tripe, but I was pleasantly surprised. It has a great deal of shortcomings, mainly because of the fact that it was a television movie and therefore had limited resources. But the concepts and ideas posed in this film were quite different and interesting. The issue of racism and xenophobia was a little less subtle than I would have liked but definitely provided another interesting twist in this story in which the vampires aren't the "undead," but just a large family from the country of Carpathia with slightly, different tendencies and cravings. My friend and I decided that we wished they had played up the moral ambiguity of the two opposing groups, the Carpathians and SCAV members, a bit more. While the story allows us to sympathize with the Carpathians, we can't forget that they basically aren't law abiding citizens. However, the vampire hunters, or SCAV, don't display any sort of redeeming qualities. All-in-all, this was a great film considering what other sorts of horror or sci-fi made-for-tv-films are out there and I think it's definitely worth viewing.
Decent watch for a vampire twist.
Blood Ties is, as a story, an interesting look at the possible historical origin of vampire mythos and how that might have manifested itself into modern times. The "carpathians" in the film are not technically classic vampires (i.e. they walk around in daylight, etc.), but it is a fresh take on vampires for any vampire film fan. The production is par for vampire films, and the performances are of good quality.
Great Fun for Vamp Lovers!
I really think this movie presented night-time soap opera quality. It should have been made into a series. It shedded new light on the idea of vampyrs. The type in Blood Ties were born into darkness but, made choices on the direction of their being. If they kill or not. It also brought an interesting viewpoint of Lilith's nature and legend. She was said to be the first feminist. But, in Blood Ties she was also the birthing device of hell's children and the counterpart to slavic Dracula. I wish they would continue on this path with the subject of vampyrs.