I had a friend who has forgotten more about horror movies than I’ll ever know recommend Innocent Blood from 1992 to me the other day. While my wife and I were perusing a local antique shop, I found a DVD copy of Innocent Blood for $2. Yes, I purchased it. I have to say, my friend was right. This was a very good and very different vampire flick. I’m glad I watched and purchased this one.
First off, I have to say that I am a fan of the vampire character in general. A fresh take on this legendary monster is always welcome to me. This movie offered that. There was the blood drinking and the strength but, there were some added pieces too. For instance, passion and love was added to this story. The lead role, a female vampire, is looking for love more so than bloodlust. The vampires in this movie only require a shot to the head (severing the spine) from a gun, no wooden stakes are required for these guys to from the undead to the dead. This makes it a little easier to deal with them for sure. Cops can just carry their service revolvers and don’t have to sharpen table legs, etc. It also adds the twist that after a vampire bites someone, they have to severe the spine or shoot the person in the head to keep them from turning. This approach to destroying a vampire lets the story take place though.
So, the lead role is out looking for love but still must feed. She learns of a war going on in the mafia. This makes sense to her to kill these guys because it will look normal and keep her hidden. So, she gets a victim but the second invites her to eat with him. This is all well and good until the garlic seasoning in the Italian food becomes a problem. A bodyguard prevents her from the spine severe and the boss turns. He, of course, then turns his “boys” into vampires as well. Now, you have a La Cosa Nostra family blood sucking superhuman strength style. I must say, this was a very unexpected but rewarding crossover. No capes and medallions but, the suits are on point. No Romanian accents but, the cursing is extreme, and the one-liners are great.
The movie has narration from the lead vampire which shines light and is helpful in following the story – you hear the story from her perspective as you move through it. This also clues you in on some of the differences I mentioned, like severing the heads. She also has an accent which is always cool. Her accent is French which is pleasant. It is an interesting twist on the tale though. If I remember correctly from school, French is considered a romantic language. Putting a romantic twist on the vampire story is going in the direction of a win for sure.
The ending of the film is quick which caught me off guard. You expect a drawn out and hefty boss fight but, there’s not much of a duel. There is a fight but, you can almost see the end coming. Then on top of that, there is a small twist that takes place following this final faceoff. It too is foreshadowed and expected but, it’s a good stack onto the ending fight.
I must admit that I watched this as background while I was painting early one morning. I didn’t really get to pay as much attention to is as I would have liked. For this reason, I will certainly watch again. I enjoyed it just from surface value so, I think that a more in-depth watch is in order. If you like vampire movies and have worn out your copy of Dracula and a Hammer collection, give this movie a watch. It is an entertaining film.
You can read reviews on it from IMDB at Innocent Blood (1992) – Innocent Blood (1992) – User Reviews – IMDb
Roger Ebert has a review to read at Innocent Blood movie review & film summary (1992) | Roger Ebert