Tales From The Crypt: Bordello of Blood / Tales From The Crypt: Demon Knight

BORDELLO OF BLOOD Wisecracking private eye Rafe Guttman (Dennis Miller) investigates some strange happenings at a titillating bordello on the edge of town. It seems owner Madam Lilith (Angie Everhart) and her luscious cohorts want more than money-they want blood! Soon Rafe finds himself up to his neck in a den of hungry vampiresses and battling the Reverend Jimmy Current (Chris Sarandon), a slick televangelist with an unstoppable talisman. Brimming with blood, lust and wicked laughs, this is one brothel you'll visit again and again! DEMON KNIGHT A mysterious drifter known as Brayker (William Sadler) possesses the last of seven ancient keys that hold the power to stop the forces of darkness and protect all humanity from ultimate evil. But the human race is safe only so long as Brayker can evade the demonic Collector (Billy Zane), who has gathered the other six keys. Armed with automatic weapons, sacred blood and sadistic humor, Brayker and the strong-willed Jeryline (Jada Pinkett-Smith) must lead the inhabitants of a run-down hotel in a gruesome battle against the Collector and his evil horde of ghouls. Infested with a talented cast and thrilling special effects, Demon Knight delivers diabolical fun and a body of frights.

Tales From The Crypt:Bordello of Blood/Demon Knight Double Feature........

I tip my hat to Universal Pictures for, finally, releasing these two classics on DVD. Bordello of Blood tells the story of a wisecracking private-eye named Rafe Guttman who investigates a missing person report at a titilating bordello where the madam & her bevy of beauties want more than your money..they want your blood. Soon, Rafe finds himself up the creek without a paddle in the den of the hungry vampiresses and battling a televangelist named Reverend Jimmy Current who has a talisman & some despicable plans. On the other hand, Demon Knight tells the story of a drifter named Brayker who possesses the last of seven ancient keys that hold the power to stop the forces of darkness and protect all humanity from ultimate evil. The demonic Collector has collected the other six keys and he wants the last. It's up to Brayker and the strong-willed Jeryline to lead the inhabitants of a run-down hotel in a gruesome battle against the Collector and his evil horde of ghouls & make it out alive. Although the movies are put on the disc alphabetically, they were actually released in reverse. Demon Knight came out in 1995 and was directed by Ernest R. Dickerson. It starred Billy Zane, William Sadler, & Jada Pinkett Smith. It turned out to be a success. Bordello of Blood came out in 1996 and was directed by Gilbert Adler. It starred Dennis Miller, Corey Feldman(The Lost Boys), Erika Eleniak, Chris Sarandon(of Child's Play/Fright Night fame), and Angie Everhart. Willam Sadler & Whoopi Goldberg have cameos in the movie. Sadly, Bordello of Blood didn't do as well as Demon Knight did at the box office and was considered a box-office failure. It is a movie worth watching, however. All vampire movies are worth watching. ;) Both films are based on the hit HBO television series, "Tales From The Crypt" starring John Kassir as the voice of the Cryptkeeper. I highly recommend these two movies to all Tales From The Crypt fans as well as those who like watching a good spooky movie on a Friday Night. For this low, low price; you can't beat it.
April 4, 2008

Classic Fun

I love Tales from the Crypt, and to have these two movies is a treat. I thought it was cool they came together like that, I couldn't be more satisfied. Thanks! February 13, 2008

Classic duo

Both great movies if you like scary movies with humor and a good ending would highly recommend. December 19, 2007

Fasten your drool cups, and hold on to your vomit bags! We're going to the movies! Frights, camera, action!

With BORDELLO OF BLOOD and DEMON KNIGHT, this dvd offers up in widescreen a fun B-movie double feature bill from the Tales From The Crypt line. Both movies came out in the mid-'90s, during the height of comedian Dennis Miller's success and when William Sadler and Billy Zane were merely mediocre instead of obscure and irrelevant, which is what they are now. The ill-kept and pun-afflicted Crypt Keeper adds much to the campy feel of both flicks as wraparound scenes have him providing ghoulishly humorous intro and post-mortem honors.

I actually saw these two films during their respective theater runs and had a hell of a time with both. DEMON KNIGHT, released in 1995, is a fairly gripping horror action/thriller, low budget sensibilities and cruddy special effects notwithstanding (c'mon, fluorescent green goo?). The story takes place one dark, stormy night in Wormwood, New Mexico as a fleeing man crashes into town. Frank Brayker (William Sadler) is guarding the last of the mystical seven Keys, these keys being ancient relics that together can be harnessed to master the cosmos. The forces of Hell, having already amassed six of the things, now aim to have the last key, and, so, Brayker is on the run from the relentless demon Collector (Billy Zane, who is devilish fun here). But, at last cornered in a broken down church-turned-motel, Brayker prepares for his last stand.

While DEMON KNIGHT has its quirky moments, it still overall espouses the more traditional horror conventions. On the other hand, 1996's BORDELLO OF BLOOD sacrifices its horror elements for its campy sense of humor. This film is decidedly tongue-in-cheeked, thanks muchly to Dennis Miller's wiseacre protagonist. Miller's indifferent approach to his role is typical of how he goes about his sporadic cinematic career. In movies Dennis Miller basically plays himself, and it's no different with BORDELLO OF BLOOD. Miller is irreverent private eye Rafe Guttman, who runs afoul of insiduous (but sexy) she-vampires who suck blood and other objects in a brothel disguised as a seedy funeral home.

It's impossible to take this film seriously (and I'm sure it wasn't meant to), what with Miller's zingers coming so fast and frequently and mockeries like the overzealous evangelist (a stubbled Chris Sarandon) and his Laserlight o' the Lord being trotted out before our eyes. BORDELLO OF BLOOD revels in its cheesiness and is so playfully awful that, frankly, it suckered me into liking it. Not to mention, all the naked girls in the film do not hurt at all as they prove to be as cheeky as Miller, though not in the same way. But there's a definite disconnect between Rafe Guttman and the scary goings-on about him. While Billy Zane is amusing and even magnetic in DEMON KNIGHT, Dennis Miller's character comes off as bemused and overly facetious (although his one-liners are funny). But, no, Miller doesn't at all lend credibility to his role, and maybe that even fits the tone of the film. I had this sense that Miller was trying real hard not to wink at the camera.

Familiar B-list faces dot these two pictures. DEMON KNIGHT offers a supporting cast of CCH Pounder, Thomas Haden Church, a very solid Jada Pinkett (not yet Pinkett-Smith), and an uncredited John Larroquette. BORDELLO OF BLOOD has Angie Everhart as Lilith the head vampiress, Chris Sarandon, and bottom feeder Corey Feldman. Perfectly in line with the star power, we get the dubious special effects, the weak scripts, the flimsy plotlines, the cheap and ineffectual scares, and the heady aroma of cheese. Yet somehow - and maybe it's because both films embrace their low rent, trashy stature with such gusto - BORDELLO OF BLOOD and DEMON KNIGHT contrive to be fun cinematic treats. Or guilty pleasures. Whatever. It's one or the other. Or to quote the very quotable Rafe Guttman: "I feel like I'm in a bad Tales From The Crypt episode." And that's good. November 11, 2007

Crypt Keeper

Great Movies both on 1 DvD good deal. But demon Knights was the bomb. Full of fun, horror, and blood. The Crypt Keeper have you wanting more . October 28, 2007

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