Review of Dracula's Curse

A group of vampire hunters called the Nine get the various vampire clans to agree to an uneasy pact. All goes well for a spell until the evil Countess Elizabeth Bathorly (a deliciously wicked portrayal by the gorgeous Christina Rosenberg) breaks the pact. The rugged Rufus King (nicely played with assured macho aplomb by Thomas Downey), assisted by the wise, leery Jacob Van Helsing (the excellent Rhett Giles) and the hard-nosed Gracie Johannsen (a very strong and impressive performance by ravishing redhead spitfire Eliza Swenson), brings the Nine back together for a major showdown with Bathorly and her vicious female minions. Writer/director Leigh Scott relates the convoluted, but compelling story at a steady pace, stages the occasional stirring action set pieces with considerable brio and skill, offers a few fresh and inventive twists on standard vampire lore, and sprinkles a reasonable amount of grisly gore. Moreover, Scott does an especially solid job of creating and sustaining some interesting conflicts amongst the well-drawn and engaging main characters. Further kudos are in order for the sound and spirited acting from a game cast, with particularly stand-out work from Jeff Denton as fearsome, haughty bloodsucker Rafe, Amanda Barton as Bathorly's fierce, aggressive right-hand gal Darvulia, Rebekah Kochan as the brassy, hot-tempered Trixie McFly, Sarah Lieving as helpful, sympathetic vampire ally Alex Devereaux, Tom Nagel as naive, eager rookie vampire killer Tattinger, Justin Jones as grotesque ghoul Maximillian, and Scott as enigmatic bloodsucker leader the Old One. Both Swenson's funky, spooky score and Steven Parker's sharp cinematography are up to snuff. A hugely enjoyable flick.