David Harrison (Jim Metzler) has been hired by the town of Purgatory, Utah to solve a problem they are having with David’s invention. The town has a plant that produces a substitute for human blood. David believes that they are making the artificial blood to sell to hospitals and infirmaries. In reality the town is a haven for vampires that want to settle down and live a quiet anonymous life. David decides to make a family outing of the trip, so he brings along his wife, Sarah (Morgan Brittany) and his two daughters, Gwendolyn (Vanessa Pierson) and Juliet (Erin Gourlay). The Harrisons will be staying at the guest house of the town patriarch, Jozek Mardulak (David Carradine).
All is not well in Purgatory. There is a faction, headed by a vampire named Ethan Jefferson (John Ireland) that wants to return to the good old days where vampires sucked the blood from humans instead of sucking down bottled artificial blood from straws. On his side is a young vampire named Shane (Maxwell Caulfield). Shane runs the blood plant and went to college with David. Shane is also in love with David’s wife Sarah. Years ago, before he became a vampire, he and Sarah had an affair. It was a one-night stand, but it is possible that Sarah and David’s youngest daughter, Juliet, may actually be Shane’s daughter.
Robert Van Helsing (Bruce Campbell) is the great grandson of the legendary vampire hunter Van Helsing. He has been tracking down Count Mardulak and has now come to Purgatory to kill the vampire. At the local diner he meets a young woman named Sandy (Deborah Foreman). They both become attracted to each other. Robert soon realizes that Sandy is a vampire. Robert then finds that he is a little over his head when he learns that the entire town is full of vampires.
“Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat” was released in 1989 and was directed by Anthony Hickox. It is an American horror comedy vampire movie and of the subgenre weird west.
The movie has the usual vampire tropes and a modern-day solution to the standard vampire problem. Vampires can go out in the daytime, provided they wear SPF 100 sunscreen, sunglasses and stay in the shade as much as possible. They can still be killed with a wooden stake in the heart, or as a modern twist, a wooden bullet that splinters on impact, provided they are shot in the heart. They still have issues with holy water and crosses.
The movie didn’t do well at the box office and reviews were a little mixed. It does have a cult following, although it may not as big as it probably should. I didn’t expect much but I ended up pleasantly surprised. I found it to be campy and actually kinda fun. It is reminiscent of the “Blazing Saddles” 1974 style of comedy only not as “R” rated. The film can boast some decent actors, among them, David Carradine, Bruce Campbell and Morgan Brittany as well as some great character actors that have been around a long time.
What held the movie back was that it only had a limited theatrical release. It suffered further when the distributor had money problems and the film didn’t get the circulation that it should have. Now it’s a bit on the obscure side, but it is worth looking for, especially if you are a Bruce Campbell fan or if you like all things vampire.