Review: Vampiress: Lady of the Night. By Brian Kirst
Like a fun and gritty combination of Jack Hill’s exploitation best and the notorious Chesty Morgan revenge films of Doris Wishman, Philip Cable’s Vampiress: Lady of the Night is like a glorious trip back in time in the AIP Time Machine.
After the murder of her best friend, enterprising streetwalker Danielle’s efforts to get back at the syndicate that killed her, find her on the waking end of a bullet, as well. Fortunately, Danielle was bitten by a mysterious night dweller moments before her murder and takes advantage of the afterlife to exact some powerful, soul sucking revenge on her enemies.
Filled to the brim with bungling mobsters, corrupt cops, beautiful women and sex driven men, Vampiress: Lady of the Night features a sarcastically tight performance from Colette Mazolla as a wicked henchwoman and some fine work from the handsome, charisma laden Cary Brayboy and M. Reed Jordon, as well.
This show truly belongs to legendary Scream Queen Deborah Dutch (as Danielle), though. Dutch uses every bit of her Broadway training, major motion picture experimentation and indie goddess adventuring here to create a compassionate and truly believable human being (or un-human being, as the case may be). Trembling with the emotional weight that her character’s vengeance brings about while simultaneously creating a joyful and powerful woman, Dutch shines with conviction and truly proves why she has endured the poisonous slings and arrows of Hollywood while so many others have fallen in its mighty, starlet boiling wake.
You nailed it Brian!
You got what I was trying to do with VAMPIRESS: LADY OF THE NIGHT. It was always my intention that it would be my salute to early seventies AIP movies like Friday Foster with a little Count Yorga, Vampire, and Blackula tossed into the mix. I also totally agree with you that Deborah Dutch really shines in this movie.