Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.

Lightdeossk Captivating movie !

Arianna Moses Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Geraldine The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

SaxxoneGirly I'm not usually a fan of horror/gore films, or scary films in general, but I bought this on impulse from Amazon and I'm glad I did. The four students do a good job of portraying their different characters and motivations, and the progression of Justin's character from a somewhat caddish Englishman (as a Brit I was highly amused) into a protective, sensitive and undoubtedly more courageous soul was well done. I'm not sure yet whether Justin and Ilona's meeting in her own time was a clever nod to fate, destiny and re-incarnation (the two of them felt they were always meant to be together) or whether it was an unnecessary 'happy ending' for the two of them.As I own the DVD, I have only seen the open ending where it is implied that Alexa is still possessed/under the influence of Vlad and that was a fitting twist, if not an entirely unpredictable one.I think allowing arguably one of the more well-known actors (Billy Zane) to play a lesser role (and die!) was a wise move, and he linked the story well, although his occasional random bouts of "Da..." (Yes, or agreement) to prove he can be Eastern European were unnecessary.This is a film that combines history with myth and it is an extremely good mix. The flashbacks and history of Vlad's family and his own problems give him a human edge, and Francesco Quinn is amazing in the role. Perfectly judged. The use of subtitles to translate Ilona's middle English speech was also inspired, as technically it's not a 'foreign' language, only an old one.No film could ever be perfect, but this is a very good addition to the Dracula saga. It is easy to see how the legends of vampires spread from stories like this one. It's also more intelligent than the usual blood-fest. In fact, there are only odd moments of violence in it. This is a film that lets characterisation, dialogue and implications tell the story and its all the better for a lack of excess gore every five minutes.Give it a look, I doubt you'll be disappointed.

slayrrr666 "Vlad" is a halfway decent attempt to make an original vampire movie.**SPOILERS**In the 15th Century, Vlad Drakul (Claudiu Bleont) is captured and passes on his rule onto his son. He would be called Vlad Drakula, the source of terror around Europe for centuries, until his amulet goes missing. Today, Radescu, (Brad Dourif) an American College professor, arranges for several students to come to Romania to study the legend of Drakul. Sending local guide Adrian (Billy Zane) to pick up the gang, brother and sister Jeff (Paul Popowich) and Alexa Meyer, (Kam Heskin) Linsey, (Monica Davidescu) a Romanian, and Justin, (Nicholas Irons) and after getting introduced to one another, takes them all to the supposed burial site of the legendary figure. Since Adrian can't make the rest of the trip, he asks his friend Mircea (Emil Hostina) to lead them the rest of the way. As they travel along, everyone starts to experience weird dreams of being with Count Dracula. When Linsey reveals the truth of her visit, she puts the rest of the group in danger of Vlad Tepes, (Francesco Quinn) the real life murderer from history.The Good News: This actually isn't all that bad of a movie. It tries to mix together a historic event about the merciless reign of Count Dracula and a new story involving them being in taken to his resting site and the horror that brings. The opening introduction to the legend of Dracula is handled well, and remains faithful to what actually happened in history. That makes the movie seem that much more genuine when taking a historical figure and translating it into fantasy. It keeps the historic facts accurate, which makes it seem all the more believable and all the more scary. We also have some great scenery here, as this seemed to have been filmed on location in Romania, and that allows the surroundings to shine through, heightening the little bit of tension it has. It needed some more, but the little it has was about right for the film. That's about what the film had going for it: atmosphere. The end has a great example of the atmosphere the film has. Going into detail about it would give away the film, so I won't say anything, but it is easily the best part. The lights, the camera movements, the angles, it's really creepy and is the best part of the movie.The Bad News: Despite the fact it provides a nice jump, the scene it the hotel was completely unnecessary. It never comes up again in the plot, doesn't really have much going for it except for the jump, stretched it out longer than need be. The ending is kind of a let down, as the photography shifts all over the place from well-in-focus to blurry to quick-cutting style that makes it nearly impossible to figure out what is going on. It's an annoying trick that I hope goes away. This also has a very weird vampire, in that there is no neck-biting involved and it doesn't make sense for traditional vampire fans to do that. It has a slow pace to it, and withe few deaths, it sometimes can take a while to get into it. Other than that, I really didn't find much wrong with it.The Final Verdict: Dracula could've been more of a threatening persona, as I didn't really feel scared by him, but it still has some great, creepy moments that make it seem like it had potential. It does treat a historical figure with respect, which few films do, but the horror aspect slows it down a little. Worth a look if you enjoy the legend or are interested in him, but be warned that it isn't a traditional vampire movie and that the historical part of him is only relegated to the introduction and a few pieces spread throughout the film.Rated R: Violence, mild Language, Nudity, two sex scenes, drug use and the on-screen death of an infant.

lferrigon-1 I very much enjoyed Vlad. What attracted me was first, I love horror movies and the actors who were in it such as Kam Heskin, Francesco Quinn, Billy Zane, and Paul Popowich each of whelm played their roles very well.I love "Dracula" movies that give you a back story as to how he became who he would become. It helps the viewer to understand why he is who he is and that he is not just a one dimensional villain.Circumstances beyond his control were the reason he would become Vlad Dracul. Francesco Quinn portrays Vlad very convincing as well as give you the person as well as the demon he has become. One can't help but feel empathy for him.Kam Heskin, from Sunset Beach, plays Alexa Meyer, who becomes the object of Vlad's desire and he obsession to possess her which he does. She plays her role well as Alexa goes from being scared to being Vlad's slave. The viewer believes the transformation. The seduction scene was very well done. Not too much or too little. It was just right. On the DVD, they have an alternate ending which shows that Alexa still under Vlad's control and that she is no longer who she once was.After Vlad kidnaps Alexa, her brother Jeff played by Paul Popowich goes to rescue her from Vlad's clutches. Along with him are the other companions who went along with them on this trip to Europe.The fight scenes were very good and not at all cheesy as some horror movies can be. You could see the characters fighting to the death.The other actors were just as good at playing their roles. The priest who tried to empathize with Vlad by understanding him was good even thought it did not work as he had wanted but he tried all the same.It was a wonderful movie and I would recommend it to anyone who liked horror movies or Dracula.

TEMPKENNEDY I just laugh when you have people who want to see the same old vampire movie.Familiarity seems to be the reason, for if its good .The avoidance of something new or different for example:Put a bunch of people in a room and show them the movie vlad then show them hellboy.When you play vlad people will start to exit the room because there expectation is that of what they have seen in the past.Then play hellboy and you will have very little exiting the room because it fills the expectations of the past.Vlad,the movie explains the legend of Dracula and how it was started.But see, that is real information, versus a dark figure who bites the neck of everyone in its path,which one do you think will win out?Vlad is good movie and deserved more attention that it received.