Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat

Directed by Anthony Hickox

R

1989 1h 44mHorror, Comedy,

6.153%6.0

Reclusive vampires lounge in a lonely American town. They wear sunscreen to protect themselves. A descendant of Van Helsing arrives with hilarious consequences.

Cast of Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat

David CarradineMardulak
Morgan BrittanySarah
Bruce CampbellVan Helsing
Deborah ForemanSandy
Jim MetzlerDavid
Maxwell CaulfieldShane
M. Emmet WalshMort
John IrelandJefferson
Dana AshbrookJack
John HancockQuinton Canada
Marion EatonAnna
Dabbs GreerOtto
Bert RemsenMilt
Sunshine ParkerMerle
Helena CarrollMadge
Elizabeth GracenAlice
Christopher BradleyChaz
Kathy MacQuarrie MartinBurgundy
Jack EisemanNigel
George Buck FlowerBailey
See all

Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat Ratings & Reviews

jackmeatAugust 22, 2025
My quick rating - 6.4/10. A Bruce Campbell movie I have seen? Seems to be, and I will soon find out. Oh, and this isn't just good because Bruce is in it. The story is so much fun, and the cast does plenty to bring it to life. The one thing that is the focus is the town called Purgatory, which is home to vampires that are content living secluded by slathering on sunscreen and drinking synthetic blood instead of feasting on humans. But what keeps this from actually moving up even higher is that there are so many subplots being introduced and attempted to work that the lack of focus and conclusions to them end up distracting. But the comedy hits very well, and everyone seems to know it, and then it will shift gears into a traditional vampire flick on the drop of a joke. When a couple happens into town with the new scientist for fake blood, and is followed by a descendant of Van Helsing, the town's cohesion begins to unravel. There was already unrest since not everyone was satisfied with the lifestyle of the day, walking and lack of killing, which is another plotline. This whole thing is just so offbeat that you cannot just be completely entertained by it. There are purposeful campy effects, such as the vampire bats and decapitations, for the humor more than gore. To be honest, Bruce playing Van Helsing might be the biggest letdown of the whole thing, not because of his acting, but the character itself just isn't written into this properly. Maybe some creative input would've helped. Another thing that really helps in this being just so out there is that Anthony Hickox, who was responsible for another lesser-known favorite of mine Waxwork and carries that same amusing horror quality to it. David Carradine does a great job as the head Dracula, and down the list is just great performance over and over for such a goofy flick. If it didn't get so lost in itself and just somehow tightened up the storylines flowing through, this one would've been a true gem, but as it stands, still a must-see. If nothing else, the opening scene with the 3 old vampires rivaling ZZ-Top is worth the time invested, and that is just the opening.

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Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat Trivia

Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat was released on May 18, 1989.

Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat was directed by Anthony Hickox.

Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat has a runtime of 1h 44m.

Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat was produced by Dan Ireland, Jack Lorenz, Jefferson Richard.

Reclusive vampires lounge in a lonely American town. They wear sunscreen to protect themselves. A descendant of Van Helsing arrives with hilarious consequences.

The key characters in Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat are Mardulak (David Carradine), Sarah (Morgan Brittany), Van Helsing (Bruce Campbell).

Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat is rated R.

Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat is a Horror, Comedy, Western film.

Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat has an audience rating of 5.3 out of 10.

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