I hated, hated, hated Vampires!!! HATED!!!! Village just sat there doing nothing and I barely even remember it. Ghosts was semi-enjoyable actually. Not a great movie but when up against the other two it becomes a no-brainer which flick to vote for.
Village of the Damned. (Just want to make sure it is on the record... just out of these 3.) Vampires might not be the worst if Carpenter hadn't gone completely insane and allowed James Woods his personal mouthpiece to spew homophobic, sexist rhetoric by the boatful. (Did he also sneak some racism in there too? Don't remember for sure, but I wouldn't be surprised.) FUCK. That. Movie.
I have to go with the much hated GHOSTS OF MARS. I guess in set up it owes the most to ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13, though it's not nearly as good. In the end it's kind of a siege movie in the vein of something like ZULU, a small group surrounded by an overwhelming force. I found it to be entertaining enough but it's not as ambitious as it could be. VAMPIRES is the only Carpenter feature that bored me. I remember it as an endless string of variations on igniting vampires. It just seemed one note to me. VILLAGE is a watchable film but in my opinion it's not a patch on the original. Unlike his version of THE THING,I don't think Carpenter's remake stands up on it's own.
I actually thought the original Village was a bit on the weak side. The sequel, Children of the Damned, was easily superior.
I went with Vampires. It's the only title I saw in the theater and at home. Village and Ghosts I doubt I'll ever watch again.
Vampires is great fun. James Woods is such a lovable asshole in the movie I just wish that the final battle would have been longer and more spectacular. It almost felt like he ran out of time and/or money, when they shot the climax
This pole is awful...... it's like asking do you prefer your turd sandwich on white, wheat, or rye. Vampires is atrocious. Village was forgettable at best. Ghost of Mars would probably get my vote out of the three, just because Ice Cube is awesome. Movie kinda fucking blows, though.
I enjoy all three of these flicks to some extent, but Vampires is one of my favorite guilty pleasures. It definitely runs out of gas before the final act, and it never comes close to reaching the heights of the awesome party scene--a serious problem since it occurs so early. But James Woods is just so much fun. Jack Crowe is like Quint's younger, manlier brother. His staking scenes are riotous, and his interactions with the young priest are consistently amusing. I'd also argue that this film contains much sharper dialogue than most Carpenter flicks from this era onward. Woods's explanation of vampirism in the van is one of the funniest pieces of exposition in any genre flick ever. See here for some of the funniest quotes: http://quotesgram.com/quote/vampires-movie-quotes/286122 I think it's safe to say that the PC police will prevent future vampire hunters from calling one of their antagonists a "fucking pole-smoking fashion victim." It's a shame that Woods hasn't played more parts like this.
Sorry not sorry. Stupid privileged people continue to do nothing all their lives but laugh at and mock the shitty circumstances of everyone else when they keep celebrating worthless assholes like Woods who couldn't be more pampered, etc. Some days I'm not in the mood. Some days I'm reminded of just how many queer and trans people are the victims of vicious hate crimes - the kind which would change your entire life if it so much as happened to someone you knew - and then I see people like shape22 and steel76 patting each other on the back for being "so un-PC" and am reminded of the fact that NOTHING WILL EVER CHANGE because- who cares? If it's not you, who cares? If it's not everyone, not everyone has to care.
