Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter

{{Infobox film

| name = Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter

| image = Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter.jpg

| producer = Lee Demarbre

| writer = Ian Driscoll

| starring = Phil Caracas
Jeff Moffet
Murielle Varhelyi
Maria Moulton
Tim Devries
Ian Driscoll
Josh Grace
Ivan Freud
Nicholas Edwards

| narrator =

| music = Graham Collins

| cinematography = Lee Demarbre

| editing = Lee Demarbre

| distributor = Odessa Filmworks, Inc.

| released = {{film date|df=yes|2001|06|10|premiere|2002|1|15|Canada}}

| runtime = 85 minutes

| country = Canada

| language = English

| budget = $100,000 CAD

}}

Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter is a 2001 Canadian horror parody superhero film from Odessa Filmworks which deals with Jesus Christ's modern-day struggle to protect the lesbians of Ottawa, Ontario, from vampires with the help of Mexican wrestler and superhero El Santo. The film was written by Ian Driscoll and directed by Lee Demarbre.

Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter earned an honorable mention in the Spirit of Slamdance category at the 2002 Slamdance Film Festival.{{cite web |url=http://slamdance.com/2002/festival/ |title=Slamdance 2002 Film Festival |date= 11–19 January 2002 |work=Slamdance 2002 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20030720030643/http://slamdance.com/2002/festival/ |archive-date= 20 July 2003}}

Plot summary

After a spree of vampire attacks on lesbians, Father Eustace (a Catholic priest) realizes that only Jesus Christ can fight off the vampires. Eustace sends two priests to a beach, where they inform Jesus of the problem. Three vampires, including Maxine Shreck, kill the priests, but Jesus kills two of the vampires by using the lake as holy water. Maxine escapes. Jesus goes to Ottawa, gets a haircut, and buys wood to make stakes.

Thirty atheists jump out of a car and confront Jesus, only to be easily defeated. Jesus teams up with Mary Magnum and infiltrates the hospital, where they discover that mad scientist Dr. Praetorious is performing skin-transplants to make the vampires immune to sunlight. Maxine and Johnny Golgotha defeat Jesus and Mary in a rooftop-battle. Thus Mary is bitten, becoming a vampire.

Jesus calls upon a Mexican wrestler, El Santo, for help. At a nightclub, they slay dozens of vampires, but El Santo and his assistant are captured. The next day, Johnny, Maxine, and Mary capture Jesus and bring him to a junkyard where his allies are being held. Eustace is there, and he reveals that he is a vampire. A battle breaks out. Jesus simultaneously fights Dr. Praetorious at the hospital. The doctor is fatally wounded, but Jesus heals him.

At the junkyard, Eustace stabs Jesus with a stake. A bright light emerges from the wound, killing Eustace and Johnny. El Santo shields a vampire whom he loves from the light, and Jesus cures her and Mary's vampirism. To his surprise, Mary loves Maxine, so Jesus cures her too. Later, Jesus resumes preaching, asking people to think for themselves.

Cast

Phil Caracas as Jesus Christ, Vampire Hunter
Jeff Moffet as El Santo
Murielle Varhelyi as Maxine Shreck
Maria Moulton as Mary Magnum
Tim Devries as Father Eustace
Ian Driscoll as Johnny Golgotha
Josh Grace as Dr. Praetorious
Jay Stone as God (voice)
Jenny Coutts as Virgin Mary
Ivan Freud as Narrator

Reception

Time's Richard Corliss panned the film, finding that "the comedy is slack, the song lyrics feeble, the pace torpid".{{cite magazine | url=http://www.time.com/time/columnist/corliss/article/0,9565,596076,00.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040312050419/http://www.time.com/time/columnist/corliss/article/0,9565,596076,00.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=12 March 2004 | title=Jesus Christ Movie Star | magazine=Time| first=Richard | last=Corliss | date=29 February 2004 | accessdate=14 October 2010 }} Ken Eisner of Variety took a more neutral view, finding that "the film is too silly to offend".{{cite magazine | url=https://www.variety.com/review/VE1117917701.html?categoryid=31&cs=1&p=0 | title=Review: Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter | magazine=Variety | first=Ken | last=Eisner | date=10 May 2002 | accessdate=19 January 2008 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120919105658/http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117917701?refcatid=31 |archive-date=19 September 2012 |url-status=dead}} Jason Nolan of The Harrow deemed the production "horridly wonderful", although uneven, noting that "[w]ith a film like this, you want it to be bumpy".{{cite news|url=http://www.theharrow.com/columns/reviews/jesusvampire.html |publisher=The Harrow |access-date=29 January 2008 |year=2004 |first=Jason |last=Nolan |title=Jesus Christ, Vampire Hunter (review) |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080212203105/http://www.theharrow.com/columns/reviews/jesusvampire.html |archive-date=12 February 2008 }} Film Threat's Eric Campos gave the film a generally positive review.{{cite news | url=http://www.filmthreat.com/reviews/3134/ | publisher=Film Threat | title= Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter (review) | first=Eric | last=Campos | accessdate=14 October 2010 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130123130141/http://www.filmthreat.com/reviews/3134/ |archive-date=23 January 2013 |url-status=dead}}

References

External links

{{Wikiquote-inline|Jesus Christ: Vampire Hunter}}
[https://web.archive.org/web/20060614144552/http://www.odessafilmworks.com/jcvh/index.html Odessa Filmworks: Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter]
{{IMDb title|0311361|Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter}}
{{rotten-tomatoes|id=jesus_christ_vampire_hunter|title=Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter}}

Category:2001 films

Category:2001 action comedy films

Category:2001 comedy horror films

Category:2001 LGBTQ-related films

Category:2000s action horror films

Category:2000s Canadian films

Category:2000s English-language films

Category:2000s exploitation films

Category:2000s parody films

Category:2000s musical comedy films

Category:2000s satirical films

Category:Canadian action horror films