I’ve been wanting this DVD for a while and finally found it in Tesco the other day.  Starring Benjamin Walker as good old Abe, this movie charts his life, from his earliest years as a young kid, to the day he dies.  What this movie centres upon however, is his ‘other’ job, that of vampire hunter.

There is another character, Henry Sturges, played by Dominic Cooper and I like this character more than Abe.  Sturges gives Abe his ‘jobs’ which means he tells him which vampires to hunt down and kill, and he taught Abe how to be a vampire hunter/killer.  You get the distinct impression that he is Abe’s mentor and teacher. Halfway through the film, you find out Sturges is himself a vampire who wants to kill others like himself in revenge for his girlfriend being killed by them.  As vampires can’t kill other vampires (that’s a totally new bit of vamp lore), he recruits others to hunt for him.

Now, I’m not into vampires much, apart from Blade, who is so gorgeous it should be illegal, but I digress.  Even though vamps aren’t my thing, I really enjoyed this movie.  It’s quite gory so anyone who has a weak stomach may not be able to cope, but the gore is in context all the time, which is a rarity in movies today.

There is a sequence towards the end of the film, which takes place on a train and the special effects have been done very well.  It is very atmospheric without being spooky, although the vampire make up has been done with a slightly heavy handed approach.  They look a little cartoon-ish when in full vamp mode and not like real people with fangs.  They also behave like crazed beasts, which spoils it for me.  Personally I prefer vampires to be more real and more sinister.

I love the very end of the film, where Sturges offers Abe the chance to become immortal, so they can fight vampires for eternity.  Abe turns  him down and goes off with his wife to the theatre and you’re left realising that this was the night he was murdered.

Great fun, good effects (apart from the vamp make up) and I give it 4 stars.