TL;DR – A delightful parody of 1950s pulp fiction that is unfortunately a bit too long in the tooth.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I was sent a screener of this film.

Vampire Zombies From Space Review Introduction –

There are many ways a film can entice you to watch it. In the past, it was through who they cast as their leads, but that seems to be decreasingly crucial as the 21^st century progresses. It could be the genre or the premise, or a multitude of things. Or maybe, the title of the film is so absolutely bonkers that you feel almost required to see just what they will do. Today, we are looking at Vampire Zombies From Space, and I think you know what category I would put that under.

So, to set the scene, one night a long time ago in the time of black and white, a dog ran into a tobacco field, and the family followed only to be confirmed by the impossible: a vampire and their flying saucer. While the mother was murdered in a wave of blood, a crucifix saved the rest of the family from certain doom. Ten years later, in a slightly more up-to-date-yet-still-black-and-white time, the family is a pariah in town. Little did they know that they would be the ground zero for something even more terrifying … zombies, sent by Dracula (Craig Gloster) to take over the world.

Parody Strengths

At its core, before anything, this is a clear and not at all subtle parody of the cinema of the 1950s, with the gore of 1970s alternative cinema, with a clear modern underpinning to the story. We have vampires, zombies, comically corrupt cops, greeseballs, ignorant townsfolk, faux-gore aplenty, and inept politicians. This leads to some fantastically comedic moments, as the second-best Legs-Only fight so far this year. Also, I laughed every time a vampire turned into a bat, and you could see the string holding them up, every single time.

It is also clear that there was an evident passion for the subject material that they were parodying, and that is even before you spot all the notable cameos that pop up during the runtime. There is care here to make each detail feel right in this wild world, and that would only happen when there is care and love at the heart of it all. It is because of that commitment that you can throw around terms such as “campy horror parody” or “retro sci-fi spoof” unironically.

Parody Weaknesses

At the core of the film is a disconnect between the 1950s style of cinema that it is parodying and the modern lens through which everything, including most of the humour, is being run through. These two styles have some interesting interactions at the start; however, as the film progresses, you realise that this is the only level the narrative is working on, and that has a statute of limitations on how engaging it could be. This shallowness in tone and humour, for example, the running gag of the Public Masturbator, loses steam after about half an hour. It also limits narrative progression with some of the bluntest and at times clumsy dialogue that I have heard in the cinema this year.

Recommendation

In the end, do we recommend Vampire Zombies From Space? There are moments where it completely shone, where you got to see the love of a genre wrought large on the screen. However, as the film progresses, I found myself getting frustrated that the film can’t escape the very narrow parameters it set for itself.

Have you watched Vampire Zombies From Space? Let us know what you thought in the comments below. If you liked Vampire Zombies From Space, we would recommend Hundreds of Beavers to you because it is also a Canadian black-and-white parody film that interestingly explores the cinema of the past.

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Bluesky at @Tldrmovrev, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

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Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Vampire Zombies From Space
Directed by – Michael Stasko
Screenplay by – Michael Stasko, Jakob Skrzypa & Alex Forman
Music by – Ian McGregor Smith
Cinematography by – Ken Amlin
Edited by – Michael Stasko & Jakob Skrzypa
Production/Distribution Companies – Black Mandala, Red Water Entertainment, The Dot Film Company & Lightbulb Film Distribution
Starring – Andrew Bee, Rashaun Baldeo, Jessica Antovski, Oliver Georgiou, Craig Gloster, Robert Kemeny, Erik Helle, Simon Reynolds, Judith O’Dea, David Liebe Hart, Martin Ouellette, Lloyd Kaufman, Mark Lefebvre, Bridget Opfer, Jakob Skrzypa, Alex Forman, Tyler Colley, Curtis Coleman, Anthony Bonnano, Catherine Valle-Taylor, Nick Shields, Gavin Michael Booth, Ed Hooft, Bob Mero, Jim Walls, Ron McDermott, Cheri Scratch, Carl Idzinski, Charlotte Bondy, Shane Nelson, Aidan Coutts, Deb Laing, Andrew Barber & Michael C. Gwynne.
Rating – Australia: MA15+; Canada: na; Germany: na; New Zealand: na; United Kingdom: 15; United States: na