Midnight Mass

AKA:	Notte Dei Vampiri, La

Release date:

2002 USA

Running time:

98' (cover 98') - Source: DVD (RC 1/NTSC)
98' (cover 98') - Source: DVD (RC 2/PAL)

Rating:

Germ.: 18; US: R

Main Crew:

Director: Tony Mandile
Producer: Banshee Productions / Midnight Mass Productions LLC
Score: John Angier
Writer: F. Paul Wilson (based on his short story) / Tony Mandile
Director of photography: Thomas Agnello

Cast:

Summary:

The vampires have won!
Guarded by mankind's disbelief in their existence, they moved swiftly. City by city at first, then country by country until they dominated the globe.
Father Joe Cahill (Douglas Gibson), a once reputed and respected Catholic priest, had been quietly forced out of the parish of St. Anthony's by false accusations of sexual misconduct. Now living the life of a recluse, Father Joe struggles to regain his faith in humanity and the parishioners who failed to believe in him.
In the time since the vampiric occupation, the church of St. Anthony's has been overrun and severely desecrated by the local nest of nosferatu led by the unholy Father Palmeri (Marvin W. Schwartz). The vampire scourge is aided by a group of disillusioned youths known as the "Vichy". These nihilistic "goths" are dedicated to serving Palmeri in exchange for immortality.
Father Joe finds an unlikely but loyal friend in the character of Gwen Waters (Pamela Karp), a militant atheist who struggles to cling to her logic in a world where a crucifix is your best friend. In the final days, when religious iconary has never been more important, Joe and Gwen will risk everything for the lives of parishioners and attempt to reclaim the church during their MIDNIGHT MASS...

Note:

- "Midnight Mass" is the directorial debut of special effects man Tony Mandile.
- Author F. Paul Wilson ("The Keep") has been director Tony Mandile's family doctor since the director's childhood.
- The author was influenced by Richard Matheson's book "I Am Legend", on which the film "The Omega Man" with Charlton Heston was based upon.

click here for filmstills (pictures from the movie)

Our Ranking

short review:

The story idea was pretty damn good, as was the script. The opening is quite powerful (a short montage of newscasters reading about a rapidly spreading plague), and the film has some cool imagery that manages to create an eerie and bleak atmosphere of a world of desolation and loneliness. But the movie is much too talky, with many lengthy dialogue sequences, and there are several stupid parts (who on Earth would be riding a bike at night in a world full of vampires?). And let's not talk about the acting (which spoiled a lot of the fun the movie could have been). All in all the film has a decent premise, and it would be interesting to see it remade with a real budget and some experienced actors.