LUST OF THE VAMPIRE HOOKERS

Directed, Written. Edited, and Photographed by Joe Sherlock

Madam - Kylene Wetherel
Velma - Felicia Pandolfi
Jennifer - Amber Tharpe
Beretta - Joe Sherlock

Columbo - Tom Shaffer

Joe Sherlock's movies defy genre classification although their roots clearly stem from genre cinema, they're a hodgepodge of everything he himself finds fun in movies. His filmmaking style blends one part fetish with two parts camp. His actors range from local hobbyists to friends down the street and could even be called the fanboys' equivalent to "putting on a show." His characters are quirky composites of the heroes he grew up on mixed with the friends he has now. Rarely polished gems, the movies survive on Joe's blood, sweat, and duct tape approach to getting the job done.

LUST OF THE VAMPIRE HOOKERS is in no way what I would call a finished movie. Like the other recent review, HELLBILLY, there is no clear narrative, climax, or character development. Joe's characters even joke about "living the stereotype" as they wolf down donuts at their place of employment....you guessed it, the police station.

Beretta and Columbo are two local cops investigating a series of murders where the victims all called the same escort service earlier in the night. The ladies are vampires who for some unexplained reason like to play specific cassettes before they shake their booty. The cassettes have no purpose and whatever music they contain isn't what's heard on the soundtrack as the cues never miss. Those cassettes contain the vampire hooker equivalent of Pulp Fiction's glowing suitcase.

Kylene Wetherel is the Madam, and she's the best thing to ever happen to Joe Sherlock's company of stock actors. Not only can she act, she's girl-next-door cute. I first noticed her in John Bowker's recent releases EVILMAKER 2 and HOUSEBOUND, two movies where I found her to be the highlight. Here, she's given little to do as the lead Vampire Hooker. In her first scene she shakes her fanny, in her next she's lording over a rebellious subordinate. She then disappears from the production completely.

She's not the only one to disappear from the story. Sherlock and Bowker regulars Felicia Pandolfi and Shannon are introduced only to never be seen again. Only Beretta and Columbo make it to the end, and it's an end that comes rather abruptly playing like a punchline rather than a resolution. It doesn't reflect the bumbling nature of two cops, or the supremacy of the vampires, but rather Sherlock's sense of humor. And that oddball psyche of his is something that we aren't always privy to. It's as if he's making movies for himself and not his audience, which in a way is the definition of a pure artist. Is there such a thing as a pure exploitation artist?

www.drsquid.net