|
By PAUL BRENNER
The glory of the cheap and
the cheesy is perfectly meshed with the glory of
The Lord in Ottawa filmmaker Lee Gordon Demarbre's
ramshackle "Jesus Christ Vampire Killer,"
available on DVD from Eclectic DVD Distribution.
Not since Ed Wood has the love of film on a
limited budget been showcased in such a bizarre
hodgepodge of excess and, truth be told, much more
quality time can be had with Phil Caracas'
matter-of-fact Canadian Christ (Caracas is like a
cross -- if you pardon the expression -- between
Ben Stiller and Harry Shearer) than Jim Caviezel's
reverent punching bag in Mel Gibson's "The Passion
of The Christ."
The Caracas Christ is summoned when it is
discovered that vampires are killing off all the
lesbians in Ottawa. Interrupted in mid-baptism by
Father Alban (a sincere servant of God in a
multicolored Mohawk spike), Jesus barely has time
to think before a group of lesbians step on Jesus'
sandcastle city in a singular act of blasphemy.
The top lesbian then hauls back and kicks Christ
in the groin. But this is the point where "Jesus
Christ Vampire Hunter" diverges from Gibson's
chronicle of The King of Pain. Here, Jesus shakes
off the attack and proceeds to engage the lesbians
in some fancy chop-socki footwork, pounding on his
chest to egg them on and yelling, "The body of
Christ!"
The film takes off from there. Christ gets a retro
haircut and takes to the streets in a crappy
musical production number as he heals the lame and
infirm. He then battles a jeep full of atheists
("Let's get on with the conversions!" he taunts
the non-believers) and conks the lead woman
atheist Three Stooges-style into a tree ("I can't
believe it," she retorts).
The nuttiness continues with God talking to Jesus
through a cherries jubilee dessert and Christ
enlisting a fat guy posing as sixties Mexican
action star El Santo to help him vanquish the
vampires.
Director Lee Gordon Demarbre slaps the film
together like Doctor Frankenstein from old, unused
16mm film stock (there are occasional scratches
and lens flares that accompany the narrative) and
the film is 99% post-dubbed, lending the
proceedings an added layer of hilarity
(particularly with El Santo's dialogue). The film
was made over the course of two years, shooting
footage with his actors and crew together over the
weekends. The middle-aged Demarbre gives hope to
all failed filmmakers who have tried and failed to
put together their own shoestring productions with
ex-friends and a broken down Bolex.
"Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter" is loopy, joyful,
and fun. Both Demarbre and Gibson put up their own
money to tell their own particular tales of Jesus
and their passion is to be lauded in seeing their
film projects reach fruition on the screen. But
after the orgy of victimization in "The Passion of
The Christ," it is liberating in "Jesus Christ
Vampire Hunter" to see Jesus Christ kick some ass.
The special features include audio commentary with
Demarbre, writer Ian Driscoll, and actors Caracas,
Josh Grace, and Jeff Moffet, a collection of
interviews (conducted around a swimming pool),
Demarbre's first short film, a photo gallery, and
a low rent trailer. |
