THE CUBE OF WYRDING PRESENTS: VAMPIRE HUNTER D: BLOODLUST (2000) - 2000 | Japan/Hong Kong/United States | 102 min | lang. English | dir. Yoshiaki Kawajiri | cert. 15 - 'Gory and gorgeous bliss.' Austin Chronicle - When the sun sets, the hunt begins. In a dark and distant future, the undead have arisen from apocalyptic ashes to rule the night. With their numbers in decline and huge bounties on their heads, vampire hunters now threaten the vampires with extinction. One hunter is unlike the rest. He is a dunpeal: a half-human, half-vampire. At war with himself, feared by all, tortured and alone, he is... Vampire Hunter D. - When a young maiden from a rich family is abducted by an infamous vampire nobleman, Meier Link, her father contracts both the stoic D, the halfbreed son of a human mother and vampire father with a talking parasite embedded in his left hand, and a rival group of demon hunters, the brutal Markus brothers, to race to retrieve her (preferably alive, but dead if she's been changed into a vampire). As the 'heroes' fight their way across strange and hostile lands and through demons, monsters and Meier's hired guards, they slowly begin to suspect that she wasn't taken against her will... and that another threat looms in the distance. 'Exciting, gory, funny and, like much of anime, a bit cheesy.' Portland Oregonian - Brooding, intensely violent, and steeped in its own bloody lore, 'Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust' is both an animation landmark and an extraordinary and beautifully realised film: a gorgeously animated surrealist fantasy-sci-fi-vampire-western with a nightmarish Gothic art style, futuristic and fantastic touches, and bold, outrageous demon designs calling back to numerous classic creatures in folklore. 'Easily one of the top non-Ghibli anime movies of the early 2000s' (Anime News Network), its morose and eerie atmosphere, ghoulish terror, physics-defying badassery and classic gothic romance, culminating with a blood-spilling boss fight of cathartic destruction, is enough to satiate any horror aficionado's bloodlust. - 'Kawajiri's doom-laden action epic is a heady brew indeed.' L.A. Weekly 'Beautiful, witty and provocative, this is one genre film that ought to appeal to fans and non-fans alike.' New York Daily News 'If you appreciate fine animation and edgy material, this blood's for you.' Washington Post - One of the first anime features that was deliberately developed with a Western audience in mind, unlike almost every other anime in existence, 'Bloodlust's original language is English and it was only ever released in movie theatres (including in Japan) with its English dub. The film accidentally mistranslated the Slavic word 'dhampir' to 'dunpeal' in the English language. This is incorrect: 'dhampir' is the actual term to use to describe a half-human, half-vampire being, the term originating in Albania from Balkan folklore ('dham' means 'teeth' and 'pire' means 'to drink'; thus the whole term alludes to the vampire practice of 'drinking with teeth'). The vampire character Carmilla is derived from the 1872 novel of the same name by Sheridan Le Fanu. Predating Dracula, she is based on the real life Countess Elizabeth Báthory of Ecsed (1560 - 1614), accused of bathing in the blood of sacrificed virgins to retain her youth. Bathory was convicted of 80 counts of murder and imprisoned within the Castle of Csejte (Čachtice) until she died in her sleep. 'Vampire Hunter D' first appeared as the hero of a 1983 novel written by Hideyuki Kikuchi - one of Japan's leading horrormeisters ('Darkside Blues', 'Wicked City'), compared to both Stephen King and H. P. Lovecraft - and illustrated by manga creator and comic book cover artist Yoshitaka Amano ('Final Fantasy', 'Aliens', 'Sandman', and 'Speed Racer'). 'Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust' is adapted from Kikuchi's third D novel, 'Demon Deathchase' (1985). - The 'CUBE Of Wyrding' is the CUBE Microplex's ongoing transnational folk horror/urban frights cinema series. It showcases the best in rural folk horror and urban wyrd films, including classics, lesser-known greats, and freaky oddities from the margins, and delves into the darker recesses of the genre. It additionally features silent films brought to life with spectacular live musical accompaniments, lively screen talks, and opportunities to immerse yourself in obscure horror soundtracks. - Venue doors open 30 minutes before the advertised start time. All film screenings are ad-free and 18+ unless otherwise stated and start with no more than a 10-minute curated selection of trailers. The Cube is a membership venue; please remember to bring your card. You can join at the door for £1 (life membership). Attend six events and receive a free drink.

Entry requirements: 16+ — Read more — Read less