Villian(s)  Vampires

Actor(s):  Sylvia Kristel, Josef Sommer, Lenny von Dohlen, Marc Coppola

Brief Description  Dracula's Widow (1988) is an American vampire horror-thriller film directed by Christopher Coppola (nephew of Francis Ford Coppola) and starring Sylvia Kristel in the title role. The film blends 1980s neon-soaked Hollywood aesthetics with classic Gothic horror tropes. The Coppola family seems to have cornered the market on vampire films. Between Francis Ford’s blockbuster, Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992), and Nicolas Cage’s darkly manic performance in the now cult classic Vampire’s Kiss (1988), it’s easy to forget Christopher Coppola’s low-budget horror comedy, Dracula’s Widow (1988).

Plot:
Raymond Everett is the eccentric young owner of the "Hollywood House of Wax," a horror-themed wax museum. While gathering authentic props for an upcoming Dracula exhibit, he orders five crates of Romanian antiques. Instead, he receives an unexpected sixth crate containing Vanessa, the elegant and deadly widow of Count Dracula. Upon waking from her long hibernation, Vanessa is shocked to learn from Raymond that her infamous husband was killed years ago by Dr. Van Helsing. Rather than paralyzing her with grief, the news prompts her to turn Tinseltown into her personal hunting ground.

She bites Raymond, turning him into her loyal, enslaved vampire vassal, and begins a savage killing spree across the neon-lit streets of Los Angeles. As blood-drained bodies stack up, the gruesome trail catches the attention of Lieutenant Hap Lannon, a cynical and burnt-out police detective under immense pressure to solve the bizarre murders. To stop the vampire queen, Lannon must team up with an antique dealer who happens to be the grandson of the legendary Dr. Van Helsing, eager to finish what his grandfather started centuries ago.