V for Vengeance is a B grade action/horror flick about a pair of vampire sisters who learn their (human) sister is still alive and go on a rescue mission to save her.

It’s a low-down dirty shame that this little cheesy fun flick starts so strong and totally peters out into lameness. The first half is a cleverly-written and surprisingly witty little low-grade vampire flick that is trying harder than it needs to. But as soon as it devolves into having a plot, the energy and style gets sucked right out of it (pun intended) and it becomes the exact kind of direct-to-video B flick you thought it was when you saw the cover art and the derivative title.

The flick looks kind of low-rent from the start, complete with gratuitous leather-clad butt shots and spraying blood ‘n gore. This isn’t a crime though… in fact, in the right hands, it’s a feature. They make good use of their script and the lead actresses are having fun and manage their dialog with knowing wit. I was so close to giving it a surprisingly high rating due to its sheer competency and campy fun.

Until we get to that second half and the film just turns into a poorly edited and paced slog. Occasionally the original fun kicks in but mainly it remains at a flaccid uninspired ponderous bore. Action scenes which, early on, were reasonably exciting and choreographed seem to be fall apart, the dialog stops being clever, and even the blood splatter drops to a minimum.

It’s not without possibility that, if you like a good B movie, you might excuse these faults and enjoy the film anyway. But, for me, it sadly sank into bad territory. It’s unfortunate since there was so much potential for this to be a kind of fun cult classic.

Score: 68