Blood Ties (film)
Encyclopedia
Blood Ties is a made-for-television movie that was released in 1991. It is a story about a modern vampire family who hail from Carpathia. The family try to assimilate into American life in Long Beach
, California
, however, their lives are upset when a sinister group of hunters kill a member of their extended kin and threaten to come after them.
The film is directed by Jim McBride
.
families are the people who inspired all the myths about vampires. In the film, they are descended from Lilith
(first wife of Adam
before Eve
) and Asmodeus
(King of the Nine Hells) and have inherited healing abilities as well as above average human strength.
They consider the word 'vampire
' to be a racist term against their kind and have strict rules against breeding with anyone outside their race.
The Carpathian families are divided into a council of Elders, the more timid family members and their vicious young blood who taken on the form of a biker gang called the Shrikes.
, where a teenage boy named Cody Puckett (Jason London
) awakens one ominous night to find his parents staked and burned by a heretic vampire hunter
group called the S.C.A.V., which stands for the Southern Coalition Against Vampirism. After shooting him with a crossbow, the vampire hunters allow Cody to escape, hoping he will lead them back to his extended family.
In Long Beach
, California
, journalist Harry Martin (Harley Venton
) receives the details of the Texas killings, before heading out to hear the verdict of a court-case he has been covering. Assistant D.A. Amy Lorne (Kim Johnston Ulrich
) is cornered in an elevator by the members of the Shrikes, a biker gang named after the "unpleasant little birds who impale their prey on thorn bushes," one of whom the A.D.A. is currently prosecuting.
Harry appears to break up the incident. The gang leader, "Butcherbird
" (Salvatore Xuereb), warns Harry that "Uncle Eli" isn’t happy with the articles he’s been writing. Harry explains to a confused Amy that he and Butcherbird are "distant cousins". In court, an obviously fixed jury announces that it cannot reach a verdict. Disgusted, Amy storms out, and Harry goes after her. He asks her to attend a "family party" with him before leaving her to join Eli Chelarin (Patrick Bauchau
), the powerful businessman who fixed Butcherbird’s trial.
At Eli’s office, Harry warns Eli that "it’s starting again", and shows him the newspaper clipping of the Texas killings. Later that week, Cody reaches town and tries to find Eli. Instead he encounters the Shrikes. At Eli’s birthday party, Amy is surprised to learn that Harry is connected to so much wealth and power. He reveals that his real name is Harlevon Martinescu, as part of his Carpathian heritage.
The party comes to an abrupt halt when Butcherbird enters with Cody. Harry excuses himself to Amy, joining a council in a private room. There, the male family members hear about the death of Cody’s parents. Eli, Harry and the Council tell Cody that his parents were members of their family who decided to move away to Texas before Cody was born.
When Cody has left the room, Harry tries to convince the others to leave the killings to the police, that the family "cannot go on in the old ways".
Furious, Eli accuses Harry of betraying the family, speaking sneeringly of Amy and provoking him to a violent anger. Meanwhile, a nervous Amy is teased first by Celia (Michelle Johnson
), Eli’s half-sister, then by Butcherbird.
Harry rescues her and takes her home where, despite his obvious attraction to her, he rejects her advances and leaves. Later that night, Harry receives an unexpected visit from Celia, who seduces him, inviting him to bite her throat as they couple.
Meanwhile, Cody is then taken in by Celia and is later tempted to become involved with the Shrikes as they ride out into the night with their clan's girls.
Later the next morning, an argument between Butch and Cody over the pendent which had belonged to Cody's grandmother leads to Butch enlightening Cody about their shared family heritage as vampiric creatures. A shocked Cody refuses to believe it and attacks Butch out of rage leading to a wolf-like fight, much to the excitement of the other Shrikes and their women.
Harry appears to break up the brawl and Cody realizes that during the fight, he had bitten Butch on the neck. He eventually realizes that everything Butch said about their family was true.
Harry later tells Cody about his parents and their family. He also reveals that their family had been at war with the heretic vampire hunters for generations. Cody begins to crave revenge for his family and chooses life with the Shrikes over Harry's pleas for him to choose a more peaceful life. Harry then returns to try and pursue a relationship with Amy, but knows his family does not approve of her as she is not one of them.
The vampire hunters soon show up in Long Beach and kidnap Celia to lure the Carpathians into a final showdown. As tradition demands, their battle takes place at the hour of the jackal (3am) on a beach where Eli has a new hotel under construction. At first, the fight goes in the favour of the hunters, but the Shrikes eventually show up to help turn the tide.
When the hunters are defeated, the Council vote to have them killed, even against Harry's pleas to simply turn them over to the Texas authorities for the murder of Cody's parents. When the family attacks and bites the remaining hunters, Cody wishes to join in, but is desuaded by Harry.
The Shrikes then take the corpses of the hunters and throw them into the sea as Harry and Cody walk off. As they leave, Cody keeps looking back and wondering if his decision to leave with Harry was the right one.
as Eli Chelarin
Harley Venton
as Harry Martin/Harlevon Martinescu
Kim Johnston Ulrich
as Amy Lawrence
Jason London
as Cody Puckett
Michelle Johnson
as Celia
Salvator Xuereb as Butch Vlad
Bo Hopkins
as Chief Hunter
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, however, their lives are upset when a sinister group of hunters kill a member of their extended kin and threaten to come after them.
The film is directed by Jim McBride
Jim McBride
Jim McBride is an American television and film director, film producer and screenwriter.-Filmography:* David Holzman's Diary * My Girlfriend's Wedding...
.
Background
It is hinted that the CarpathianCarpathian
Carpathian may refer to:*Carpathian Mountains of Central and Eastern Europe*Carpathian Convention on sustainable development in that region*Carpathian Shepherd Dog, a Romanian sheep dog*Subcarpathian Voivodeship, an administrative division of Poland...
families are the people who inspired all the myths about vampires. In the film, they are descended from Lilith
Lilith
Lilith is a character in Jewish mythology, found earliest in the Babylonian Talmud, who is generally thought to be related to a class of female demons Līlīṯu in Mesopotamian texts. However, Lowell K. Handy notes, "Very little information has been found relating to the Akkadian and Babylonian view...
(first wife of Adam
Adam
Adam is a figure in the Book of Genesis. According to the creation myth of Abrahamic religions, he is the first human. In the Genesis creation narratives, he was created by Yahweh-Elohim , and the first woman, Eve was formed from his rib...
before Eve
Eve
Eve is the first woman created by God in the Book of Genesis.Eve may also refer to:-People:*Eve , a common given name and surname*Eve , American recording artist and actress-Places:...
) and Asmodeus
Asmodeus
Asmodeus may refer to:* Asmodai, a demon-like figure of the Talmud and Book of Tobit* Asmodeus , Austrian black-metal band*Asmodeus , the name of several characters in Marvel Comics*Asmodeus...
(King of the Nine Hells) and have inherited healing abilities as well as above average human strength.
They consider the word 'vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
' to be a racist term against their kind and have strict rules against breeding with anyone outside their race.
The Carpathian families are divided into a council of Elders, the more timid family members and their vicious young blood who taken on the form of a biker gang called the Shrikes.
Plot
The film opens in Loving County, TexasTexas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, where a teenage boy named Cody Puckett (Jason London
Jason London
Jason Paul London is an American actor, best known for his role as Randall "Pink" Floyd in director Richard Linklater's film Dazed and Confused.-Personal life:...
) awakens one ominous night to find his parents staked and burned by a heretic vampire hunter
Vampire hunter
A vampire hunter or vampire slayer is a character in folklore and fiction who specializes in finding and destroying vampires, and sometimes other supernatural creatures....
group called the S.C.A.V., which stands for the Southern Coalition Against Vampirism. After shooting him with a crossbow, the vampire hunters allow Cody to escape, hoping he will lead them back to his extended family.
In Long Beach
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, journalist Harry Martin (Harley Venton
Harley Venton
Harley Venton is an American actor.Venton first became known for playing the role of attorney Derek Colby on the long running CBS soap opera, Guiding Light from 1979 to 1982....
) receives the details of the Texas killings, before heading out to hear the verdict of a court-case he has been covering. Assistant D.A. Amy Lorne (Kim Johnston Ulrich
Kim Johnston Ulrich
Kim Johnston Ulrich is an American actress. She played the role of Ivy Winthrop Crane on NBC's daytime drama Passions, from 1999 to 2008. In 1990, Ulrich appeared on the TV series Wings as Carol, Brian's ex-wife...
) is cornered in an elevator by the members of the Shrikes, a biker gang named after the "unpleasant little birds who impale their prey on thorn bushes," one of whom the A.D.A. is currently prosecuting.
Harry appears to break up the incident. The gang leader, "Butcherbird
Butcherbird
Butcherbirds are magpie-like birds in the genus Cracticus. They are native to Australasia. Their closest relatives are the three species of currawong...
" (Salvatore Xuereb), warns Harry that "Uncle Eli" isn’t happy with the articles he’s been writing. Harry explains to a confused Amy that he and Butcherbird are "distant cousins". In court, an obviously fixed jury announces that it cannot reach a verdict. Disgusted, Amy storms out, and Harry goes after her. He asks her to attend a "family party" with him before leaving her to join Eli Chelarin (Patrick Bauchau
Patrick Bauchau
Patrick Nicolas Jean Sixte Ghislain Bauchau is a Belgian actor.-Early life:Bauchau was born in Brussels, the son of Mary , a Russian-born school administrator and publisher, and Henry Bauchau, a school administrator, publisher, writer, and psychoanalyst who served as an officer in the Belgian...
), the powerful businessman who fixed Butcherbird’s trial.
At Eli’s office, Harry warns Eli that "it’s starting again", and shows him the newspaper clipping of the Texas killings. Later that week, Cody reaches town and tries to find Eli. Instead he encounters the Shrikes. At Eli’s birthday party, Amy is surprised to learn that Harry is connected to so much wealth and power. He reveals that his real name is Harlevon Martinescu, as part of his Carpathian heritage.
The party comes to an abrupt halt when Butcherbird enters with Cody. Harry excuses himself to Amy, joining a council in a private room. There, the male family members hear about the death of Cody’s parents. Eli, Harry and the Council tell Cody that his parents were members of their family who decided to move away to Texas before Cody was born.
When Cody has left the room, Harry tries to convince the others to leave the killings to the police, that the family "cannot go on in the old ways".
Furious, Eli accuses Harry of betraying the family, speaking sneeringly of Amy and provoking him to a violent anger. Meanwhile, a nervous Amy is teased first by Celia (Michelle Johnson
Michelle Johnson (actress)
Michelle Johnson is an American actress, probably best known for her role in Blame It on Rio.-Career:Director Stanley Donen signed her, as a 17-year-old, to appear as Michael Caine's love interest in the romantic comedy film Blame It on Rio...
), Eli’s half-sister, then by Butcherbird.
Harry rescues her and takes her home where, despite his obvious attraction to her, he rejects her advances and leaves. Later that night, Harry receives an unexpected visit from Celia, who seduces him, inviting him to bite her throat as they couple.
Meanwhile, Cody is then taken in by Celia and is later tempted to become involved with the Shrikes as they ride out into the night with their clan's girls.
Later the next morning, an argument between Butch and Cody over the pendent which had belonged to Cody's grandmother leads to Butch enlightening Cody about their shared family heritage as vampiric creatures. A shocked Cody refuses to believe it and attacks Butch out of rage leading to a wolf-like fight, much to the excitement of the other Shrikes and their women.
Harry appears to break up the brawl and Cody realizes that during the fight, he had bitten Butch on the neck. He eventually realizes that everything Butch said about their family was true.
Harry later tells Cody about his parents and their family. He also reveals that their family had been at war with the heretic vampire hunters for generations. Cody begins to crave revenge for his family and chooses life with the Shrikes over Harry's pleas for him to choose a more peaceful life. Harry then returns to try and pursue a relationship with Amy, but knows his family does not approve of her as she is not one of them.
The vampire hunters soon show up in Long Beach and kidnap Celia to lure the Carpathians into a final showdown. As tradition demands, their battle takes place at the hour of the jackal (3am) on a beach where Eli has a new hotel under construction. At first, the fight goes in the favour of the hunters, but the Shrikes eventually show up to help turn the tide.
When the hunters are defeated, the Council vote to have them killed, even against Harry's pleas to simply turn them over to the Texas authorities for the murder of Cody's parents. When the family attacks and bites the remaining hunters, Cody wishes to join in, but is desuaded by Harry.
The Shrikes then take the corpses of the hunters and throw them into the sea as Harry and Cody walk off. As they leave, Cody keeps looking back and wondering if his decision to leave with Harry was the right one.
Cast
Patrick BauchauPatrick Bauchau
Patrick Nicolas Jean Sixte Ghislain Bauchau is a Belgian actor.-Early life:Bauchau was born in Brussels, the son of Mary , a Russian-born school administrator and publisher, and Henry Bauchau, a school administrator, publisher, writer, and psychoanalyst who served as an officer in the Belgian...
as Eli Chelarin
Harley Venton
Harley Venton
Harley Venton is an American actor.Venton first became known for playing the role of attorney Derek Colby on the long running CBS soap opera, Guiding Light from 1979 to 1982....
as Harry Martin/Harlevon Martinescu
Kim Johnston Ulrich
Kim Johnston Ulrich
Kim Johnston Ulrich is an American actress. She played the role of Ivy Winthrop Crane on NBC's daytime drama Passions, from 1999 to 2008. In 1990, Ulrich appeared on the TV series Wings as Carol, Brian's ex-wife...
as Amy Lawrence
Jason London
Jason London
Jason Paul London is an American actor, best known for his role as Randall "Pink" Floyd in director Richard Linklater's film Dazed and Confused.-Personal life:...
as Cody Puckett
Michelle Johnson
Michelle Johnson (actress)
Michelle Johnson is an American actress, probably best known for her role in Blame It on Rio.-Career:Director Stanley Donen signed her, as a 17-year-old, to appear as Michael Caine's love interest in the romantic comedy film Blame It on Rio...
as Celia
Salvator Xuereb as Butch Vlad
Bo Hopkins
Bo Hopkins
Bo Hopkins is an American actor.-Career:Hopkins has appeared in more than one hundred film and television roles in a career of more than forty years, including The Bridge at Remagen, The Wild Bunch, The Getaway, American Graffiti, White Lightning, Radioland Murders, The Killer Elite, Midnight...
as Chief Hunter