¡Vampiros en La Habana!
Encyclopedia
¡Vampiros en La Habana! (English
title: Vampires in Havana) is a Cuba
n animated film directed by Juan Padrón
. Released in 1985, the film features trumpet performances by the legendary Arturo Sandoval
. A sequel to the film was released in 2003 called Más vampiros en La Habana.
. He is unaware that he is really a vampire
, and that his uncle, Werner Amadeus von Dracula, the son of Count Dracula
, has been using him as a test subject for a formula that negates the usually fatal effects of sunlight.
A Chicago
-based vampire crime syndicate and a group of capitalist vampires with members from several countries in Europe
have both learned of the formula and wish to possess it for different reasons—the Chicago group to suppress it and thus maintain their monopoly on indoor, artificial beach resorts, and the Europeans to market it as "Vampisol." When Pepito learns of his true heritage (and his uncle's wish to give the formula away to vampires everywhere) he becomes the target of a multi-pronged manhunt, leading all parties involved on a wild chase through some of the seediest neighborhoods of Havana
.
At the film's climax, Pepito and his girlfriend find themselves cornered by the Chicago vampire cartel, led by vampire mobster Johnny Terrori. He tells Pepito to have some O positive blood
as his last drink, the blood type which vampires consider to be the most delicious. However, when he spits it out in disgust, Terrori realises that Pepito's dislike of drinking blood, the fact that he was harmed by a lead bullet earlier (vampires can only be harmed by silver bullets) and that he is completely impervious to sunlight (it instantly kills vampires) means that Pepito has stopped being a vampire. Terrori loses interest in the Vampisol formula, realizing that its effect is to turn vampires into humans. However, the leader of the European vampires suggests a deal with his counterparts from Chicago, whereby they can encourage vampires to take small amounts of Vampisol in the summer and visit the mobsters' artificial beaches in the winter. Both groups believe that they are going to make a fortune from Vampisol but, as a final resolution, Pepito sings instructions on how to prepare the formula over the radio to vampires worldwide, instructing them to use it sparingly to avoid becoming human. The Vampisol formula becomes financially worthless and both vampire cartels find themselves defeated.
At the very end of the film a vampire addresses the audience and says, "Be careful, because that guy next to you on the beach... might just be a vampire!"
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
title: Vampires in Havana) is a Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n animated film directed by Juan Padrón
Juan Padrón
Juan Padrón is a Cuban animation director.Since 1963 he has published sketches and cartoons for Cuban magazines and newspapers. He was the creator, in 1970, of Elpidio Valdés, a cartoon character with more than sixty shorts and two feature length movies...
. Released in 1985, the film features trumpet performances by the legendary Arturo Sandoval
Arturo Sandoval
Arturo Sandoval is a jazz trumpeter and pianist. He was born in Artemisa, in the newest renamed Artemisa Province, Cuba....
. A sequel to the film was released in 2003 called Más vampiros en La Habana.
Plot summary
Joseph Amadeus von Dracula, known as Pepito to his friends, is a trumpet player in 1930s Havana who spends his time away from the bandstand dabbling in quasi-terrorist plots to overthrow the Cuban government of dictator, Gerardo MachadoGerardo Machado
Gerardo Machado y Morales was President of Cuba and a general of the Cuban War of Independence...
. He is unaware that he is really a 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...
, and that his uncle, Werner Amadeus von Dracula, the son of Count Dracula
Count Dracula
Count Dracula is a fictional character, the titular antagonist of Bram Stoker's 1897 Gothic horror novel Dracula and archetypal vampire. Some aspects of his character have been inspired by the 15th century Romanian general and Wallachian Prince Vlad III the Impaler...
, has been using him as a test subject for a formula that negates the usually fatal effects of sunlight.
A Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
-based vampire crime syndicate and a group of capitalist vampires with members from several countries in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
have both learned of the formula and wish to possess it for different reasons—the Chicago group to suppress it and thus maintain their monopoly on indoor, artificial beach resorts, and the Europeans to market it as "Vampisol." When Pepito learns of his true heritage (and his uncle's wish to give the formula away to vampires everywhere) he becomes the target of a multi-pronged manhunt, leading all parties involved on a wild chase through some of the seediest neighborhoods of Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
.
At the film's climax, Pepito and his girlfriend find themselves cornered by the Chicago vampire cartel, led by vampire mobster Johnny Terrori. He tells Pepito to have some O positive blood
Blood type
A blood type is a classification of blood based on the presence or absence of inherited antigenic substances on the surface of red blood cells . These antigens may be proteins, carbohydrates, glycoproteins, or glycolipids, depending on the blood group system...
as his last drink, the blood type which vampires consider to be the most delicious. However, when he spits it out in disgust, Terrori realises that Pepito's dislike of drinking blood, the fact that he was harmed by a lead bullet earlier (vampires can only be harmed by silver bullets) and that he is completely impervious to sunlight (it instantly kills vampires) means that Pepito has stopped being a vampire. Terrori loses interest in the Vampisol formula, realizing that its effect is to turn vampires into humans. However, the leader of the European vampires suggests a deal with his counterparts from Chicago, whereby they can encourage vampires to take small amounts of Vampisol in the summer and visit the mobsters' artificial beaches in the winter. Both groups believe that they are going to make a fortune from Vampisol but, as a final resolution, Pepito sings instructions on how to prepare the formula over the radio to vampires worldwide, instructing them to use it sparingly to avoid becoming human. The Vampisol formula becomes financially worthless and both vampire cartels find themselves defeated.
At the very end of the film a vampire addresses the audience and says, "Be careful, because that guy next to you on the beach... might just be a vampire!"