Did you ever wonder what would bring about the end of the world as we know it? Well, I'm back folks and I have the answer to just that question! No, it's not our friend George W. who orchestrates the end days (at least not this week) but a group of Vampires. I guess they just figured since we're their food, they ought to be the ones running things. After all, look at the mess we made so far!

Our story opens with news broadcasts from all over the world about a nasty little disease killing people off by the thousands. The government leads the media to believe (and hence the world) that there is nothing to worry about. They'll have a vaccine in no time at all. In the mean time the body count is rising and the daily news includes shaky camera shots of mass graves in which the occupants don't always stay buried. The bodies also tend to burst into flames when sunlight touches them! There is a small group claiming that the cause is vampirism, not a plague that the media is force feeding the public.

In less than a year, the Vampires have become the top of the food chain and they out number humans all over the world. There's only one problem. The rate at which the vampires need to reproduce (for lack of a better word) to over take the world has left only a meager number of humans. The vampires are slowly starving. Many can no longer hunt for themselves. The vampires begin to recruit humans who will hunt during the day for them. They lend their servitude with the promise of becoming immortal farther down the road.

In return for the immortal kiss, they stalk and hunt the few remaining humans so that they can be killed and then fed on. This way, no new vampires are made in the process of feeding the brood and the vampire population can be controlled from area to area. The brood is led by Father Palmeri (Marvin W. Schwartz) a less than shining example of the catholic faith. He's a vampire now and the flock he's leading is a little less than holy.

In opposition to our blood thirsty little group is Gwen (Pamela Karp) a devout atheist, who's on a constant quest to find proof of a higher power, Father Joe (Douglas Gibson) who at one time worked beside Father Palmeri, until he was asked to leave the church over a crime he didn't commit (can you guess which crime?), Carl (Dave Dwyer) and his daughter Mickey (Mariana Matthews) who were once members of the church that has been taken over by the vampires. They're faced with no easy task and they're only dealing with the vampires in their little corner of the world. Well, I guess you have to start some where!

I think it's safe to say I really enjoyed this one. It was intelligently written and the concepts played out extremely well within the story. They managed to work in most of the topics that usually crop up in post apocalyptic story lines. The loss of faith, where do we go from here, and how do we start again. Now, that's not to say that there wasn't the occasional cheesy one liner or the ever popular overacted scene that seems to be presented in case an Oscar nomination just might roll their way. In my opinion most horror flicks wouldn't be complete without a few of those here and there. It was well done through and through. Mostly, the dialog is enough to keep you engaged and invested in the movie.

Then you factor in the look of the scenes themselves. They really did a great job at making it look like there isn't much left of the world we once knew. You've got people living underground and going back to the ways of barter and trade. You see the characters taking the necessary steps to ensure their own survival and you even have the former arm chair generals who talk tough about taking back the planet

One of the best things going for this movie though, is the make-up effects. The artistry that went into making the vampires was really well done. They had the task of not only making them look scary but they had to make it look like many of them were sick and close to dying. It was all pulled together quite well. A lot of the vampire make-up is similar in a lot of ways but with this extra wrinkle to the story, they manage a pretty unique effect. There's also a slight BDSM theme (for all of you who's tastes run in that direction) within the humans who are loyal to the vampires and the vampires themselves. A few riding crops, some hot wax, but nothing that changes the movie from the story line it's on. It's just a little extra touch that adds a bit of decadence.

Special Features include: Bloopers and outtakes, behind the scenes, still and production art and a director's commentary. Presented in an anamorphic widescreen transfer quality stays fairly clear throughout the movie. Shot on film, the picture quality (for the most part) is pretty decent with little grain. There is a spot or two that the picture gets a little to dark but those instances were brief and didn't take away from the movie. The audio stayed pretty clear as well. Again, there was a time or two where the dialog got a little quiet. I had to turn it up a little to catch the line but it didn't happen often enough to detract from the movie. The sound track was not over the top or all that unique but it worked well for the movie. It didn't really stand out but it blended well with the action on screen.

Overall Midnight Mass is a well-told vampire tale that was a lot of fun and it's one I would have certainly picked up for my own collection. I found myself caught up in the story and really enjoying the characters. It's definitely worth checking out!