Diagonaldi Very well executed

Teringer An Exercise In Nonsense

Janae Milner Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

Dana An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Wizard-8 There is an interesting and entertaining vampire movie buried deep deep down in the Canadian effort "Graveyard Shift", and occasionally it comes out and bares its fangs. For one thing, while the movie had a painfully low budget, it actually looks very decent. The photography and lighting is very eye-catching, and it also manages to generate a little atmosphere - you really feel the cold and creepiness of this setting. If only the screenplay had been given as much care as the movie's look and feel. For starters, you never get a real sense of what is going on in the characters' heads, particularly the taxi driving vampire. What was his past? What are his motivations? We never get the answers to questions like those. And the subplot with the estranged couple also has some vague touches and is not resolved in a satisfactory manner. The unanswered questions really pick up in the second half of the movie, with the plot really starting to become muddled. If you don't care about the plot and characters and are just looking for basic horror thrills, you'll likely be disappointed - there is not much blood and gore, though to compensate there are several instances where the characters take off their clothes. I don't think the movie works in the end, but apparently it did work for enough people during its initial release on home video, because there was a sequel the following year. But I'm in no rush to track down a copy.

Woodyanders Burnt-out 350-year-old vampire Stephen Tsepes (a fine and brooding performance by the handsome Michael A. Miranda) works the graveyard shift as a taxi cab driver in New York City and preys on lovely ladies who have lost the will to give. Tsepes meets a kindred lonely and tortured spirit in Michelle Hayden (superbly played with spot-on affecting bone-weary cynicism by Helen Papas), a director of trashy Gothic music videos who's dying of cancer. Michelle's jealous and estranged husband Eric Hayden (a solid turn by Cliff Stoker) enlists the aid of nerdy occult expert Robert Kopple (nicely essayed by Dan Rose) to rescue Michelle from Tsepes' hypnotic spell. Writer/director Jerry Ciccoritti ably evokes a moody, spooky, and melancholic lurid neon nocturnal urban atmosphere while exploring the basic human need for contact, alienation, and the anguish and torment of both mortality and immortality alike. Moreover, Ciccoritti further spices things up with a genuinely hot and sizzling heightened eroticism, a generous sprinkling of tasty female nudity, a handy helping of graphic gore, and a rousing climax set on a cemetery studio set. The sound acting from the capable cast rates as another substantial asset: Mirandas and Papas do sterling work in the lead roles, with sturdy support from John Haslett Cuff and Don James as the hard-nosed detectives investigating a baffling series of grisly murders, sugar Bouche as luscious stripper Franne, Lesley Kelly as the alluring and aggressive Officer Arbus, and Michael Brockner as a no-nonsense coroner. Robert Bergman's striking cinematography gives this picture a slick and dazzling MTV music video-ish look, with especially smooth and graceful pans and stunning use of bright and garish artificial lighting. Nicholas Pike's spirited shuddery score likewise hits the shivery spot. Marred only by some regrettably shoddy make-up and lackluster special effects, this movie overall qualifies as an unjustly neglected and under-appreciated sleeper.

insomniac_rod I've known this movie for years after being mentioned in many websites and specially in the IMDb Horror Board (my second home). While it's not a cult classic it has generated a solid fan database and I'm one of those who enjoyed it big time.I watched this movie by mistake... It aired on Mexican late local t.v. (it started at 5:00 a.m.) and I decided to give it a chance BUT I didn't know it was the so much talked about "Graveyard Shift".I was immediately caught by the movie's vibe, I mean, I thought it was a 1990 effort and nothing more because of the soundtrack, the clothes, the cinematography, and most of all, the atmosphere.The plot is really interesting. I mean, a taxicab vampire driver who converts "troubled" women into creatures of the night and suddenly falls in love with a married but unhappy woman will always be a great idea in my mind.The love story evolves as death, lust, and the risk of losing immortality happens. I dug the relationship between Michelle and Stephen because it deals with sensuality, resurrection, but most important of all, attraction in all the sense of the word.But let me state that I really liked the movie because of the mixture of late 80's unique elements such as the soundtrack that I really enjoyed even that it only consists of a guitar-solo taken out from any Sega Genesis or Arcade game. It's just a unique sound that has a nostalgia feeling mixed with loneliness and the empty streets of a big city. The cinematography and art direction are a great combo most of all when it comes with dark settings such as when Michelle gets out of the cab and walks in front of a large, dying tree while in the background we see the sinister moon, adequate lightning, fog, and shadows. A great scene. Also, when Stephen makes his appearance near the ending , the music works perfect with the creepy and shadowy atmosphere.The gore is really good! Specially when we get bites, be headings, bitten necks, and stabbing. Oh, and pay attention to the "Day OF The Dead" reference (when the bald guy with the crucifix gets chopped and eaten by female vampires!).The sex scenes are very well done and add an extra spice for the movie. I really dug the "conversion" scene when Michelle decides that she's ready for eternal life at the cost of a vampire. The red cinematography works pretty well when mixed with the violence and sensuality.The Cop/Detective sub-plot also works perfectly and reminds us of 80's Giallo but American style! And I mean a ridiculous female cop who becomes crazy and even slaughters a black male cop, and a gray haired Cop who kills the husband near the ending.The love story mixed with death and dramatic situations (like the jealous husband!) is something to notice because we don't see it regularly in modern Horror Cinema.Pappas is extremely sexy, provocative; I love her lips and her sensual face. Oliveria is simply great and delivers a "suave" vampire performance.The Direction is stylish and dark at the same time. I dug anytime the creepy fake cemetery appears and most of the death sequences are well done. The make-up is really good, specially when applied to Stephen. He truly looks like a dead man walking! I can't understand the hate, this is an original vampire movie with a powerful 80's feeling; that is creepiness mixed with glam.I can't understand what's going on with the uncertainty feeling in the film. I know it was about time to change to the 90's style but for 1987, I can feel the generational change very rushed. It's like the movie tried to cover what was about to come but without shaking the 80's glam.Anyways, I like these kind of movies; in the style of "The First Power", "Satan's Princess", "The Horror Show", and "Exorcist III".On it's way to become a cult classic, believe me. Time will make justice to it.We need more movies like this...but with a better execution.

The_Void Not to be confused with the (actually slightly superior) film from 1990 of the same title, Graveyard Shift is the story of a vampire taxi driver. The premise of the film actually seems quite interesting; a taxi driver would be a good job for a vampire considering all the opportunity he would have for finding victims and this coupled with a trashy eighties vibe and some decent gore could have lead to a decent film; but instead what we end up is a thoroughly turgid vampire flick devoid of most of the elements that make the subgenre great. The base plot sprang from the central premise is that the vampire/cabbie meets a young woman that he likes and turns her into a vampire instead of killing her; leading her jealous husband to take revenge. The main reason the film doesn't work is down to the dull script which doesn't give us any reason to care for the characters or anything that is happening in the film. The script defies logic and most of the characters are just 'there'. There a few good moments in the film, but mostly it's just trash and ultimately rather boring too. I'm not surprised that this film has not won itself a better reputation - the reason is simply that it doesn't deserve one. Leave this rubbish well alone!