A Film That Dares You to Keep Up

Read Time:5 Minute, 37 Second

MOVIE REVIEW
Vampire Time Travelers [Visual Vengeance Collector's Edition]
–

Genre: Horror, Comedy
Year Released: 1998, 2026 Blu-ray Visual Vengeance
Runtime: 1h 5m
Director(s): Les Sekely
Writer(s): Les Sekely
Cast: J.J. Rodgers, Lynne Baker, Micky Levy, Lori Morrissey
Where to Watch: available now, order your copy here: www.mvdshop.com or www.amazon.com

RAVING REVIEW: Trying to evaluate something like VAMPIRE TIME TRAVELERS on traditional terms feels like you’re missing the point almost immediately. It’s not just low-budget or rough around the edges; it’s actively rejecting the idea that it should function like a “normal” film in the first place. That’s either going to be the entire appeal or an immediate dealbreaker, and the film seems perfectly aware of that divide.

From the first scene, there’s a sense that perfection was never a priority. Scenes don’t build in a clean, logical progression. Instead, they stack, collide, and sometimes outright contradict each other. Time jumps show up without explanation, jokes interrupt each other just as quickly as they appear, and characters seem less like people and more like vehicles for whatever bit the film wants to throw at you next. It’s chaotic, but it’s intentionally disheveled.

What keeps it from collapsing is its commitment to that approach. There’s no hesitation, no moment where it tries to become grounded or sincere. Every edit, every repeated line, every joke that overstays its welcome feels like part of a larger attempt to overwhelm rather than convince you that it should be something more. It’s not trying to win you over. It’s trying to bombard you into either submission or rejection.

The humor operates on that same wavelength. A lot of it is crude, a lot of it is obvious, and a lot of it shouldn’t work on paper. But the sheer volume and speed create something different. Instead of building toward a payoff, the film throws out idea after idea, trusting that enough of them will land to keep things moving. It’s less about individual jokes and more about the cumulative effect.

There’s also a level of self-awareness that separates it from more straightforward no-budget efforts. The film knows it looks cheap. It knows the premise is ridiculous. It leans into those limitations instead of trying to hide them. That awareness becomes part of the humor, especially when it starts poking at its own structure or openly playing with genre expectations. It doesn’t always work as intended, but when it does, it gives the chaos a purpose.

At the same time, that approach has a ceiling. There are stretches where the randomness starts to feel repetitive rather than inventive. When everything is heightened, nothing really stands out. The lack of variation in tone means the film doesn’t have much room to build or shift, which can make the experience feel longer than it actually is. Seventy minutes shouldn’t drag, but here and there, it does.

The performances sit somewhere between commitment and exaggeration, which works in the film’s favor. No one is trying to ground the material in realism, and that’s the right call. Instead, the cast meets the film on its level, leaning into the absurdity without trying to smooth it out. That consistency helps maintain the tone, even when the material itself is all over the place.

There’s no pretending this is anything other than a shot-on-video production. The visuals are rough, the editing is aggressive to the point of distraction, and the overall presentation reflects its limitations at every turn. But again, those elements feel baked into the identity rather than flaws the film is trying to overcome. It’s part of the experience, not something separate from it. What’s interesting is how much of this style would later show up in more refined forms. The rapid-fire edits, the non-sequiturs, the willingness to derail itself for a joke, these are techniques that would eventually find a larger audience in other spaces. Here, they’re raw and unfiltered, lacking the control that would come later, but the intent is already there.

That doesn’t mean the film succeeds on its own terms. There’s a difference between controlled chaos and just chaos, and VAMPIRE TIME TRAVELERS occasionally drift into the latter. When that happens, the humor stops feeling intentional and starts feeling accidental. It’s a thin line, and the film crosses it more than once. It even leans into a running ‘bite her in the butt’ gag that’s so juvenile it shouldn’t work, but the film commits to it so aggressively that it becomes a perfect example of its all-in approach to absurdity.

With all that, there’s something hard to dismiss about how confidently it embraces its identity. It’s not trying to appeal to everyone, and it doesn’t pretend to. There’s a kind of scrappy energy that carries it through its weaker moments. VAMPIRE TIME TRAVELERS isn’t “good” in the way most films aim to be. But it’s also not failing in the way most bad films do. It exists in that strange middle ground where intention matters more than execution, and where commitment to the bit becomes the entire point.

Please visit https://linktr.ee/overlyhonestr for more reviews.

You can follow me on Letterboxd, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. My social media accounts can also be found on most platforms by searching for 'Overly Honest Reviews'.

I’m always happy to hear from my readers; please don't hesitate to say hello or send me any questions about movies.

[photo courtesy of VISUAL VENGEANCE, MVD ENTERTAINMENT]

DISCLAIMER:
At Overly Honest Movie Reviews, we value honesty and transparency. Occasionally, we receive complimentary items for review, including DVDs, Blu-rays, CDs, Vinyl Records, Books, and more. We assure you that these arrangements do not influence our reviews, as we are committed to providing unbiased and sincere evaluations. We aim to help you make informed entertainment choices regardless of our relationship with distributors or producers.

Amazon Affiliate Links:
Additionally, this site contains Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, we may receive a commission. This affiliate arrangement does not affect our commitment to honest reviews and helps support our site. We appreciate your trust and support as you navigate these links.