Reviews: Vampire Hunter D (1985) Movie Review
Genres: Horror, Sci-Fi, Action, Fantasy, Animation, Vampires
Subgenres: Vampires, Cursed, Drama
Our review of Vampire Hunter D (1985) dives into the story, the scares, and whether it truly delivers the horror fans crave.
Vampire Hunter D (1985) was a one h 20, min Japanese sci-fi action-fantasy-horror animation film that has gained/developed a modest cult following. Director Toyoo Ashida (Fist of the North Star 2 (1987-1988), Fist of the North Star (1986)) did an incredible job executing his first full-length movie. Vampire Hunter D is based on a Japanese manga that came into existence in 1983 and had 22 books. The film is a cult classic containing vampires, vampire hunters, demons, humans versus monsters, half-breed, dhampirs, supernatural hunters, dystopia, blood, violence, and suspense.
Vampire Hunter D was set in 12,090 AD, where young Doris Lang hired a half-human vampire hunter and half-vampire to protect her from a vampire lord in a post-nuclear holocaust world. Doris (Michie Tomizawa - Bubblegum Crisis (1987-1991), Sailor Moon (1992-1993), Sailor Moon R the Movie: The Promise of the Rose (1993)) was bitten by a vampire and desperately needed the help of the vampire hunter named D. Doris hired D (Kaneto Shiozawa - Metal Gear Solid (1998), Street Fighter II: V (1995), Fist of the North Star (1986)) to kill the vampire, Magnus Lee that bit her so that she will not turn into a vampire. Magnus is also bent on making Doris his new young vampire bride.
Magnus (Seizo Kato - Tokyo Godfathers (2003), Blitzkrieg Squadron Changeman (1985-1986), Light Squadron Maskman (1987-1988)) is a powerful 10,000-year-old vampire. D travels around on his white steed. I was intrigued by the film’s middle as we see several different creatures, including a three-headed snake female, mutants, slugs, giants, and other creatures. Fainted-hearted viewers should not see this movie as there are several severed limbs, gory scenes, and knife impalings.
Similar films like Vampire Hunter D can be found in vampire movies sub-genre(s), check them out for more movies like Vampire Hunter D.
Sources Used to Shape This Review
Insights in this review are drawn from director interviews, fan commentary, production notes, and long-form breakdowns across genre-specific platforms. Content is written uniquely and reviewed for accuracy.
- Vampire Hunter D Rating Scores
- Our Score: 7/10
- Overall Score: 7.52/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 7.8/10
Look here for more movies starting with V and here you can find 1985 movies to watch on your favorite streaming service.
Browse: New Vampire Movies / Vampire Movies List