Nor, for that matter, is Kristanna Loken, who appears to discuss her vampire movie, Bloodrayne (she is most often thought of as the Terminatrix from Terminator 3). Should a discussion of Loken's vampire picture be necessary, the director, Uwe Boll, may be a better choice to discuss the film. Happily, he is included in the documentary as well, but he makes Loken's presence unnecessary.

As no discussion of the vampire film would be complete without a look at the films that came out of Hammer Studios, Bloodsucking Cinema discusses them as well. As with all decades-old vampire films, less time is spent here than is deserved, but some choice moments are shown in detail, including Van Helsing's fighting off his own transformation by cauterizing a bite and pouring on holy water (Brides of Dracula).

Also present to talk about the genre are several special effects and makeup artists who go into some detail as to how they go about creating the look and feel of vampire films. They discuss where their influences come from and moments they admire, and are often more interesting than some of the directors who appear in the documentary.

In the end, while Bloodsucking Cinema does trace the history of the vampire film, it never quite goes into as much depth on the films of the past as it does the films of the present. Consequently, it often feels like little more than a promotion for recent vampire titles. Despite this shortcoming, and the fact that it means that the piece goes into little depth on older films, it does make some interesting connections and those starting to get interested in the genre would do well to begin their studies here.

Bloodsucking Cinema premieres on Starz Friday October 26 at 8pm (check your local listings anyway though, just in case).