Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #95225 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-07-13
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 111 minutes

Customer Reviews

Horror film with focus on story and characterization!
Demon Under Glass is a wonderful breath of air in the horror genre where for too long, shock value and gore has overriden plot, characterization and ethical conundrum considerations. This smart and stylish independent production is satisfying on many levels, not the least of which is the ethical dilemna which is its central theme.

Suppose that vampires really exist. And suppose that one were captured and studied by science? Is a sentient human being who just happens to be dead, and who kills others for their blood and fear, to be given more consideration than a lab rat? This is the premise of the film.

The capture of the vampire, Simon Molinar happens at the outset of the film, as police and a mysterious commando force set a trap into which the urbane vampire falls. Subdued and badly injured, he is spirited off to an LA area Veterans Hospital to be studied.

Once here, he comes under the attention and care of Dr. Joseph McKay, young doctor working off medical school debt at the VA facility. McKay is tapped to replace the project leader and medical doctor, Dr. Hirsch, who was killed in Molinar's capture. It is through McKay's eyes and experience that the nature of the project comes to light and the ethical considerations are explored.

Treating the injured captive, the compassionate McKay becomes drawn into his patient's life and situation. Necessarily clued to the true nature of the man under his care, the young doctor finds a polite, cooperative patient who seems to little warrant the stringent security and strict protocols aimed at keeping him under control. McKay's empathy is tested as he is involved in the experimentation involved first in healing Molinar's initial injuries, and as the vampire heals, the scientific inquiry that is the thrust of the secret Delphi Project he has been drawn into. McKay is the voice of reason and compassion, who questions the right of the project specialists to conduct what seems at times the vilest sort of torture, in order to further science. As the experimenters go farther and farther in search of answers, and as the police who have been cheated of their suspect in a string of serial murders pursue the case and Molinar's whereabouts, McKay finds himself torn between a patient who is almost a friend, and associates who increasingly seem comfortable violating the very moral code that is at the heart of the Hippocratic Oath.

Molinar is played with style and flair by Jason Carter, who makes his vampire villain complicated and sympathetic--a man who, when escape does not seem possible, agrees to give back to humanity something of what he has taken for centuries, by allowing himself to be studied and experimented on. Garett Maggart is Dr. Joseph McKay, the emotional heart and soul of the film, who masterfully portrays a man torn between his natural compassion, his healing gift, and the moral considerations of how much humanity a fundamentally inhuman patient should be allowed. Maggart gives a multilayered performance from which McKay emerges the quintessential hero, but not without emotional cost and a conflicted soul. The two stars are supported by an excellent cast.

For a low budget independent feature, the production quality and technical aspects are, if not great, still excellent. With studio backing and a huge budget, this could have been one of the most talked about films in years, but would probably have suffered from having huge name stars cast in the roles so beautifully played here.

This is very much a thinking man's film. While there is drama and tension aplenty, this film never goes for cheap shock and audience manipulation. The end result is a film that is first a drama with a compelling plot and second the most satisfying "horror" film this reviewer has had the pleasure to watch in many, many years.

A new and intriguing twist on the Ancient Vampire legend.
Demon Under Glass

Well, I won't use the sweeping phrase "best vampire movie I ever saw," but I will term this unheralded DVD the most interesting of the genre. Made possible by an entity called "Dragoncor/EarthDragon," the film-makers definitely put forth a lot of intellectual effort, and, in doing so, offset the underfunded production values with considerable success. Their cerebral approach? Attempting to attach intriguing scientific explanation to enduring legend; placing supernatural manifestation under the microscope in an attempt to unravel the secrets of a scary phenomenon.

The movie starts off with a briefly written explanation: A serial killer is loose in Los Angeles. Nicknamed "Vlad" by the media due to the distinctively gruesome condition of his victims, the murderous criminal is very soon caught in a prostitution sting, then abruptly confronted by a mysterious task force of the U.S. Government. In a running, pitched battle, the hypothetical vampire is brought to heel and then whisked away to the research section of a VA Hospital.

This unknown, frighteningly dangerous creature becomes the centerpiece of a research project code-named "Delphi." Soon enough the captive earns the term "living impossibility" by the lead scientist, a man who readily blinds himself to risk because of an insatiable thirst for hidden knowledge. Amidst a series of discoveries that unfold in an environment rife with tension-surprising revelations that turn the known mechanics of human physiology upside down-one significant yet slowly revealed "revelation" is grasped too, too slowly by the people who think they hold all the cards: "Vlad" can be persuasive, insidiously so. Secure doors, one-way mirrors and ever-present guards just might not be up to the challenge of keeping him down.

With the overview of this good horror picture out of the way-a production cast and crew alike should be proud of-I will mention here some of the nagging defects that briefly bothered my eye, tickled my ear and caused my brain to spasm during what was largely a superb effort that bore plentiful fruit.
The action scenes at the beginning of the movie could have been choreographed a bit more professionally. I guess such flaws are to be expected; this was definitely a film whose "shoe-string budget" put a damper on the visuals.

The security barriers that kept the outside world away from the research project were ludicrously inadequate; from what I gathered, there was but one: A nurse behind a desk, who seemed to be constantly on the phone. That hardly makes for an effective deterrent against potential intruders, especially anyone who might be motivated to track down a notorious serial killer; a shadowy figure whose results were widely known to the media and certainly impacted the victims' survivors.

It struck me as oddly puzzling how dense and callous one of the leads-a bright and caring young internist-could act at times. First, it took him far too long to link the strange man under his care-a position, admittedly, that was thrust upon him-with the killer tagged "Vlad" by the media. (Maybe because he was so busy seeing to Veterans, he never had the chance to read the papers before the real deal itself showed up and altered his life forever.) Second, he started cooling to the creature a bit late in the game. I mean, any person with the moral fiber this man obviously possessed would have suspected from the get-go his enigmatic patient's fresh blood needs more than likely involved a history of murder.

On top of the youngest doctor's briefly strange lapses, two of his senior cohorts' behavior toward the end also threw me for a loop. Suffice to say the effort to advance the study had one acting in rapid succession fiendishly appalling than brutally uncaring; the other reached disgustingly culpable shortly after oozing a stench of wimpish criminality. (I guess "Vlad" could have been acting telepathically behind the scenes, but, if so, I must have missed that angle entirely.)

Finally, there were a few significant loose strings still hanging at the closing credits. I don't want to get into too much detail here, because it might spoil crucial aspects of the story, but Vlad's past doings could have been explored and explained a bit more comprehensively.

In this last paragraph I do feel compelled to end on a positive note. I mean, it's the least I can do, since I did enjoy the film, very much so. All the actors throughout, despite the aforementioned inconsistencies in behavior and "Vlad's" elegant darkness, struck me as everyday people with everyday good looks realistically and believingly confronting an alluring yet disturbing mystery. No "ravishing divas, incomparably handsome leading men and celebrated acting skills" of the big budgeted movies here. These actors, in an understated professionalism, duplicated very closely what one would expect to see in the environment and situations presented.

(Okay, I lied!! There is one more complaint, and it's not just for this movie: Military guards, who find themselves in imminently hostile environments, are not in the least likely to remain at parade rest incessantly, staring straight ahead and needlessly tiring themselves out, thus being less than fully prepared for danger when it strikes!)

http://www.frankrheins.com

Demon Under Glass is Dead On
This was no big-budget production. The cast and crew did not rely on special effects or large explosions. Instead they place their faith in stellar performances by the central cast and an interesting script with a new take on the vampire mythos. It works.

Demon Under Glass was a pleasant surprise. Thoughtful, fun, intelligent, and insightful ... it was a pleasure to watch. I only wish they'd filmed a sequel, because this film deserves one.

Garrett Maggart plays Dr. Joe McCay with wisdom and humanity, and his reluctant friendship with the vampire, Simon Molinar (brilliantly played by Jason Carter, who sucks the audience right in - even when you know, you just KNOW, this guy is bad news, you're still rooting for him right along with the other characters in the film, despite his "evil" nature), is the highlight of this story. Neither man chooses to be there, but they deal with the situation and each other, despite a lack of trust that grows into something akin to mutual respect if not downright friendship.

The back cover of the DVD led me to believe that this would be an action pic, a battle between the police and a killer, but in truth, it is a study of what "humanity" is and takes place primarily in the lab where Simon is being studied. Kudos to the film-makers for this rare and perfect choice. It is what makes this film so special.

In my opinion, if you enjoy a fun, engaging movie, then Demon Under Glass is for you. Watch it and enjoy. It was wonderful!