Product Description

The true life story of the world's first TV horror movie host is unveiled in this labor-of-love documentary. Bonus features include: Director commentary, Screening lectures, Music video, Trailer, Outtakes, "Joe Flynn Show" Vampira episode and more.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #23517 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-08-28
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Black & White, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 70 minutes

Customer Reviews

Nice to hear from Maila again...
I just finished watching this documentary, and I've decided to be very, very kind, despite how frustrated I was watching it. I'll give it the full five stars, because as a fan of "The Wood Spooks" this was the single best and most informative Maila Nurmi interview ever. When she is on the screen, she is fascinating, humorous, lovely and incredibly entertaining. Absolutely wonderful.

Much of what she imparts here you may have heard before in prior Ed Wood related documentaries, but since those have always been edited in such a way as to retain focus on Wood, Maila's story was always a bit more vague. Here, although intercut with some of the most useless and irritating sound bytes from poseurs and fans alike, she is for the most part allowed to speak her mind and tell her story, creating her own legend and spinning her own web as she'd like it to be understood. This should have been the entire "documentary". Point a camera at her, ask her a few guiding questions and let this woman speak. Period.

Instead, the director interrupts her with clips of horrible reenactment footage, nonsensical and off topic comments from lowlifes, and fan-made performances in tribute to Vampira. This is his first error: We don't wish to see or hear from these people, and it hurts your film.

The second problem is that towards the end, the movie forgets what it's even about, turning into another round of contrary people tributing the great misunderstood genius Ed Wood. Who cares how Lloyd Kaufman feels about the Golden Turkey Awards in this context? Especially since he's only parroting sentiments made in The Plan 9 Companion by other contrary people. It has nothing to do with Vampira, and if Ed Wood is spoken about at all, as I'm afraid he must be, it needs to be from the honest point of view of Maila Nurmi and NO ONE ELSE'S. It's called "VAMPIRA THE MOVIE" afterall. The director can't seem to stay on topic.

And so, look, what we have here is a beautiful 6 LB Maine Lobster prepared by a horrible chef. I'm grateful for the clips from Vampira's old television show (which I'd assumed were gone forever) and for more of the wit and wisdom of this great lady. I'm upset that I share my interest in her work with the characters that insist on squatting in this documentary. Yet, I'm glad to add it to my library, and hope that by showing my enthusiasm for the subject matter, a more worthy film will be made soon.

A great visit with Vampira
If you've ever been curious about who Vampira is and how her presence has affected the genre of goth/horror film, this DVD has the answers. Glamor-goul Vampira as she is today walks you through how it all began; and how films changed her life. She was WAY ahead of her time, and this shockumentary is a fantastic chronicle of her journey with insights and commentary from a host of goulish actors, musicians, filmmakers, etc. There's lots of reflection on her appearance in Ed Wood's film "Plan 9 From Outer Space".

This is clearly a DVD made by a knowledgeable fan of old horror films who brings many of the names of horror-hosts old and new to one fascinating discussion on the Queen of Horror!

At the end of the shockumentary, we get the chance to listen to the filmmakers and how they brought it all together. If you like horror films and are fascinated on how it all began, you'll enjoy this immensely.

This Is a Goldmine
I was blown away by how much you get for your money with this documentary of extremely rare and vanishing information on Maila Nurmi a.k.a. Vampira. One thing you would never expect--and the disk is worth it for this alone--is the many sage lessons in life that Maila shares. The documentary holds a tight weave of deep insights from those who knew her before her fame, and tributes from her horror host "descendants," almost none of whom have ever been coaxed to talk before. But the main star, as it should be, is Maila herself, breaking new ground in fresh interviews, and never-told stories.

Just like when any cult hero gets honored, we can only be amazed by how many stalkers and frauds with an axe to grind come out of the woodwork to say they should been the ones interviewed instead of the celebrities on film. But what I notice is that the documentary doesn't try to be the be-all and end-all encyclopedia on the subject. I'm thankful for that because it doesn't get caught up in the repetition you might expect. The truth is it is packed with anecdotes and analysis that obviously doesn't exist anywhere else. The documentary is also worth it for the extras alone, mostly Count Smokula's hilarious tribute song "Vampira." The packaging of the disk itself adds to the mystique, perfectly capturing her life and times, and helping to make it a must-own collector's treasure.