Political allegory with teeth: Daniel Ribot’s Vampsov 1938

Fascistic vampires are plotting against the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and represent everything that needs to be eliminated by Stalin’s regime. An initially sceptical Major Ludmilla Vatinashkaya, drafted in to lead the hunt for their nests, is just one of a whole cast of compelling characters vying for one’s attention that also takes in Vassily, a cold-blood who helps fight to rid the world of his own kind. The battles between humans and vampires make for some extremely memorable set pieces, culminating in an attack on Count Drakul’s stronghold. Political allegory and blood and guts – Vampsov 1938 has it all.