Terror Of The Master is a late 90’s SOV film that blends together vampires, gangsters, and mystery drama. And as SOV goes it features decent production value, a few locations, and a (largely) fairly good cast. Here from the resurrectors of all things SOV/low-budget genre fare SRS Cinema- is a region-free DVD  release of the film, taking in a director's commentary.

Terror Of The Master was the first film from Upstate New York-born Jeff Kirkendall.  He has since gone on to make another ten shorts & features- taking in  Halloween night set horror The Green-Eyed Monster (1999), light-hearted dramatic comedy Of Theatre & Biknins ( 2006),  and sequel to classic SOV Return To  Splatter Farm (2020).

The film is centred around twentysomething sisters Drew( Maitely Weismann) and Amelia( Jennifer Brin). The pair run at an antique shop in a small American town- though  Drew also works as a TV reporter for a local channel.  

Several women have disappeared from the town, and we see them chained in a cellar- who start screaming madly as someone/ something approaches. One evening a woman turns up at the pairs shop- then turns up missing, so Drew & Amelia turn detectives.

It turns up that what’s in the basement is a gruff-voiced, long-haired and curled-taloned vampire-  who has teamed up with a group of gangsters- who are collecting prey for him while he recovers, with a promise of immortality.

The first quarter/ to half of the film largely focuses on the drama/ mystery side of things- Amelia is unluckily in love- with her partner recently leaving her. And Drew is having issues with an older & smug fellow reporter. As we move on we get into more horror side of things- with a few quite creepy moments, the odd flecks of gore, and ( largely) rewardingly hamming it up vampire acting.

One of the clear influences on the vamp side of things is 1994’s Interview With A Vampire, and this gets interestingly mixed with the drama & mystery side of things- with low-budget post-noir elements. If you're looking for a primal & gore-bound horror film, you’ll be disappointed- but if you're looking for an effective genre blend of drama, mystery, and moodier vamp picture this will appeal.

On the extras side, we get a commentary track from director Jeff Kirkendall.  He begins by confirming the film was made in 1996,  going on to be shown in a few upstate New York settings in the summer of 1998. He talks about the opening basement location, and how he feels it has a rather dungeon-like look. We find out that the film grew from a short script regarding two sisters, and how the film's credits were created by a friend at local  TV station.  He talks about how the films antique shop was influenced by the Friday The 13th TV series.  We find out he plays the role of Drew’s boyfriend in the film, and who shot those scenes including him. He points out locations as they appear, as well as music cues. He talks about how he feels the longer drama set scenes work well opening up the film.  Later on, he talks about some of the more tricky shots, the films remastering,  issues with the vampire's teeth, and more. All in all, it’s not a bad director's commentary, and it was most interesting to hear his insights.

Otherwise, we get Of Theatre And Bikinis( 39.35) this is a 2006 short from Jeff Kirkendall. It’s a rather laid-back comedy-drama, regarding two community college girlfriends going to a local park on a summer day- hoping they’ll bump into a respected director who is visiting the area. It’s an entertaining & decidedly charming short- with all of the small cast being likeable.

The mix of drama, mystery, and moody horror found in Terror Of The Master is fairly original & distinctive. The remastered scan looks good enough for a 90’s SOV film, and the two extras are well worth checking out. So another most worthy release from the folks at SRS Cinema