Graveyard Shift

This low-budget but slickly produced Canadian horror project is an engrossing, heady blend of steamy romance and jugular-gushing vampire mayhem. Silvio Oliviero stars in the quirky role of nocturnal New York cabbie Stephen -- who just happens to be a 350-year-old vampire. Into his clutches falls lovely music-video director Michelle (Helen Papas), a terminally ill woman seeking a passionate one-night stand. Her condition undergoes a remarkable change after Stephen puts the bite on her, claiming her as his undead bride -- much to the chagrin of her jealous husband, who sets out to destroy her immortal lover. Director Gerard Ciccoritti employs modern-day vampire conventions (particularly some startling gore effects) with pleasing results, but it's the film's well-rounded characters who set it apart from the standard direct-to-video exploitation fare. Unfortunately, too heavy a reliance on trite MTV-style window dressing prevents this from achieving true cult-classic status.