Vampire Hunter D (1985)

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Toyoo Ashida Director

Gothic post-apocalyptic horror based on Hideyuki Kikuchi's novel series.
Reference: Horror of Dracula

Count Lee is a reference to actor Christopher Lee, famous for his portrayal of Dracula this film.

Quote: Intro Card

This story takes place in the Distant Future. When mutants and Demons slither through a world of Darkness.

4 More Quotes
Writers
Cast
Kaneto Shiozawa D
Keiko Toda Dan Lang (japan ver)
Michie Tomizawa Doris Lang
Jeff Winkless Count Magnus Lee
Kazuyuki Sogabe Rei-Ginsei
Seizô Katô Count Magnus Lee
Ichirô Nagai Left Hand
Motomu Kiyokawa Dr. Feringo
Michael McConnohie D
Barbara Goodson Doris Lang
See Full Credits

Plot

 
One night while patrolling her land a young woman name Doris Lang is attacked and bitten by the vampire noble Count Magnus Lee. 
 
Several days later while waiting at an old road Doris tries to attack a stranger with her electric whip. The man is able to avoid the attack is about to ride away when Doris figures out the man is a hunter and begs for his help. She offers him a place to stay and her body to him in lieu of payment. In the morning the hunter, named D, rides with Doris and her young brother Dan to town. While there Doris is threatened by the mayor's son, Greco. When she turns down his threats and advances Greco tells the town about how Doris was bitten by the count.  
 
Doris, D, and Dan are brought forth to the mayor, the sheriff and Dr. Fering. The mayor wants to place Doris in the long abandoned internment camp to protect the town from the Count and his creatures. Dr. Fering objects to this idea, reminding the mayor of the attack that happened years earlier when the count wasn't able to get the girl he bitten. D tells the mayor that Doris will be cured when the Count is killed. Doris then tells the mayor that if D fails she will leave town, never to return. 
 
That night Doris tells D about the count and his history in the area. D tells her that she is safe from the count this night due to the sanguine moon, a phase of the moon that vampires believe a woman's blood is unclean. He then tells her that the count will most likely try to take her to his castle tonight.  
 
Soon, outside Doris' home creatures attack the barrier system Doris has in place. She is ready to fight but D uses the creature that lives in his left hand, named Left Hand, to knock out Doris. D goes out to meet the two who are in the yard. 
 
The two are Ramika, the count's daughter, and Rei Ginsei, the counts mutant henchman. This first battle D finds that Rei has a power to bend space and time around him, causing D to stab himself with his sword, but the two enemies find that D is a dhampir,  half human/half vampire. He heals from his wounds and causes the two to retreat.  
 
The next day D attacks the count's castle, using magic to get inside he is soon attacked by Rei and a witch who causes him to fall down a pit. With D out of the way the count sends Rei and some other creatures to attack Doris' home, capturing her.  
 
D works his way out of the tunnels to a room where he is attacked by the snake women of mid-witch. D starts to have his life force sucked out of him. While this happens Doris is brought up before the count. He shows her that D has been captured and that he is being drained of his life by the snake women, but the only reason he is still alive is because he is a  dhampir. He then knocks out Doris to prepare her for when the moon changes. D uses his vampire power to kills the snake women and escape the tunnels, killing the witch on the way out. 
 
As he makes his way out Ramika stands before the now unconscious Doris, thinking her commoner blood will destroy the house of Lee she is about to kill her when D burst through the door and knocks her out. Carring Doris over his shoulder D runs out of the castle, killing more creatures and being chased by Rei. 
 
Doris tells D she loves him and holds him close, D fights off his vampire urges even though Doris tells him he can bite her.  In town Rei gets a room at the Inn and is visited by messengers of the count. They give Rei a candle that will cause any creature with vampires blood to be frozen. While this is going on Greco spies on the meeting. 
 
The next day Dan is kidnapped by Rei, leaving a note to for D to come alone. D goes to the meeting place. Meanwhile Dr. Fering comes to Doris, telling her he found a place for her to be safe.  
 
D and Rei meet and fight. During the fight Rei tries to use the candle but it has no effect on him. D cuts off Rei's hand and rescues Dan. While this is happening Doris and Dr. Fering are on a narrow road when they are attacked by Ramika. Doris then finds out that Dr. Fering has become a vampire. Ramika kills Fering and thinks about if she wants to kill Doris but a bright light stops Ramika. Greco comes out of hiding using the vampire stopping candle. He plans on holding Ramika hostage to make the count give him money and power. Ramika screams in pain and tells him she will kill him. He is about to kill the vampire when Doris tries to use her body to shield the defenseless vampire. Before Greco can kill either of them he is shot by Dan. Greco falls down the cliff. D and Doris let Ramika go. Ramika tries to tell Doris how  the nobles are strong and normal people are weak and should follow their masters. D tells Ramika that she is wrong and her noble ancestor never believed that.   
 
The next day Greco tries to get to town but Rei finds him and his stolen candle. Greco is never seen again.   
 
That night Rei attacks Doris' house. D goes out to face him but he is blinded and stunned by the candle. Rei then stabs D in the heat and in a act of revenge cuts off D's left hand. He then goes and kidnaps Doris and Dan. 
 
D's left hand wakes up to find D is dead, and a smoke monster is making its way towards his body to eat. Left Hand reattaches it's self to D and eats dirt to get strength. He then wakes D up in the nick of time to kill the monster. 
 
Meanwhile Count Lee gets ready to marry Doris. Ramika tries to talk her father out of marrying the commoner Doris but Lee tells Ramika that he has done this many times before, and that even her mother was just a common girl, not of royal blood. Ramika is then knocked out so she doesn't try to interrupt the wedding. On the way Lee is stopped by Rei. He wants to become a noble, Lee laughs at this request and tells Rei to wait "Fifty years or so" 
 
Lee and the now in tranced Doris start to walk to the room to complete the ceremony. On the way Dan tries to attack the count but he is knocked away by Lee's power. Rei rescues Dan from falling to his death.  Rei tries to use the candle to kill Lee but it has no effect on him and Lee uses his powers to kill Rei. 
 
Lee is about to turn Doris when D comes. D tries to strike Lee down but Lee blocks the attack then uses his powers to pin D to the wall. He is about to use D's sword when D uses his powers to impale Lee with the sword. D falls to the ground. As he gets up Lee tries to use his powers on Doris to kill D but Dan and Ramika stops her. Lee tells his daughter to kill D but she says it is time for the house of Lee to fall. D tells her she doesn't have to die, that she is like him and can live a normal life. She tells him no, if she can't live the life of a noble then she would rather die. Before he dies he sees a picture of the "Vampire King" and sees that D looks like him. Lee ask with his dieing breath if D is related to their King, Dracula. D doesn't answer. 
 
D, Doris and Dan escape the castle as it falls into the abyss. 
 
At the end, D leaves Doris and Dan, riding off into the sunset. 
  

Differences between movie and book

 
  • In the book Doris is shown to be more able to take care of herself. 
  • Doris' outfit in the book is more like a shirt and jeans, not the almost one piece tunic in the movie.
  • In the novel D uses his vampire powers more readily than in the movie. 
  • Dr.Fering had a larger part in the novel, more to explain humanities history with the nobles to the readers. 
  • Fering's relationship with the Lang family was explained more in the novel.
  • In the novel the town never finds out about Doris being bitten. The only ones who know are D, Dan, Doris, Dr.Fering, Greco, Greco's goons, the mayor, and the sheriff. 
  • At one part Doris is forced to go to the internment camp
  • Rei Ginsei's character in the book is totally different from the movie. In the book he is a criminal who has three men who are his partners. The partners are in the movie but were also changed. D kills Rei's partners when he rescued Dan from Rei.
  • Ramika's name in the book is Larmica. She is full vampire not a dhampire
  • Greco is killed by Larmica in the internment camp
  • In the book the snake women of midwitch are turned to D's allies for a short time when he uses his powers to turn them.
  • The final battle between D and Lee is much longer in the novel.
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General Information Edit
Name Vampire Hunter D
US Release Jan. 1, 1985
UK Release
AUS Release
Runtime 80
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Japanese
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Sci-Fi
Horror
Fantasy
Animation
Theme(s)
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anime
vampires
monsters
extreme violence
gratuitous nudity
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