From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman’s Daughter (1999)

The vampires are back in this the 3rd entry into the series.  This time the setting moves back to the old west and we are treated to some fun western action as a bandito is rescued right before he is to be hanged.  As he makes his escape he grabs the daughter of the hangman, who we know has been abused by him.  Along the way the bandito (now joined by his gang) end up robbing a stagecoach.  Eventually both the survivors of the robbery and the gang end up at an isolated bar.  Much like the original it is filled with vampires and we then get to see them try to survive till dawn.

You know for another direct to video sequel this isn’t a bad movie.  The story is paced really well and keeps the action coming.  Sure it is basically a rehash of the original set in an earlier century, but it still works.  Plus we get to see the origins of a very memorable character.  Speaking of that while I didn’t find the characters as interesting as the 1st couple of movies, we do get to see Michael Parks get a lot more screen time then he normally gets (sadly).  Parks is really good playing the historical figure Ambrose Bierce and is worth the purchase price of the movie alone.  Other then a cameo by Danny Trejo there isn’t much else memorable about the cast.  But then again this is a horror movie, so that isn’t a deal breaker for me.

What is a deal breaker for me in a movie like this is the creature design and gore.  Of the three this is probably the one with the least amount of gore and the vampires don’t show up until we are really far into the movie.  There is one pre-vampire highlight and that involves a shotgun blast blowing someone’s face off.  You see it briefly, but it is effective.  When the vampires do show up there is the mayhem and gore that I’m expecting in a Dusk Till Dawn movie.  There are some severed limbs, a head goes flying, some necks are slashed, and several of the vampires come to fiery ends.  Though I did notice that there was a lot more CGI in this movie then the others.  Still the practical effects worked for me and this most likely has to do with the involvement of KNB on this movie.

If I were to be completely honest I’d have to say that From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman’s Daughter isn’t as good as the two earlier entries to the series.  Then again I really like the earlier movies so that doesn’t mean this one isn’t worth checking out.  If you want some cowboys vs. vampire action then you need to check this out.  There is enough gunplay and bloodsucking to keep genre fans entertained for 90 or so minutes.

2 ½ out of 4

reviewed by John Shatzer

© Copyright 2011 John Shatzer