Slayer (DVD)

Casper Van Dien plays Hawk, the leader of an elite commando team who find themselves attacked by a brutal, bloodsucking supernatural force deep in a hostile South

American jungle setting. Unlike traditional vampires, these cruel creatures can hunt by day. The U.S. military calls them 'a tribal anomaly', but Hawk begins to believe they actually a horrific race of pre-Incan vampires.

Six months after the first attack, Hawk must return to the jungle to rescue his ex-wife, Laurie (Jennifer O’Dell), your typical "tough-but-beautiful scientist." He's sent there by the frazzled Colonel Jessica Weaver (Lynda Carter), who's been trying to keep a lid on the vampire situation, but hasn't been doing very well. Needless to say, blood-sucking and butt-kicking ensue.

While some might appreciate the non-traditional vampires (I must say, I don't think I've heard this particular origin story before), Slayer is much more like a Sci-Fi Channel version of Predator (yes, this movie did originally air on TV before going to DVD).

Slayer has a decent cast, including the aforementioned, plus Ray Park, Tony Plana, and Danny Trejo, but after while the gory but perfunctory death scenes can no longer support the threadbare story and we're left watching action with glazed-over eyes.

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Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson