I felt this movie would have been better off...

I really like this movie, but it isn't without its flaws. The acting in places is bad, and it feels like an entire segment of it is missing. Out of nowhere all of London is in chaos, and there are vampires everywhere. So, I do agree that with a better writer, and a bigger budget this movie could have been amazing. I'd still keep the same director though, as Tobey Hooper is usually amazing when it comes to horror. This movie is a missed opportunity, but at the same time it is a Cannon film. So, it's about on par for what they usually put out. That isn't meant to besmirch Cannon films- I love their movies. My childhood, and teen years loved all of their films- no matter how bad. I do have the novel that this film was based upon. I do plan on reading it someday.

Nah, this movie is perfection as it is, cheese and all. It could only be made at that point of time and history.

It did feel like it was made way earlier than 1985, like 70's. It reminded me of a low budget Hammer Horror like Dracula A.D. 1972. The tone of the acting was very poor. Everybody super serious, robotic, cold, and speaking the most perfect Queens English. The only person with a glint in their eye was Picard. The rest of the performances seemed terrible, stifled and stilted. I wonder if Tobe directed them so, and they all struggled. For a Tobe Hooper film, and in 1985 it seemed kinda weird.

Apart from the acting it was pretty good, (I saw the directors cut, which I found a little long). The special effects were great. The ending was ambitious, where they set London on fire, and I was surprised they showed a vampire outbreak in the middle of London with a full feeding frenzy, killing spree. I was a little disappointed that Mathilda May disappeared until the end, after she was built up as the big bad, and they started using other people possessed by her.