The good news is that Scott Spiegel, who helmed the god-awful part 2, is no longer on directing duties, having been replaced by the far more capable P.J. Pesce; the bad news is that vampire fans might feel a tad cheated by this prequel, which takes a lot longer to get to the bloodsucking fun than either of its predecessors.
For the majority of its running time, The Hangman's Daughter plays out much like a traditional western, following the exploits of several characters whose paths become inextricably intertwined: Johnny Madrid (Marco Leonardi) is a Mexican bandit who narrowly escapes the hangman's noose thanks to the help of young wannabe outlaw Reece (Jordana Spiro); Esmerelda (Ara Celi) is the hangman's daughter, who flees with Johnny, her father (Temuera Morrison) and his men in hot pursuit; Ambrose Bierce (Michael Parks) is an author searching for Pancho Villa with the intention of becoming a revolutionary; John and Mary Newlie (Lennie Loftin and Rebecca Gayheart) are bible-bashers hoping to spread God's word to the Wild West.
After lots of fairly predictable western nonsense (shooting and spitting and cursing and drinking), spiced up with a little graphic gore (some splattery gun shots including a tasty hit to the head!), all of the characters converge on a remote desert inn where a gang of vampires prey on the clientèle. From here-on in, FDTD3 is a lot more fun, with plenty of welcome gore and gratuitous nudity (a forerunner of The Titty Twister, the inn is also a strip joint/knocking shop). The script leaves a few frustrating loose ends—most notably the significance of author Ambrose Bierce and his firing squad flashbacks—but when the vampire action kicks in, you probably won't care less. It's just a damn shame that they left it so late to get to the good stuff...
For the majority of its running time, The Hangman's Daughter plays out much like a traditional western, following the exploits of several characters whose paths become inextricably intertwined: Johnny Madrid (Marco Leonardi) is a Mexican bandit who narrowly escapes the hangman's noose thanks to the help of young wannabe outlaw Reece (Jordana Spiro); Esmerelda (Ara Celi) is the hangman's daughter, who flees with Johnny, her father (Temuera Morrison) and his men in hot pursuit; Ambrose Bierce (Michael Parks) is an author searching for Pancho Villa with the intention of becoming a revolutionary; John and Mary Newlie (Lennie Loftin and Rebecca Gayheart) are bible-bashers hoping to spread God's word to the Wild West.
After lots of fairly predictable western nonsense (shooting and spitting and cursing and drinking), spiced up with a little graphic gore (some splattery gun shots including a tasty hit to the head!), all of the characters converge on a remote desert inn where a gang of vampires prey on the clientèle. From here-on in, FDTD3 is a lot more fun, with plenty of welcome gore and gratuitous nudity (a forerunner of The Titty Twister, the inn is also a strip joint/knocking shop). The script leaves a few frustrating loose ends—most notably the significance of author Ambrose Bierce and his firing squad flashbacks—but when the vampire action kicks in, you probably won't care less. It's just a damn shame that they left it so late to get to the good stuff...