History Film / SundownTheVampireInRetreat

* MauveShirt: Many of the vampires, most notably Shane's fellow scientists at the blood plant and Mardulak's bodyguards [[spoiler: With not many of them from either group surviving, although all of them last a while]].

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Count Mardulak, who's ultimate goal is for vampires and humans to live peacefully.

''Sundown: The Vampire In Retreat'', a [[GenreMashUp horror-comedy-western]] film from 1989 follows [[MonsterTown Purgatory, Utah]] which is home to some of the last vampires in the modern world. Led by their founder Jozef Mardulak Striving to [[VegetarianVampire abstain from killing humans for their blood]] in the hopes of atoning for their past. Scientist David Harrison and his family arrive to town to help work on the blood plant, while a bumbling VampireHunter and an army of more bloodthirsty vampires who see Purgatory as a threat to their lifestyle and culture prepare to attack the town. Actors include Creator/DavidCarradine, Creator/BruceCampbell, and Creator/MEmmetWalsh.

* SupportingProtagonist: David.

* TheAtoner: Most of the vampires in Purgatory. [[spoiler: The fact that they aren't burned by a cross implies that they have succeeded]].

* BigGood: Mardulak, who founded Purgatory and doesn't allow drinking on human blood.

* CreepyGasStationAttendant: The movie has this role filled by three bearded old men, Milt, Mort and Merle, who sit on a rocker all day in their thick hats and gloves, dark glasses and thick sunblock, commenting dryly whenever a customer shows up and generally trying to steer them away from the nearest town of Friendly Neighborhood Vampires. The three are on the side of the heroes but give of a literal RetiredMonster vibe, as the second scene of the movie has Mort punch an unruly customers head off in a fit of temper (which is witnessed by his terrified friends nearby), then wearily clean up the mess as Merle drives into town to report this lapse in their pacifistic new lifestyle.

* GrumpyOldMan: All three gas station attendants, who gripe at how they have to actually pump the gas for their customers (although to be fair going out into the sun to do so causes them pain even with their sunblock, hats and gloves) and argue about whose turn it is to do so.

* HeKnowsTooMuch: Mort tells Jack and Alice that with what they know, they have to either be drained of all their blood or turned into vampires.

* HiddenDepths: Mort is introduced punching a mans head off after being insulted by him, but makes no attempt to drink any of the guys blood, agrees to turn himself in afterwards, eventually explains what's going on to Jack and Alice and offers to turn them to save them from getting killed [[spoiler: ultimately doing so]] and proves to be an effective loyal fighter for Mardulak's faction during the final battle.
* HolyBurnsEvil: [[spoiler: and ''only'' evil, to the relief of the surviving FriendlyNeighborhoodVampire's and the detriment of Jefferson and his men]].

* TheOlderImmortal: Jefferson and Mardulak. However, [[spoiler: Mardulak--or should we say, ''Literature/CountDracula''--is ''far'' older than Jefferson]].

* PsychicDreamsForEveryone: Gwendolyn has some, although no one pays attention to her until Mardulak and Anna hear about them.
* QuickDraw: Mardulak and the BigBad face off this way in the climax.
* TheQuietOne: Mardulak's head bodyguard, Dan.

* TheSheriff: Quinton Canada, a laid back Rastafarian vampire, but one who does have a decent amount of power, given his age, and isn’t completely clueless.
* StarCrossedLovers: Van Helsing, and vampire Sandy.

* BadAssBookworm: Averted. [[spoiler: Robert Van Helsing seems he'll end up as this, based on his attire and the fact that he's played by Creator/BruceCampbell, but it becomes very clear, very quickly, he's a bit clueless and in way over his head. He gets a bit better once he gets turned.]]

* NotQuiteDead: [[spoiler: David's first shot on Shane with a wooden bullet seems to have worked, as Shane slumps on his back. David quickly finds out Shane was faking it. David's second shot does the job.

* NewOldWest: Nearly a third of the film has a gunfight between the two factions, with plenty of characters dressed up in cowboy garb, and some of them using single-action revolvers.
* TheOlderImmortal: Jefferson and Mardulak [[spoiler: or should we say ''Literature/CountDracula'' However, Mardulak is FAR older than Jefferson]].

* ChekovsGun: [[spoiler: Van Helsing's bottle of holy water becomes instrumental in helping David overpower and kill Shane.]]

* InnocentBystander: Alice and Jack, who witness a murder and get roped into things trying to prevent another one, as well as the Harrison's.
* JerkWithAHeartOfJerk: Bailey is the vampire most eager to go back to human blood, but another side of him is referenced when Mardulak talks about how he found Bailey [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone weeping over the body]] of [[WouldHurtAChild a boy he had drained]] and wanting to change, only for Bailey to end up siding with the evil vampires, resisting a YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre plea form the chef who turns the blood substitute into food (who then ends up [[DestinationDefenestration throwing Bailey through a window]]) and then ruthlessly takes part in attacking his former friends.

** Also, [[spoiler: Van Helsing gets this reaction when he finds out that the ENTIRE TOWN, except for the Harrisons, are vampires. He even lampshades it by looking at his little bottle of holy water, which isn't anywhere near enough to defeat an entire town of vampires.]]
* NewOldWest: Nearly a third of the film has a gunfight between the two factions, with plenty of characters dressed up in cowboy garb.
* TheOlderImmortal: Jefferson and Mardulak [[spoiler: or should we say ''Literature/CountDracula'']].
* OurVampiresAreDifferent: Sunblock keeps them from burning up in the sun [[spoiler: and their souls being redeemed can save them from some traditional weaknesses]].

* PsychicDreamsForEveryone: Gwendolyn has some, although no one pays attention to her until Mardulak hears about them.

* TooDumbToLive: Played straight AND averted with [[spoiler: Robert Van Helsing. His blundering cluelessness when he finally confronts Mardulak results in him getting bitten, (and thus "killed" and turned into an undead vampire,) but after he's turned, he ends up surviving the rest of the film in his vampiric form.]]

* VampireHunter: Robert Van Helsing, in the memory of his distant ancestor. He does have the right tools for the job, but isn't that good at actually recognizing vampires right in front of him.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Several RecurringExtra townspeople vanish during the climax.

* CoversAlwaysLie: [[spoiler: Some of the covers play up Creator/BruceCampbell's involvement in the film, showing him with an open shirt, and holding a stake and a crossbow as though he's an action-hero incarnation of Van Helsing. In the actual film, he's quite bumbling and has a hard time recognizing the townspeople are vampires. In his climactic showdown with Mardulak at the midway point, we get quite a bit of our favorite Campbell swagger, but he's quickly overpowered by Sandy. When he boasts he'll never stop hunting Mardulak unless he kills him, Sandy simply turns him into a vampire instead. Once he gets over the shock of it all and understands Mardulak isn't the evil vampire overlord he believes, he ends up being a vampire ally of Mardulak, the exact opposite of the way the character is presented on the cover.]]

* OhCrap: [[spoiler: Van Helsing's reaction after waking up from being bitten. He has to yank the cross off his neck because it's burning him, he feels the new fangs with his tongue, and when he sees he has no reflection in his pocket mirror his bloodcurdling scream indicates that he's less than pleased with the results (He gets over it.)

* TooDumbToLive: Played straight AND averted with [[spoiler: Robert Van Helsing. His blundering cluelessness gets him bitten, (and thus "killed" and turned into an undead vampire,) but after he's turned, he ends up surviving the rest of the film in his vampiric form.]]