Night Owl (film)

Night Owl
Night Owl
Directed by	Jeffrey Arsenault
Written by	Jeffrey Arsenault
Produced by	Jeffrey Arsenault
Starring	John Leguizamo; James Raftery; Lisa Napoli; David Roya;
Cinematography	Pierre Clavel; Howard Krupa; Neil Shapiro;
Edited by	Jeffrey Arsenault
Music by	Rubio Hernandez; Mark Styles;
Release date	June 30, 1993;
Running time	77 min.
Country	United States
Language	English

Night Owl, a 1993 vampire film directed by Jeffrey Arsenault, starring John Leguizamo and James Raftery.

Plot

Jake (Raftery) is a brooding vampire and squatter who frequents nightclubs to pick up women. During their encounters, he slashes their necks with a matte knife and drinks their blood. One evening, he kills Zohra, the sister of Angel (Leguizamo), prompting Angel to launch a frantic search for the murderer. Meanwhile, Jake falls in love with Anne Guish, a performance artist, and struggles to resist his cravings for fresh blood. Eventually, Jake and Angel's paths intersect.

Cast

John Leguizamo - Angel
James Raftery - Jake
Ali Thomas - Anne
David Roya - Dario
Holly Woodlawn - Barfly
Lisa Napoli - Frances
Yul Vazquez - Tomas
Caroline Munro - Herself

Background

The film was shot in New York City's Alphabet City, making it the first in a succession of gritty black and white vampire films set in the same area of New York City, followed by Nadja and The Addiction. Leguizamo, in one of his first roles, went on to major stardom with films like Moulin Rouge!, Carlito's Way and Land of the Dead. Raftery now writes music and performs under the name Rat Wakes Red. Retitled Nite Owl when released on DVD. Not to be confused with a film of the same name starring Jennifer Beals. During the two-year time span of shooting the film, Arsenault directed Leguizamo in his first one-man show, Mambo Mouth, Off-Broadway.