When a detective investigating a serial killer case tries to cure himself of his vampirism, he is confronted by the monster whose curse turned him into a blood-sucking creature.
Detective Nick Knight is investigating a series of murders in which the bodies are found drained of blood - but the most recent one doesn't fit the pattern. Instead it involves the cure that Nick has been searching for for decades, so that he himself can face the light of day. Later remade as the first two episodes of Forever Knight.—David Carroll <[email protected]>
Some 800 years ago, Jean-Pierre [Rick Springfield] was vampirized by the cold-hearted(literally AND figuratively) Lacroix. At first, Jean-Pierre embraced hisvampirism, drinking without remorse the blood of humans. Now in 1989,Jean-Pierre (now calling himself Nick Knight and working nights as adetective in the LAPD) wants to become mortal again. He has two options:(1) follow forensic pathologist Dr Jack Brittington's [ Robert Harper] prescribed treatmentof eating human food and exposing his skin in a tanning booth, or 2) findtwo vampire-faced, jade, Mayan goblets which, when blood is poured fromone into the other and then drunk, is supposed to do the trick. Nick hasbeen trying the first option with little progress. Maybe the second optionhas more promise, since Nick is already in possession of one of thegoblets.
Nick doesn't know that a jade goblet with the face of a vampire hasrecently been unearthed from some Mayan ruins by L.A. County HistoricalMuseum archeologist and curator, Dr Alyce Hunter [Laura Johnson]. When the goblet, whichis reputed to have been used to drink blood in sacrificial rituals, isstolen and a museum guard killed and drained of blood, Dr Brittingtonnotes the similarities and dissimilarities between this killing and threeother homicides, all of which involve the loss of blood. But this homicideis different in that all the others were homeless people. Anotherdifference is that the homeless people were first strangled and then bledthrough a slash in the neck, while the museum guard had two puncturewounds over his jugular and showed no signs of struggle.
LAPD is called in and, because this investigation demands 24-hourattention, Nick is paired with his nemesis, Detective Donald Schanke John Kapelos]. Nickcan barely stand to be in the same room with Schanke, a know-it-all wholikes to antagonize Nick by chewing raw garlic and then breathing in hisface. Schanke thinks these homicides are cult-killings and that the lastone might be a copycatter. The newspapers are referring to the killer as a"vampire." Nick thinks that there might be a real vampire involved, butCaptain Brunetti [Richard Fancy] doesn't like the vampire talk, so Nick is keeping hissuspicions to himself.
Alyce has also seen the connection between the Mayan goblet and thevictims being drained of blood, so she does a little research. She invitesNick to drop by later that evening to share in her findings. While readingabout the goblet in a history book, she finds an 1889 photo of a man wholooks just like Nick. Later, when Nick kisses Alyce, his fangs grow and healmost bites her, so he runs. When Nick doesn't show up at the policestation, Dr Brittington drives over to Nick's apartment to find himdrinking a bottle of blood and brooding. He warns Nick that he's got tostop drinking blood if he wants to turn mortal. Nick explains how lonelyit is living as a vampire and how, having allowed himself to have feelingsfor Alyce, he almost killed her. When they get to talking about thehomicides, Nick confesses that he thinks the killer is his master,Lacroix, who has long been trying to keep Nick from obtaining the othergoblet. Lacroix killed the Mayan Indians to keep them from digging up thegoblet, and Nick thinks the recent killings are Lacroix's way of callinghim out.
That evening, Alyce follows Nick to a nightclub and shows him thephoto of himself. Of course, Nick denies that it is him. As they aredriving home, Lacroix's voice suddenly comes over the radio. Nick drivesto the radio station from which Lacroix is broadcasting. Before goinginside, he warns Alyce to wait in the car but, of course, she follows.Lacroix [Michael Nader] leads Nick into a slaughterhouse, where he shows Nick the gobletthat he stole from the museum but denies killing the homeless people. Nickand Lacroix begin to duke it out vampire-style until Lacroix notices Alycewatching. He gives Nick the choice of saving Alyce or the goblet, thentosses the goblet on the floor where it shatters.
With daylight approaching, Nick and Lacroix must take cover. Nickhides himself in the trunk of his cadillac. Unfortunately, it is illegallyparked, and his car is impounded with him in it. Meanwhile, Schanke hasnoted that all of the homeless victims had blood type O negative, whereasthe museum guard was type AB. Schanke bails out Nick's car and, on ahunch, drives over to the Blood Bank where he tries to speak with the headdoctor in order to obtain permission to look at his files. While Schankewaits for the doctor to arrive, Nick climbs out of the car trunk andsneaks into the doctor's office to peeks at the files. Schanke is rightabout the homeless people being O negatives, and all of them donated bloodat the mobile blood unit that Jack Fenner [Jack Murdock] brings around each Thursday,collecting their blood and paying them for their donations. This week,however, Topper [Craig Richard Nelson] is found dead with his throat slit,and Jeannie [Fran Ryan] is missing.
Nick climbs back in the caddy trunk just before Schanke returns tothe car. As Schanke does a little joy-riding (much to Nick's chagrin), thebrakes suddenly go out. After a wild ride and much damage to the caddy,Nick comes out of the trunk, admits that Schanke was right, and inspectsthe brakes. They've been cut (Fenner did it). Meanwhile, Alyce has gone toNick's apartment, looking for him. While Alyce waits, Jeannie comes in.Jeannie has been beaten but refuses to go to the hospital because Fennerwill be there. Alyce calls an ambulance anyway. When Nick calls hisapartment to check his phone messages, Alyce answers. She tells him aboutJeannie then asks him to hold while she lets in the ambulance driver. Butit isn't the ambulance at all. It's Fenner. Jeannie recognizes him, and heand Alyce go a few rounds. Nick, hearing the fight on the phone, realizesthat Fenner is there. Even though Nick is feeling weak (because he's beentrying not to drink blood), he flies (literally) to Alyce's aid. Nickeasily knocks out Fenner but, in the melee, the apartment catches fire.Nick tells Jeannie to get out and then goes to help Alyce.
As luck would have it, Lacroix picks this moment to pay Nick a visit.First, however, he sates his appetite with some of Fenner's blood. Then heturns to Nick and Alyce. Nick is extremely weak, and Lacroix tells him todrink Alyce's blood. Alyce agrees and offers herself to Nick, but Nickrefuses, so Lacroix drinks from Alyce, killing her in the process. Inanger, Nick grabs a pole and thrusts it through Lacroix's heart, impalinghim on the burning wall. As Lacroix melts in the flames, Nick saves hisgoblet, which he later donates to the museum in Alyce's memory.
Turns out that Fenner's mother died of hepatitis following a bloodtransfusion of infected O-negative blood and Fenner, blaming himself, hasbeen killing all homeless donors with O-negative in order to keep themfrom donating again. What Schanke, who has now become Nick's permanentpartner, can't understand is why Fenner himself was down a few pints whenhe was autopsied. "Evaporation from the heat of the fire," Nick explains,as he, Schanke, and Dr Brittington get into Nick's cadillac, which Schankehas dutifully had restored.
Original Synopsis by bj_kuehl.
