A man travels to another city for his sister's funeral to try to find out why she killed herself. He discovers that she is actually a vampire and returns from the dead to take revenge on her family.
Brother and sister, Mark [Greg Braddock] and Nina [Lisa Milano] Gray, grew up together inMonterrey, California and used to play around an old, abandoned churchnear their home. Even back then, there were stories about the church oncebeing inhabited by renegade priests and nuns turned devil worshippers andabout children being sacrificed to Satan during Black Masses. Mark hassince grown up and moved to Hollywood to pursue an acting career. Ninastayed in Monterrey and became a writer. It's been two years since Markhas visited his sister, and he's now been called back to Monterrey toattend her funeral. Nina just killed herself by slitting her wrists. Markcannot fathom any reason why Nina would off herself like that. At thefuneral, Mark is consoled by the attending priest, Father Dakin [Ray Myles], whooffers him whatever help he might need before returning to Hollywood. WhatMark doesn't know is that Dakin was there when Nina slit her wrists,that Dakin is actually a 200 year old vampire, and that Nina's deathwas the first step in a ritual covenant with a grim purpose that willeventually involve Mark.
Mark decides to stick around Monterrey for another week or so inorder to tie up loose ends, visit Aunt Lilian, and see whether he candiscover what might have been bothering Nina so much that she killedherself. First stop is Nina's house, where Mark is appalled at the sightof Nina's bedroom. There is blood everywhere. On top of that, the scene isbeing investigated by police lieutenant Steve Scott, who confesses to Markthat, in his opinion, Nina's death was not a suicide. Not only does theblood-splattered scene NOT look like the result of a suicide, but Nina ismissing the third finger on her left hand and her body was completelydrained of blood. Lt Scott also tells Mark about a nearby family that wasrecently butchered, including two children. Found in their hands werepieces of a black cloth that the police lab dated as being 200 years old!Something isn't adding up here.
Mark's second stop is to visit Aunt Lilian, currently bedridden withan undisclosed illness. Lilian admits that she's seen Nina only twicesince Mark left. Nina seemed to be obsessed with her book, Lilian says,and was regularly visiting the old church, even looking forward to hervisits, which doesn't jive with Mark's memory of how afraid of the churchNina used to be when she was a child. Nina was almost finished writing thebook, Lilian also says, but Mark can't remember seeing it anywhere inNina's house. Meanwhile, back at the church, Nina has reawakened as avampire, and Fr Dakin is sending her forth to keep up the second part ofthe covenant. Nina must now kill every member of her family. To that end,Nina kills Aunt Lilian as well as Lilian's housekeeper.
After a little rooting around, Mark has found Nina's manuscriptentitled "High Satanic Rites" and read it from beginning to end. It talksabout how the Satan-worshipping nuns would cut off the third fingers oftheir left hands, the fingers on which they wore rings of celibacy, as asymbolic gesture of their denouncement of God and acceptance of Satan astheir lord and master. It concludes with a description of the ritualoffering of two children, ages 3 and 5, upon Satan's black altar. Upset bythe vile nature of Nina's writings, Mark pays a visit to Jean Holt, an oldgirlfriend and Nina's assistant on the writing project. Jean explains thatshe was involved with the writing of the book only at the beginning butadmits that she, too, was becoming concerned about Nina's ability todescribe in lurid detail events that happened over 150 years ago.
In consideration of all that he has learned about the old church andNina's fascination with it, Mark decides to drive out there. While lookingaround in the crypt, he is surprised to see Fr Dakin. Dakin explains thathe often visits the crypt, as he loves it as much as Nina did and, infact, he has himself become somewhat of an expert on its history. He tellsMark how, 150 years ago, Satan appeared to a group of nuns in this verycrypt. Mark is suspicious enough that he asks Lt Scott to check on FrDakin. When Jean discovers a painting of Nina that has suddenly beenaltered to make Nina look like a vampire, Jean and Lt Scott both agreethat Mark should leave Monterrey. His curiosity whetted, however, Markintends to keep searching for the answer as to what was going on with Nina.
In the meantime, while awaiting Aunt Lilian's funeral the next day,Mark and Jean decide to spend the night at Lilian's cottage (Mark and Jeanhave renewed their old relationship). As they relax in front of a fire,Jean is spooked by Nina's face in a window, but Mark can find nothingoutside. Then Mark gets a telephone call from Lt Scott informing him thatthere is no Fr Dakin in northern California. However, there once was a FrDaken who was the priest at the old church, but he died 150 years ago! LtScott decides to check out this old church. He makes his way into thecrypt where he finds an empty coffin and is attacked by severalzombie-like vampires and impaled on dozens of stakes.
The next day, Mark attends Lilian's funeral, but Jean begs off andstays behind. In Mark's absence, Jean is attacked and bitten by Nina. WhenMark returns, Jean informs him that Fr Dakin will explain to himeverything about Nina's death and leads him into the crypt of the oldchurch. There, waiting for him are Nina and Fr Dakin. Dakin informs Markthat, this very night, Satan intends to rise from hell and perform themarriage rite that will unite Mark and Nina in unholy wedlock and producea horribly deformed child who will rule at Satan's side. Mark wantsnothing to do with this and tries to drive off, but Satan causes his carto crash. Covered in blood, Mark is wed to his sister. [Original Synopsis by bj_kuehl]
