Vampire Hunter D is classic anime, and a horror story as well. Set 10,000 years in the future after a great war has destroyed the world's civilizations, Vampire Hunter D combines a very original setting with a gripping tale. The world is full of all manner of strange creatures from unusual mutants out of Science Fiction to classic Horror/Fantasy creatures such as vampires.

Vampire Hunter D is the story of a young girl, Doris Lang, who has become the target of the unwanted attentions of the vampire Count Magnus Lee. The village is terrified and unwilling to help her for fear of the Count's wrath. Luckily for her, a vampire hunter who goes by the name of D is in the area, and agrees to help her. Unbeknownst to the others, D is actually a powerful dhampire, or human-vampire hybrid. It is D's mission to rid the world of the evil represented by the vampires and their allies. D's task will not be an easy one for the Count has lived 10,000 years without being killed and has an army of monstrous creatures and mutants to protect him.

Watching Vampire Hunter D makes me wish it had be produced as an OAV rather than a movie. While I'm used to complex plots in anime that are never fully resolved, the potential of the movie and the characters demands a longer and more in-depth treatment than a movie can provide. D's character in particular was left with much to be desired. While it's understandable that he's a man of many mysteries, some things, such as why he has an intelligent talking hand, demand explanation. The art and animation are on the high end of 80's anime, but will still appear dated when compared to modern anime. This will prove particularly frustrating to anyone who has seen some of the concept art for the series, which is breathtaking.

Despite the shortcomings, Vampire Hunter D is consider one of the classic anime movies, and should be seen by anyone who's a fan of dark fantasy/horror. Some of the fight scenes are quite bloody, so if that's not your cup of tea you might want to skip this one. The movie has recently been re-released by Urban Visions, who are in the process of preparing a sequel for release. From what I've seen of the sequel, it looks to be even better than the original.