Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (吸血鬼ハンターD ブラッドラスト Banpaia Hantā Dī: Buraddorasuto) is a 2000 dark fantasy horror adventure anime film produced by Madhouse, Filmlink International, BMG Japan, Movic, Good Hill Vision, and Soft Capital. It was written, directed and storyboarded by Yoshiaki Kawajiri, with Yutaka Minowa designing the characters, Yūji Ikehata serving as art director and designing the setting, and Marco D'Ambrosio composing the music. The film is based on the third novel of Hideyuki Kikuchi's Vampire Hunter D series, Demon Deathchase.
The film began production in 1997 and was completed with the intention of being shown in American theaters. It was shown in twelve theaters across the United States and received generally positive reception from American critics.
Plot[]
In the middle of the night, Charlotte Elbourne, a young human woman, is abducted from her home by Baron Meier Link, a vampire nobleman. A few weeks later, Charlotte's wealthy and wheelchair-bounded father John hires D, a dhampir, to find her and rescue her, dead or alive. He offers D a large reward, then doubles it at D's request.
At the same time, Charlotte's older brother Adam has hired the Marcus Brothers, composed of their leader Borgoff, the hulking Nolt, the blade master Kyle, the frail/physically bedridden psychic Grove, and a woman named Leila, who holds a grudge towards vampires. D and the Marcus Brothers race after Meier, learning along the way that Charlotte was not kidnapped but chose to accompany him out of love for the vampire.
Meier hires the mutant Barbarois to guard him; consisting of the shape shifter Caroline, the shadow manipulator Benge, and the werewolf Machira. Nolt is killed by Benge, resulting in the brothers confronting the Barbarois in their home territory, at the same time D visits them. Grove causes a large ruckus using his psychic powers, and D is trapped in a void that Benge creates. D escapes the void after, and the Marcus Brothers avenge Nolt by killing Benge, but are forced to replenish their supplies. They travel to a nearby western town, where Leila convinces law enforcement and the town's local sheriff to stop D, but are unsuccessful in preventing him from leaving when he is helped by an old man who recalls D rescuing him from vampires as a child.
During the daytime, Meier's carriage stops to rest and Charlotte wanders out, meeting D and Leila. The two fight against Caroline while Machira escapes with the carriage. D defeats Caroline, but is forced to seek shelter after absorbing too much sunlight; due to him suffering from "Heat Syndrome", which is a common condition among dhampir. Leila faces a revived Caroline, and survives only by chance when lightning strikes the mutant, killing her instantly. She takes shelter with D after, and reveals that a vampire back in her childhood had kidnapped her mother, resulting in her being stoned to death by the people of her hometown when she returned as a completely different person, and killed her father, leaving her orphaned. She then joined the Marcus Brothers as a way to avenge her parents' deaths. The two make a pact to visit each other's graves upon who dies first. She remarks that D will likely be the only person who will visit hers, since dhampir do not age.
The Marcus Brothers trap Meier's carriage on a bridge by bombing a bridge and then carjacking Charlotte. However, their trap is foiled by Machira's enhanced senses, resulting in Kyle being killed and Borgoff falling off the bridge but surviving, resulting in the loss of his right eye. Meier and Charlotte reach the Castle of Chaythe, where Countess Carmilla Elizabeth Bathory awaits them. Meanwhile, Machira stays behind to fight D, but is ultimately slain by the vampire hunter.
It is then revealed that Meier and Charlotte had reached out to the Countess in the hopes they can fly to the City of the Night, a vampire refuge located in space. However, Carmilla betrays the couple, temporarily slaying Meier and tricking Charlotte into being bitten. Revived by Charlotte's blood, she uses hallucinations to haunt D, Borgoff, and Leila. D is unaffected and saves Leila from her hallucinations depicting her tragic childhood, but Borgoff is tricked and turned. Grove reappears and saves Leila by sacrificing himself to kill the now vampiric Borgoff. D confronts Carmilla and is able to destroy her spirit whilst a reawakened Meier destroys her physical body. D and Meier then clash for a final time, with D gaining the upper hand. Charlotte dies from her wounds during the fight, with her ring tossed to D and Meier by Leila. D ultimately spares Meier's life and leaves the castle with Leila while taking Charlotte's ring as proof for her father and brother. As Meier uses the castle's ship to depart to the City of the Night, D and Leila look on, with Leila wishing the vampire success.
Decades later, a funeral is held for Leila with a large crowd attending. Among the crowd is Leila's granddaughter, who recognizes D from a distance and invites him to spend time with her family, but he kindly refuses. D reveals he is glad Leila was wrong about nobody being at her funeral, and leaves contentedly.