at the last New Jersey Film Festival held in
Parsipphany i crossed paths with the editor
of 'Scream' - Darryl Mayeski - a very high
quality magazine dedicated to low budget
horror / mystery / asian / cult flick films -
actors - directors. spent an hour browsing
through every issues of his work that he had
brought to the convention. it was incredible
seeing articles / pictures / interviews from
juat about every film that my eyes were drawn
to from the sixties to the eighties.

we eventually got around to talking about
Jb Production's film - 'Shadow Tracker - Vampire
Hunter' . He had seen some internet reviews -
had been drawn to the idea of vampires in
Vietnam and the adventure that followed.

I told him about the history of the film from the
early 8mm days thru it's release on E.I. -
their lack of promotion after the first year. The
development of Tracker's sequel - Resurrection.

Darryl said he would like to preview an article
about JB Productions and films with promo
photographs for possible inclusion in a future
issue. Had some doubts that I was the right
one to put that article together. Thought it should
have come from the director / filmmaker. Didn't
want to step over any inappropriate lines ,

- my perception was wrong -

talked to another filmmaker recently who told me
that filmmakers among many other creative
artists are totally absorbed with the obcession of
doing what was their destiny. Promotion and
business just didn't have all that much to do with
what their souls were all about. - so - ? Decided
to begin working on an article fo 'Scream' - see
if the editor will publish it .

There are many photographs / behind -the-scenes
things never seen in print that were only briefly
revealed in ' Alternative Cinema ' / ' Draculina ' / on
the internet well worth the viewing of any movie fan!

Tonight I was totally excited to see a new poster
created by some anonamous fan that sowed the
coming of 'Resurrectrion' sometime in 2009 !

- a foreboding -

that

vampirism is no longer just mystery and legend

- but -

annihilation more destructive then reality

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- Vampires in Vietnam -

casting calls for asian girls to portray vampires came to a dead end . one or two came in
for auditions; but, couldn't be reached days before the the actual shooting of those scenes.



Janis ( who composed and sang the theme / and / love songs for the completed film)
suggested that she and a Korean girl friend of hers would be willing to become the blood
hunters that kill - infect Jonathan Stokes with curses of the undead.

film crew / actors - the vampire girls came to an isolated area on the outskirts of Saratoga Springs
that could have absolutely been fields of Vietnam. It was hot and muggy from the night before's rain
storms. stalks of reeds had grown three feet higher - had grown thicker - become claustrophobic
challenges for the mile or so trek everyone had to take to get to the filming site.



No one had anticipated that the earth would be drowned in ankle deep mud and slimey water that
drew mosiquitos to every noise made by invaders of their homeland.

The mud kept sucking everyone's shoes off their feet with each step taken. Janis never complained .
It became too much for the Korean girl. One of the crew gave concern - carried her
piggy-back to the eventual clearing where filming would begin.

Janis was right. The costumes that the girls had put together for these scenes made it very difficult to
distinguish nationality. It wasn't just the costumes that saved the day. Put some fangs and a bucket
full of artifical blood on a cute girls face - who's even going to ask if she's Vietnamese .



I'd spent some time in Vietnam. Some of those days had taken tolls of fear in my mind; but, it was nothing
like watching these two girls hunting for Stokes through bamboo and reeds with blood thirsty mosquitos
also taking their hunger out on the rest of the crew.

There's one scene where the two vampire girls turn away from Jonathan Stokes after they've already made him
a blood thirsty feast. They see Tracker . He knows the evil in their eyes - believes he will die in the jungles with
Stokes if he doesn't run.



- I knew Tracker's feelings -

during rest breaks Janis had come up behind me

leaned against my back needing to know
someone was there to help her

I looked up at her for just one second to smile

- blood and sweat dripped down -
my shirt

she smiled this tired hungry resignation




I'm not sure what the original intent was in these prequel scenes
to the film that took place after the introduction titles ?

The actor who portrays Shadow Tracker in 1968 is exactly what one expect.
A young rookie recruit who knows text book war; but,
finds himself caught up in more then his military training had prepared him before.
For some reason that I am probably wrong about, the main actor couldn't make
this day's shooting.

-It worked out well in a strange kind of way-

Tracker has aged in the thirty years of vampire hunting

Stokes hasn't changed in appearance

- Director Inspiration - ?

or

just one of those strange fates of filmmaking

- improvation - ?


* almost ten years gone

- yet -

I'm still here

me and Shadow Tracker

- waiting for -

It all to begin again

-or -

seeing memories fade away
in
some stranger place
then death


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Mosquitos swarmed across a muddy river (somewhere
near Dang-jou - 1969) devouring dragonflys - drawing
sweat and blood from two american soldiers running
frantically down stream escape from a Vietnamese
prisoner encampment .



one is a young inexperienced recruit the military division
had nicknamed ' Tracker ' . The other soldier -
Jonathan Stokes - war correspondant - bloody / wounded
/ head bandaged .




They can hear voices of Viet Cong in pursuit behind them;
but both are weary from thirst / hunger / torture. Tracker
knows that Stokes doesn't stand a chance in hell of surviving
the crueling pace of escape. Tracker leaves Stokes to rest in
a jungle clearing while Tracker re-cons the area for help
from one of the local peasants.



Jonathan Stokes screams of terror echo through the jungle
under-growth desuading Tracker from continuing the escape.

He returns to the clearing to find Stokes in the embrace of two
asian woman. Stokes screams terrified - "Tracker". One of the asian
women turns her eyes and blood stained fangs toward Tracker's
presence. Stokes screams and the evil in her eyes crawl fear
greater then death into his mind and body. Tracker's killed in war -
this was something differant - something mal-violent that would
kill him if he didn't run then. He heard Stokes voice yelling -
' Tracker ..... run ...... get away ' . Stokes bloody hand rose for
one last time to the sky in blood-stained agony.

- Tracker ran - left Stokes behind -

- not knowing if he were dead or alive -?

This sets the stage for guilt / rage / atonement / revenge
that would take Tracker into a career
that
no one but the dead believed in

- VAMPIRE HUNTING -



a journey that could take him across thirty years of death -
desolation / destruction

- to a small town named Brimstone -



- to become -

the dark fear and legend of the undead
+++++++++++

SHADOW TRACKER - VAMPIRE HUNTER

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Forty years ago a new breed of vampire hunter had taken to the streets -

- SHADOW TRACKERS - .

Some were psychotic - just liked to kill for the sake of killing

some did it for the money because killing was the only thing they knew



- then -

there were the Shadow Trackers who became midnight legends

- men of dark souls / hidden secrets -

doomsday priests

who tried to save life at the sacrifice of their own humanity

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

SHADOW TRACKER - Vietnam Veteran / SAMANTHA STOKES - Avenging Angel

were the strangest / deadliest of the hunters

- they killed in blood letting compassion -

- the dead needed eternal peace -



1998 ended both of their journies within liars of vampire hunting

Jonathan Stokes death at the hands of Shadow Tracker
was the end of the night for both hunters

- both disappeared from those roads leaving the world to live or die alone -

find younger ones hungry enough who wanted to be

-The Legend Who Hunted Dead Ones -

there were many who stepped into Tracker and Samantha's
ways - had become legends in their own minds -

thrived on the marrow of killing shadows

- hadn't seen the transition -

the plaque that had mutated vampirism into a new storm

led by

the madness of a war man from asia

- Quang Chei -

his

destiny

Rid The World of Shadow Trackers
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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I think I mentioned it somewhere before in this blog; but , Joe and I eventually
ended up working in the same departments of a local hospital . Work ?
We spent half the day trying to steal away minutes to talk about and work
on his script for Shadow Tracker.

Joe had gotten into this thing that all of the scenes were drawn on three
by five lined cards - eventually assembled into the time and plot of the film.
I liked the way he worked creatively. I did pretty much the same
in the ways I write / wrote - still do write.

-Once read in a Writer's Digest' magazine that it's called-

- Clustering -

- capturing fireflys before the light dies out -

- reluctantly -

Shadow Tracker's first day of filming took place in a doctor's
office somewhere that nobody ever remembers

Sally and Mike Karpiak had come up from Texas
for a visit

( both had been involved in Joe's 8mm productions )

Mike and Sally were crew members on Star Quest
- other things yet to be told of -

Mike was cast as the town coroner giving autopsys
to
town people in Brimstone
succumbing
to
three worlds of death

* Sally Karpiak -

one of the undead (portrayed by my son) ravages her life

Mike chokes on artificial blood

cast members cheer at his dis-comfort; but, he does die

Mike and Sally returned to Texas scathed by scars inhibited
upon them by demands of another JB Productions
demented sigh of evils !

( painting - Dread Runner / Talon Visions )



Two weeks into filming Joe received an offer from Texas
filmmaker Harry Keane. Keane had seen several of Joe's earlier
8mm films / wanted Joe to work on his production - ' Verdun Manor ' .

Who would turn their back on an all-expenses paid opportunity to
work on a big budget film

Joe felt that the learning experience would be beneficial to his own
production in several ways. Contacts with film distributors and actors ......
paychecks that would allow him to up-grade camera equipment
for theatre quality images.



( Fritz Bramfield - tortmented soul who would become the vampire's handyman - portrayed by - Ed Dimmer)

The experience of working on ' Verdun Manor ' re-charged Joe's
interest in working on Shadow Tracker; but, it wasn't an easy road.

Verdun Manor went over-budget. Many of the cast and crew weren't paid
at the end of production. Promises were made that everyone would get
their money If and when the film was bought by a distributor .

Shadow Tracker had to be re-thought . Lower end camera equipment
would have to be used / film eventually enhanced in the editing stages
at a professional studio.

All of the original footage shot with Sally and Mike had to be scrapped -
incompatible with any future film stock being shot..
______________

( Mary Kaye Hilko as Detective Street )



Mary Kaye actually joined the cast of Shadow Tracker a few weeks after auditions.
She had just come unto the set with a friend of a friend of one of the actors .

Detective Street was meant to be a timid small town girl caught over her head in law
enforcement teamed up with a gruff cop who has no patience with her. Mary Kaye
was perfect for the role ! Even more incredible as an evil presence takes over her life -
changes her into this vicious hunter of human blood . Her death scene at the
hands of Shadow Tracker is well worth the cost of the Dvd / VHS !

____________________

During and after the filming of Shadow Tracker, none of the crew or cast had access
to computer equipment . Most of the promotion material including the first VHS box
cover were created by hand cut - and - paste collages of words and images zeroxed
into final drafts. None of it ever came close the visions Joe Bagnardi had in his mind.

He loved all of the old poster promotions from the seventies and eighties ( James Bond
.... etc ) showcasing lots of action and adventure . It never seemed to materialize even
when the completed film went into distribution thru E.I. Entertainment .

Joe always seemed to adapt to the limitations - utilized whatever
illusions / images his crew could create for the film.

The flyer below was showcased at Chiller Theatre Exposition
in New Jersey sometime in 2001 - 2003 ? Memory fading ?



seem to have run out of Shadow Tracker related images to post

have to go back to that card board box
into
The Shadow Tracker archives

re-photograph photograhs onto Cd

that should take a week or two

- hmmmmmm - ?

you've got to see how Samantha Stokes feeds her cravings for blood

there's the aristocratic Jonathan Stokes gaining sustainance from the Red Cross

Images of The Shadow Tracker Girls in Oakwood Cemetary

Lisa as The Vampire's Bride To Be

- and - ?

Vampires - vampires - Vampires !

Detective Street

maybe even some interviews with cast from Shadow Tracker

news of the sequel direct from the director's pen

- so for now - ? - just remember -

the chant

' Only One Man Would Hunt Them

Only One Man Could Find Them

-only one man will kill them -

SHADOW TRACKER - VAMPIRE HUNTER

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