Vampire Hunter D (1985 film)

Vampire Hunter D
Theatrical poster, designed by Yoshitaka Amano
Japanese	吸血鬼(バンパイア)ハンターD
Hepburn	Banpaia Hantā Dī
Directed by	Toyoo Ashida
Produced by	Hiroshi Kato Mitsuhisa Koeda Yukio Nagasaki
Screenplay by	Yasushi Hirano
Based on	Vampire Hunter D Volume 1 by Hideyuki Kikuchi
Starring	Kaneto Shiozawa Michie Tomizawa Seizō Katō Keiko Toda
Music by	Tetsuya Komuro
Production companies	Epic/Sony Records Movic CBS Sony Group Asahi Production
Distributed by	Toho
Release date	December 21, 1985 (1985-12-21) (Japan)
Running time	80 minutes
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese

Vampire Hunter D (吸血鬼(バンパイア)ハンターD Banpaia Hantā Dī) is a 1985 Japanese horror/science fiction OVA film produced by Ashi Productions, in association with Epic/Sony Records, CBS Sony Group Inc. and Movic. The screenplay is based on the first in the long-running series of light novels written by Hideyuki Kikuchi.

Billed by the Japanese producers as a "dark future science-fiction romance", the film, like the novel before it, is set in the year 12,090 AD, in a post-nuclear holocaust world where a young woman hires a mysterious half-vampire, half-human vampire hunter to protect her from a powerful vampire lord.

While walking her guard rounds in the country, Doris Lang, the daughter of a deceased werewolf hunter, is attacked by Count Magnus Lee, a 10,000-year-old, long-lost vampire lord (also known as a Noble), who intends to make her his new vampire bride.

Doris later encounters a mysterious dhampir and vampire hunter, known only as D, and hires him to protect her from Count Lee. While in town with Dan, her younger brother, and D, Doris is confronted by Greco Roman, the mayor’s son, about the Count’s attack and D, and promises to help her if he has Doris for himself. When Doris refuses, Greco reveals what happened to the entire town, including Dan. D requests that the authorities, including Greco’s father, the town sheriff and Dr. Feringo (Fehring in the English dub), should hold off Doris’ incarceration at the local asylum until he kills Count Lee.

That night, D is attacked by Rei Ginsei, Count Lee’s servant and a mutant with the ability to warp the space around his body, and Lamika, Count Lee’s daughter, who is highly prejudiced against humans and dhampirs. D holds off the attack and orders the pair to return to the Count’s castle. The next day, he travels the castle and attempts to confront the Count. Aided by the symbiote in his Left Hand, D holds his own against the Count’s monstrous minions, including Rei and his companions Gimlet, Golem and Chullah. While in the castle’s catacombs, he is ensnared and captured by the Snake Women of Midwich. Doris is then kidnapped by Rei and brought to the Count. Using his vampiric powers, D kills the Snake Women, rescues Doris before she can be killed by Lamika, and escapes the castle.