Vampires : The Turning (2005)



English

For many centuries, phi song neng (vampire spirits who have vowed never to drink human blood) have lived among the villages of the Far East. One day, over 800 years ago, a young, human warlord named Niran fell in love with a beautiful song neng woman named Sang. Niran wanted Sang for his own, so he killed her husband and son. In her pain and rage, Sang attacked Niran during a Songkran (New Year) solar eclipse, turning him into a vampire. From Niran have come many jai tham (vampires who drink human blood and kill humans for pleasure). Only Sang can end the jai tham's nightly attacks on humans. Doing so, however, will end the entire bloodline and turn every vampire, song neng as well as jai tham, into mere mortals again. Since the coming Songkran festival will feature the first solar eclipse in 800 years, Sang intends to kill herself by exposing herself to the sun's rays at the end of the eclipse and, thus, wipe out all the vampires in Thailand.
Connor (Colin Egglesfield) and Amanda (Meredith Monroe) are vacationing in Thailand during this year's Songkran festival. Connor, trained since childhood in Muay Thai (Thai boxing), takes Amanda to see a match. However, Amanda cannot take the brutality and goes back to their hotel alone. On the way, she gets lost in the Phang Nga market, and Mr Nice Guy (Dom Hetrakul) offers to show her the way to her hotel. He leads her on a short cut down a deserted alley, then suddenly turns into the vampire Niran, drinking her blood and carrying her off on a motorcycle. Connor tries to follow, but he is stopped by another vampire, obviously intent on killing him. Just as the vampire is about to succeed, a bald-headed man appears and chops off the vampire's head. Connor begs for his help finding Amanda, but he warns Connor to leave Thailand immediately and threatens to kill Connor if he follows him. Of course, Connor stealthily (i.e., ten steps behind) follows Kiko (Roger Yuan) home to Kong Sai House.
When the police refuse to consider Amanda missing until 48 hours have passed, Connor goes back to Kong Sai House, only to find everyone asleep. While snooping through the house, Connor is attacked by a female vampire (Stephanie Chao) (who turns out to be Sang, but Connor does not know that yet). Connor gets away from her by jumping out a window. As Connor lands on the ground below, he is stopped by vampire slayer Raines (Patrick Bauchau) who insists on testing Connor's blood to see if he is infected. When Connor comes up clean, he begs Raines to help him find Amanda but, like Kiko, Raines warns him to leave Thailand. Amanda is as good as dead, he says. If she resists, the jai tham will bleed her dry; if not, they'll turn her, and then Raines will slay her (he gets $10,000 for every vampire he kills). Either way, Amanda should be considered dead to Connor.