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Review

Direct-to-video prequel to the highly entertaining 1996 crime/horror hybrid is mostly a wash. Inspired by the real-life disappearance of writer Ambrose Bierce in Mexico, FDTD3 follows Bierce as he tangles with a variety of stereotypes before ending up at a brothel run by vampires. Unlike FDTD2, this film follows the exact structure as the original: it's a straight-faced (if over-the-top) western for the first hour before shifting gears and becoming a flat-out horror film. The problem is, this time we expect the horror, so surprise is nil, and while the horror scenes are OK, the buildup is not, lacking the much-needed Tarantino wit and George Clooney charisma. Parks is amusing as Bierce, but the first hour is really quite dull, so the ending is too little, too late. Overall, FDTD3 is pointless and weak.