Vampires (also known as John Carpenter's Vampires) is a 1998 American horror film directed and scored by John Carpenter and starring James Woods.
Adapted from the novel Vampire$ by John Steakley, the film centers on Jack Crow (Woods), the leader of a team of Vatican-sponsored vampire hunters whose family was destroyed by vampires. Crow and his team, including his partner Tony Montoya (Daniel Baldwin), hunt vampires in New Mexico.
The plot follows Crow's efforts to prevent Jan Valek (Thomas Ian Griffith), the first and most powerful vampire, from acquiring the Black Cross of Béziers, an ancient relic that would allow vampires to walk in sunlight. After Valek decimates Crow's team, Crow, Montoya, and Katrina (Sheryl Lee), a prostitute with a psychic link to Valek after being bitten, attempt to track and stop him. They are joined by Father Adam Guiteau (Tim Guinee), an archivist. They discover Valek plans to use the cross to complete an exorcism, making him immune to sunlight.
The film is known for its action, special effects, and elements of horror and Western genres. Vampires was followed by two direct-to-video sequels.