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Updated November 14, 2001
Demon Under Glass -
Character List
CHARACTERS
Main Characters:
The Vampire (Simon Belloq?)
Most of what we learn of his past is what he tells the scientists, so it
is questionable at best. Vampires are extremely rare, perhaps only a
dozen existing in the world at any one time. He is very old,
originating from the Basque region of Spain well over a thousand years
ago. He is well read and well versed in everything. As there
is nothing else to do, he makes the most of living in the mortal world.
He is very rich, his fortune He has a fortune though how vast even the
authorities can't tell. The money was made from the last wills of lovers.
He did not kill them. He waited for them to die naturally. And
he has invested wisely. The Vampire is curious about new experiences
because he has had so few over the last hundred years. That is why
he tolerates the lab for as long as he does. This experience is as
interesting a study in human nature to him as his vampirism is to the
scientists. He enjoys the careful manipulation of these moral men
into his world where evil is a way of life. And he is amazed at how deeply
they believe that they are in charge. He is strong and incredibly
fast. His movements are graceful and fluid and deliberate. He is
innately sensual. There is a hypnotic quality about him when he is
stalking prey. He terrorizes them before the kill not out of pleasure from
their pain but as to increase the intensity of the energy flowing between
them. Once he escapes, he will leave the US for a while until his
trail is obliterated. [Jason Frank]
Dr. William Bassett, PhD
He is a well respected biologist who has been published many times and is
a tenured professor. Bassett was incredulous when first brought this
project, by his old friend, Dr. Hirsch. The Vampire provides an
opportunity to study the very basic question of what life is. He is
passionate about his science, caring of people he knows personally, but
his career has isolated him from empathy of those outside his immediate
circle. He has a close relative who is terminally ill. This
gives him extra motivation to unlock the secrets of the vampire. He is
dedicated to not letting his friend's dream die. The vampire's charm
and pragmatism lead him faster down a road laid out when he first agreed
to join the project. Perhaps with Dr. Hirsch's guidance, he would
not have turned. His seduction by the monster is not an easy thing.
To the end, he must wrestle with a conscience that has been compromised
beyond repair. [Jack Donner]
Dr. Joseph (Joe) McKay, MD
McKay is the outsider through which the audience is made to understand the
project and get to know the Vampire. He is a very caring physician
and a good diagnostician, but not a star in the medical field. Due
to financial circumstances and grades that speak of a wild college life,
Joe went to a good medical school, but not a great one. Thus, he ends up
working at the VA hospital where the experiments are occurring. He
is drafted into the project after Dr. Hirsch is killed by the Vampire
during his capture. He is the only MD on a team composed primarily of
biologists, virologists, and other specialists. McKay has to fill some
enormous shoes in replacing Hirsch. It could mean a lot to his
career. His profound empathy for the suffering of others leads to
conflict with Dr. Bassett at what he considers needlessly cruel treatment
of the Vampire. He finds himself reluctantly drawn to his subject,
then forced to confront the depths of the horrors he has committed.
He begins having strange dreams that link the monster and his own behavior
in the name of scientific advancement. He is ultimately weak to act
outside of the parameters life has given him. First and foremost, he
beliefs in his oath as a healer, and as the monster predicts, it is this
compassion that places his life and soul in jeopardy. [Garett Maggart]
Detective Gwen Taylor, LAPD
She is the product of a liberal college education who joined the force in
a tight job market, but stayed because the work was interesting. At
the time her path crosses that of the Vampire, she is trying to get onto
the Homicide squad and out of Vice. Being a lure to catch a serial
killer whose taste in hookers run towards her appearance is the route she
believes will get her there. She knows she isn't dealing with an
ordinary man before he tosses six officers into a heap and leaps off a
building. He has an irresistible presence that invades her dreams.
She doesn't believe that he is no longer a threat and continues to seek
him even after the FBI declares him off limits. That leads her to
Dr. McKay and to the lab. There she comes face to face with a living
myth, but it is her down to earth police sense that saves her and Dr.
McKay. [Denise A. Hurd]
Supporting Cast:
Samuel Hirsh, M.D.
The Doctor who discovers the Vampire's existence and support from the
government. He was a brilliant physician and scholar who was always
fascinated with the occult. He believed that tales of vampires, like
other myths, had a basis in fact. After years of painstaking
research, he uncovered the trail of the Vampire in the US. He lead a
team that developed protocols for the capture, containment and study of
the creature. His sheer force of personality brought many onboard
who would never believe in vampires. He had been close friends with
Dr. Bassett for many years before the project even began.
Unfortunately, the doctor insisted on witnessing the capture first hand,
and underestimated how dangerous his subject would be when
cornered, and is killed by the Vampire.
Ben (Wazakowski?)
Virologist on the project and a protégé of Dr. Bassett. He is a
good scientist in his own right, but psychologically dependent on Basset.
He is deeply impressed with Bassett's determination. However, as his
mentor begins to do more and more of what the Vampire wants, he becomes
more unstable. [Ray Proscia]
Captain Charles Stuebbins
Head of security on the project. Pulled from an elite unit of the
Marine Corps, Stuebbins was selected because of his talent, loyalty and
religious devotion. As an extra measure of protection, all of the
commandos were picked from religious backgrounds to help in fighting the
Vampire. A career military officer, Capt. Steubbins is absolutely
obedient and expects the same from his men. He does consider the
Vampire to be pure evil, but believes the project will ultimately help to
eradicate such beings from the Earth. He is a trained killer who has
no regrets about the do many bad things he's had to do in the line
duty. [Scott Levy]
James Conroy
Government liaison to the project. Product of a conservative
upbringing in the Midwest, Conroy's definition of evil has changed from
Sunday school stories of demons to political ones like communists. A
man whose career has been based in Cold War projects, he is redefining his
believes in the light of the successful capture of the Vampire. A
very moral man, although his morality is not the same as you or I.
Susan Harold, RN
A long time assistant to Dr. Hirsch, she has idolized his talent and
charisma for years. She is conflicted between working with her
mentor's killer and completing his dream.
Special Agent Jameson, FBI
The interface between the project and law enforcement agencies. He
finds the project absurd, but works to get a serial killer off the
streets. Proud, even smug of his elite position, he tends to run
roughshod over the concerns of other officers. But this arrogance
does not diminish a deep desire to have these horrible crimes solved.
Chloe Martin
Prostitute. She was a runaway who was making it the best way she could.
She isn't an addict, but she isn't the "hooker with a heart of
gold" either. She feels this the hand life has dealt her, and
she tries to make the best of it. She's professional about her job
and normally very careful about her clients. She is fooled by
Bassett's grandfatherly demeanor and it leads to a horrible death.
Dr. Hiram Goldblatt, DDS
A well respected dentist who is asked to examine the most dangerous area
of a vampire. In the end, he falls back on the tried and true
dentist routine which makes for one of the more amusing moment's in the
Vampire's incarceration. [David Weisenberg]
Leroy Smith
His daughter, Rhonda Smith, was a runaway killed by the Vampire. He
has been seeking closure, and when he learns that his daughter's killer
might be at the hospital, confronts Dr. McKay about her death. He forces
McKay to put a face to the previously abstract victims of the Vampire.
[David Jean Thomas]
Corporal Jesus Rivera
A deeply religious member of the security staff who becomes convinced over
time that the experiment is a sin and that the only way he can be redeemed
is to kill the Vampire, which he nearly does.
Minor Roles:
John- Picked up in Gwen Taylor's Vice sting.
Lead Detective- The top LAPD officer investigating the Vampire's
killing spree.
Surveillance Van Operator- Tries to convince Dr. Hirsch to stay
inside.
Mrs. Hirsch- Long time friend of Dr. Bassett. Knew little of his
work.
First Donor- The first volunteer to give blood.
Mrs. Conroy
Hiker- Discovers Chloe's body
Extras
Cops at the motel
Other members of the security team
Other Project employees
Other donors
Hospital patients and staff
Funeral attendees
November 13, 2001
Original Character List
Main characters
Most of the film is spent with these characters or is about them.
The Vampire [no name as yet]
Much of what is known about this being
on screen is told by him and there is no reason to believe that he is telling the truth.
Our facts are that he is very old. He was made almost in the time of myths and comes
from the Basque region of Spain. He is well read and well versed in almost everything.
As there is nothing else to do, he makes the most of living in the mortal world.
He has a fortune though how vast even the authorities can't tell. The money was made from
the last wills of lovers. He did not kill them. He waited for them to die naturally.
And he has invested wisely.
The Vampire is curious about new experiences because he has had so few
over the last few hundred years. That is why he tolerates the lab for as long as he does.
This experience is as interesting a study in human nature to him as his vampirism is to the scientists.
He enjoys the careful manipulation of these moral men into his world where evil is a way of life. And he is
amazed at how deeply they believe that they are in charge. He is strong and incredibly fast.
His movements are graceful and fluid and deliberate. He is innately sensual. There is a
hypnotic quality about him when he is stalking prey. He terrorizes them before the kill not out of pleasure from their pain but as to
increase the intensity of the energy flowing between them. He has a network of safe houses throughout the world.
Once he escapes, he will leave the US for a while until his trail is obliterated.
William Basset [lead
scientist]
He is a well respected man who has
been published many times and is a tenured professor.
Basset was incredulous when first brought this project. But he has seen nature
produce some amazing things, and at this point of his life he is seeking immortality professionally and possibly personally.
He is a very clinical man, but the promise of regeneration that the Vampire
represents proves to be irresistible.
He has a child who is dying; he has witnessed the death of the brilliant doctor who brought him to
this research. If there is a way to cheat death, the means shouldn't
really matter-- should it.
The vampire's own pragmatism about himself and life make his arguments for more and more realistic data very
reasonable.
In the end, Basset has been so thoroughly seduced that he cannot understand why he is being held responsible for deaths in the
name of research.
Samuel Hirsh, M.D.
The Doctor who discovers the Vampires existence and
proves it well enough to get a grant and support from the government to study it.
He is a brilliant physician and scholar who was always fascinated with the occult.
He believed that tales of vampires, like other myths, had a basis in fact.
After years of painstaking research, he uncovers the trail of the Vampire over decades in US
and European history.
He takes even more time to write up the protocols for containment and study of the being and assembling the team.
Those involved may not believe in the Vampire, but they believe in him and
give the project their devotion--especially William Basset. Unfortunately, the Doctor
underestimates how dangerous his subject is when cornered.
In trying to prevent the commandos from destroying his life's work, he is killed when he gets in the Vampires way.
Joseph McKay, M.D.
McKay is the outsider through which the audience is made to understand the project and get to know the Vampire.
He is a very caring physician and a good diagnostician, but not a star in
the medical field.
Due to financial circumstances and grades that speak of a wild college life, Joe went to a good medical school,
but not a great one.
Thus, he ends up working at the V.A. hospital where the experiments are occurring.
He is drafted into the project after the Samuel Hirsch is killed by the Vampire during his capture.
McKay has to fill some enormous shoes in replacing Hirsch. It could mean a
lot to his career.
But even as he is sympathetic to the Vampire because of his injuries and then because of his personality, he senses
that there is a force at work that is evil and well beyond their control.
He is having strange dreams that bind him somehow to this monster. Still, the Vampire is his patient and he made a commitment,
so he continues to care for the being despite severe misgivings.
In the end, as the Vampire predicted, his kindness puts his life and his soul in jeopardy.
Detective Gwen Taylor,
LAPD.
She is the product of a liberal college education who joined the force in a tight job market, but stayed
because the work was interesting.
At the time her path crosses that of the Vampire, she is trying to get onto the Homicide squad and out
of Vice.
Being a lure to catch a serial killer whose taste in hookers run towards her appearance is the route she believes will get
her there.
She know immediately that she isn't dealing with an ordinary man.
And that's before he tosses six officers into a heap and leaps off a building.
He has an irresistible presence that invades her dreams. She doesn't believe that he is no longer a threat and
continues to seek him even after the FBI declares him off limits. That leads her to Dr. McKay and to the lab.
There she comes face to face with a living myth, but it is her down to earth police sense that
saves her and Dr. McKay.
Secondary Characters
Shorter scenes with the major characters.
Basset's Assistant.
He is a good scientist in his own right, but psychologically dependent on Basset.
He believes in the experiment for a long time simply because Basset does.
However, as his mentor begins to do more and more of what the Vampire wants, he becomes
unraveled and a threat to the experiment.
To save his own life, he turns on Basset.
Commando Leader.
A career military man who is absolutely obedient and expects the same as his men.
He is a trained killer who hadn't any guilt about the things he's had to do in the line of duty.
Government Liaison.
A bureaucrat who has seen far too many wacky government experiments over a lifetime of service to be weirded out by
a Vampire. He isn't even sure he believes in the notion of evil -- at
first.
In the end, he is relieved to wash his hands of the entire matter and allow Basset to be a fall guy.
Female Lab tech.
She was hand picked by Hirsh and had a crush on him. Thus, she has some antipathy towards the Vampire even while wanting
to complete her mentor's experiments.
Dentist.
A well-respected professional who is asked to examine the most dangerous area of the vampire.
In the end, he falls back on the tried and true dentist routine which makes for one of the more amusing
moment's in the Vampire's incarceration.
Victim's Father.
One of the Vampire's victims has a father who doesn't accept that the matter has been disposed of by the
Feds.
He finds out about the experiments and confronts Dr. McKay giving a face to the abstract victims of the vampire.
Chloe the hooker.
She was a runaway who was making it the best way she could. She isn't an addict, but she isn't the "hooker with a
heart of gold either."
She's professional about her job and normally very careful about her clients.
She is fooled by Basset's grandfatherly demeanor and it leads to a horrible death.
Homicide Detective.
An LAPD veteran who believes in what is grounded in
reality.
He believes the Vampire is just a nutty serial killer with a strange fetish.
He's also glad that he's the Fed's headache and actively discourages Gwen Taylor from pursuing the matter once the
Vampire is captured.
Psycho Commando.
A deeply religious man, probably Latino, who becomes convinced over time that the experiment is a sin and that the only way
he can be redeemed is to kill the Vampire, which he nearly does.
Hirsh's widow.
She is the childhood sweetheart of the Doctor. She doesn't really know much about his research, and doesn't
want to since it killed her husband.
Specialized Extras -- no lines
Commandos(4)
Lab workers (4)
John
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