From the depths of space, Dracula has devised his most dastardly plan yet: turning the residents of a small American town into his personal army of vampire zombies.

This is the plot of the latest feature film by UWindsor professor Mike Stasko, an over-the-top comedy that pays homage to — and satirizes — science fiction and horror movies of the 1950s.

Vampire Zombies… from Space! is set to go into production Aug. 8 and will employ an entirely local crew in historic Windsor-Essex locations including the Low-Martin mansion, the Canadian Transportation Museum and Heritage Village, and the Essex railway station.

“We're always trying to push ourselves as local filmmakers, and this production raises a lot of bars for us,” Stasko says. “From the period costumes being created by Emily Eansor to the very challenging vampire and zombie make-up being done by Stephanie Johnston.”

The filmmakers have secured funding, but launched a fundraising campaign to help round out the budget to add gruesome practical effects, B-movie miniatures, and gut-busting laughs.

“We want the zany comedy of Vampire Zombies… from Space! to be set against a very realistic backdrop,” they write in a Kickstarter appeal. “The film will look, sound, and feel like it was shot in 1957. Transforming our present-day locations into the 1950s is a massive task.”

The Kickstarter campaign runs through Friday, Aug. 5, and promises donors rewards that range from T-shirts and posters to cameos in the film. Get details on the project website.