Enemy Territory

Enemy Territory

Year: 1987

Runtime: 89 mins

Language: English

Director: Peter Manoogian

ActionDramaCrimeThriller

In this brutal thriller, an insurance salesman finds himself locked inside an apartment building after dark, only to discover it has been seized by a violent street gang known as The Vampires. With no way out and the gang taking no prisoners, he must fight his way through deadly confrontations to survive.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – Enemy Territory (1987)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Enemy Territory (1987). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

Lincoln Towers, New York City

Lincoln Towers sits within New York City as a notorious housing project where the film unfolds. Its dim, maze-like hallways, stairwells, and a basement create a claustrophobic stage for danger. The urban environment amplifies fear and isolation, turning the building into a crucible where trust must be earned and kept. The setting itself acts as a character that constrains choices and intensifies the stakes.

🏙️ Urban setting 🧟 Vampire gang 🛡️ Survival backdrop

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 14:06

Main Characters – Enemy Territory (1987)

Meet the key characters of Enemy Territory (1987), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Barry

A formerly successful insurance executive whose life is unraveling due to alcoholism. He enters Lincoln Towers to sell a life insurance policy to Elva Briggs and quickly becomes trapped when the Vampires turn their attention on him. Facing fear and guilt, he must choose between self-preservation and risking himself for others.

💼 Corporate downfall 🥃 Alcoholism 🛡️ Survival

Will

A soft-spoken but capable employee of a telephone company who partners with Barry to survive the night. He uses calm pragmatism and a willingness to take risks to keep the group moving toward safety. His loyalty and quick thinking become crucial to their escape.

🧰 Resourcefulness 🤝 Loyalty 🛡️ Survival

Elva Briggs

An elderly woman living in Lincoln Towers who becomes a focal point of Barry and Will's concern. She is beaten to reveal the trio's location but remains fiercely determined to help and protect her family. Her apartment and her granddaughter Toni become key rallying points for the escape plan.

🧓 Elderly 🏠 Family 🛡️ Survival

Toni Briggs

Elva's courageous granddaughter who intercedes in the escape plan. She identifies the exterior route and believes in a chance to reach the police, even as they face skepticism and danger. Her resolve steadies the group in the face of escalating threats.

👧 Courage 👫 Family 🛡️ Survival

The Count

The ruthless, charismatic leader of the Vampires who run Lincoln Towers like a cult. He proclaims invulnerability and wields fear to maintain control over his gang. His demise comes only after a final reckoning with the protagonists.

👑 Leader 🧟 Monster 🗡️ Violence

Parker

A bigoted, unstable Vietnam veteran who lives in the building and has modified a wheelchair into a weapons cache. He becomes a crucial ally at Parker’s apartment, using his arsenal to delay pursuit and buy time for the others. He dies after being shot during the climactic shootout.

🪑 Veteran 🧰 Mechanic 🛡️ Survival

Decon

A young member of the Vampires who inadvertently marks Barry as a target. His presence signals the gang's reach into the building, and his death quickly alters the balance of power within the tower.

🧒 Youth 🗡️ Violence 🧭 Threat

Psycho

The Count’s crazed relative, a violent enforcer who meets a brutal end when Barry and his allies push back. His presence underscores the brutal and lawless nature of the vampiric gang.

🔪 Violence 🧟 Instability 🧨 Danger

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 14:06

Major Themes – Enemy Territory (1987)

Explore the central themes of Enemy Territory (1987), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🛡️ Survival

During a perilous night, survival hinges on quick thinking and scarce resources. Barry and Will improvise a plan to escape the building and evade the vampiric gang. Their courage is tested as friends are injured or killed, forcing hard decisions. The environment turns hallways and basements into traps that demand risky, decisive actions.

👑 Power and Control

Count's leadership exerts a cult-like grip over the Vampires, using fear and perceived invulnerability to command obedience. The myth of invulnerability sustains his control and escalates brutality. Parker's engineering of weapons and Elva's resourcefulness challenge the Count's power structure, highlighting how power can be destabilized by resourceful outsiders.

🤝 Community

Strangers from different backgrounds are forced to cooperate to escape. Barry, Will, Toni, and Elva form an improvised alliance that transcends initial distrust. The film emphasizes acts of courage and sacrifice that emerge when help seems scarce. The basement escape sequence becomes a test of collective resilience rather than individual heroism.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 14:06

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Enemy Territory Summary

Read a complete plot summary of Enemy Territory, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

Enemy Territory Summary

Enemy Territory Timeline

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Enemy Territory Timeline

More About Enemy Territory

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Enemy Territory (1987) Plot Summary & Movie Recap

Enemy Territory (1987) Scene-by-Scene Movie Timeline

Enemy Territory (1987) Spoiler-Free Summary & Key Flow