Vamp
|
Our Price: $9.98 Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $4.26 (click here) Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
Movie Reviews of Vamp
Movie Review: Strippers Are Vampires? Tell Me Something I Didn't Know!
Summary: 4 Stars
There's a shocker huh? No offense to you strippers out there. Your "victims" get what they have coming to them; empty wallets! Strangely, the vampires/strippers in this film are much more selective. I can't say that was a big problem with this film. Oh, it had problems for sure, but none of them stopped me from actually liking this movie. Let's shimmy into it shall we...
-WE GREATLY DESIRE TO HANG WITH YOU DORKS.
This is the set-up for the whole movie. It goes like this:
Two guys trying to join a fraternity of ritualistic dorks decide they are too cool to follow the rituals. Despite this, they are still willing to go to great lengths to gain entry into the dorky club. The Dorks agree to allow entry into the club if the "too cool" newbs throw a wild party for them, including strippers. So begins the quest that leads our "too cool" heroes into the depth of the inner city. If you don't have a problem with this set-up, then you actually have a chance to enjoy the movie because it doesn't get any better. I thought it was pretty darn funny in a stupid way.
-GRACE JONES SUCKS AND BITES ALL AT THE SAME TIME.
This is why she does not get any lines. In all honesty, I never got what the big attraction was with her anyway. She's pretty darn creepy without the makeup (and couldn't fill a training bra). Despite my shallow commentary I got along fine with grace in this film. Being pre-creepy, she makes an appropriate queen vamp stripper. Character actor Sandy Baron (a guy) carries the day for the bad guys as he does a fine job of playing the inexplicably dumb nightclub manager.
On the side of niceness are the young people. Robert Rusler has his charisma smeared all over us. You would never buy any of his lines, but everyone else does. His buddy is Chris Makepeace (John Makewar's stepbrother?) a wimpy, benign bundle of nerves who knuckles under to his pals every whim. Geddy Watanabe plays another dork that will pay for anything (just a little convenient). The pre-requisite nice girl is Dedee Pfeiffer (Michelle's flat-chested sister... ...WHAT!?!?). Her place in this film keeps you guessing because it defies reason. The entire cast is exactly what you would expect from a 80s teenage, semi-light, horror film; just better than adequate.
-REMOVING TONGUE FROM CHEEK AND GETTING SERIOUS
I think what kept me in this film was the whole feel of the thing. As dopey as the setup sounds, this is a very surreal and nightmarish experience. I really had a sense of weariness as the good guys languished in their sugar coated human flytrap. Time keeps passing and things just keep getting more and more messed up but nobody but our bundle of nerves seems to be in a hurry to get out. Have you ever had a nightmare where someone is chasing you, but you can't move? That's how this starts to feel. Well, eventually everything hits the fan and our hero starts to move. But even then, he ends up on a treadmill. You begin to doubt that there is actually an ending to this movie. Not surprisingly, a semi-cheap ending is devised and we get a fair conclusion. However, lot's of implausible but fun action occurs along the way.
-OH, PRETTY COLORS!
I especially liked the over-the-top production values of this film. The vampire makeup is monstrous and grotesque, not just a couple fangs. The lighting is like a Halloween stage show with purples and greens and oranges. The sets are limited but effective (how much do you expect to see when you're trapped in a nightmare?). I happen to like this somewhat campy look. Visually, this is a fun film.
-PUTTING TOUGUE BACK IN CHEEK TO TALK ABOUT THE STORY.
If you've made it this far still believing you will enjoy this movie then you are ready to face the final test; a story full of inexplicable stupidity and hyper-ridiculous caveats to make things work. This is a 1980s teenage horror film after all. It is in the same mood as "Fright Night" but not nearly as well thought out. If you don't laugh at and enjoy solutions to problems nearly falling into our heroes lap then you won't like this story. You might even suspect that some of the vampires in this film wanted to die; it's that bad. All that said, I fell on the side of enjoying the stupidity of it all. This film is not that serious that I couldn't let that kind of stuff slide.
-TONIGHTS FINAL ACT...
... is usually reserved for the one-legged chick with the eye-patch who does something nasty with a dollar bill. Well, even I'm not that bad. I liked this stupid movie for its fun production values, campy but effective acting and it's likeably dumb story caveats. The story does work if you allow the stupidity to pull it together. If you can't look past these glaring, goofy conveniences in the story you'd better look elsewhere. I got a kick out of it. The DVD is pretty standard fare; decent quality picture and sound. You get plenty for your money.
Story.......2.5 stars
Visuals.....4.7 stars
Acting......3.8 stars
Total.......3.67 stars
Movie Review: Lousy teen sex comedy, an even worse vampire film.
Summary: 2 Stars
Yeah, this one has your standard set of stock 80s characters, from a couple of sarcastic "quirky" jocks to the guy who played Long Duck Dong. Unfunny, grating, and dull are the first words that come to my mind as I ponder this standard "tryin to get some' plot that's married with a horror film.
The only reason I give it two stars is for Grace Jones, who just simply looks cool. Her dance at the club is memorable and for an instant the film finally lifts off. Unfortunately, it's all too fleeting and we are left with the most boring characters running around LA streets at night doing nothing special. Vamp is ultra soft-core lameville -- it's dishonest, impotent gore-light that is the cinematic equivalent of a frat dork bragging about his trip down to New Orleans for Mardi Gras.
Movie Review: Corny, but great for 'tweens
Summary: 3 Stars
This movie is corny, corny, corny. Enough T&A to be classified classic horror, but the vampires are a far cry from the seductive and mysterious vamps of yester-year.
And why the hell does dude keep coming back as a vampire with a conscience, and lame sense of humor...?!
Movie Review: Not bad at all!
Summary: 4 Stars
The 80's may have been the decade I grew up in, but I'm far from
nostalgic for its (often) mediocre movie offerings. I'm not a big fan
of film favorites like Sixteen Candles or Goonies. There's nothing
wrong with these films; it's just a matter of taste.
Until I read the back of the DVD case, I hadn't heard anything about
this film. Nothing. The plot seemed fairly standard, "a group of
fraternity pledges head for the seedy side of the city in search of
strippers and discover a sinister spot called The After Dark Club." It
was touted by Anchor Bay as a "horror comedy." At $4 how could I say
no?
The parts that really impressed me were as follows. First, there was
the demon-esquire vampire makeup. I'm always a sucker (pun not intended.
I shouldn't have even drawn attention to it, really) for good character
designs, even if the film itself is mediocre (example: Return of the
Living Dead 3). The vampires here look really ghoulish. I also enjoyed
how it almost felt like a legitimate 80's teen flick due to the antics of
Gedde Watanabe (aka the little asian dude) of Sixteen Candles. There were a few laughs too, even if they're mostly that eye-rolling,
oh-my-God-so-80's type of way. Sometimes I felt guilty for laughing.
Last of all, it co-stars Deedee Pfeiffer. Ever since I saw her
in The Midnight Hour (at the age of six) I've had a huge crush on her.
She pretty much made the movie (for me).
Let's face it, this is no Lost Boys. But there is enough here for any
true horror fan to enjoy. Or if 80's nostalgia is your thing, there's
plenty of that too. Definitely worth a view.
Movie Review: An 80's Classic with Bite!
Summary: 4 Stars
Chris Makepeace and Robert Rusler star as two college guys who have to score a super-hot stripper to get into their preferred fraternity in the 1986 horror/comedy "Vamp." The pair induct a third member to their party by recruiting "16 Candles'" Gedde Watanabe, an obnoxious and lonely rich kid who can provide them with the transportation they need to get to a strip club and back with the night's entertainment. However, after arriving at their destination, things quickly go awry. When one of the boys is led into the backrooms of the strip club and doesn't return, his disappearance kicks off a wild and dangerous night for his companions and their new dancer friend played by Dedee Pfeiffer. As it turns out, the strip club and the very town itself is a haven for vampires, and the frighteningly seductive Grace Jones is the Egyptian ruler of them all!
"Vamp" is a highly energized and entertaining 80's horror comedy from director Richard Wenk. Though not without its flaws (like the very idea of Grace Jones being the most desirable stripper in that club), the film delivers with classic 80's effects and humor and a small helping of some really gruesome stuff. The performances are great all around, including Sandy Baron as the sleazy emcee, and the only place you feel slightly cheated is at the climax. Yeah, ha, worst place to feel cheated I guess. It's just that the death of the head vamp is a wee bit anticlimactic. However, this is followed by a surprise ending that puts the film snugly into the "so bad it's good" category. Though, most of it actually IS good. It's sort of an interesting balance of "good" and "so bad it's good." In fact, you'd have to see it for yourself to know what I mean. The DVD is top notch, as the film is presented in a nice widescreen transfer and loaded with extras. In addition to trailers and TV spots, posters and promo stills, and a blooper and rehearsal reel, we even get a commentary with the director and three of the stars, plus the entire short film that earned Richard Wenk the directing job on Vamp, "Dracula Bites the Big Apple." As for that short, it has its strong and weak points but is well worth a watch. However, it certainly leaves you thinking that, between it and "Love At First Bite," somebody was ripping off somebody! Anyway, overall, "Vamp" is a great bargain and will guarantee you a highly entertaining evening! And, if you enjoy "Vamp," you've gotta check out "Fright Night," "Vampires," "Bordello of Blood," and the "From Dusk Till Dawn" trilogy!