Vamp

Want to know where Quentin Tarantino got his idea for the script for Robert Rodriguez's From Dusk Till Dawn? Well, replace that film's bank robbers with a group of hormonal teens, swop gorgeous Salma Hayek for scary disco-diva Grace Jones, and turn Mexican biker-bar The Titty Twister into a skid-row strip club, and what you've got is Vamp, an under-rated teen horror from the 80s that was undoubtedly the inspiration for Rodriguez's horror hit.

Vamp follows three frat boys, Keith, AJ, and Duncan (Chris Makepeace, Robert Rusler and Gedde Watanabe), as they venture to the wrong side of town in the hope of hiring a stripper for a college party. After a run in with a nasty street gang, led by albino thug Snow (Billy Drago), the lads pay a visit to The After Dark Club, a sleazy joint that, unbeknownst to them, is home to a nest of vampires that feed on the lonely patrons.

When AJ is fed to Katrina (Jones), the queen of the bloodsuckers, Keith and Duncan attempt to flee the city, along with cute waitress Amaretto (Dedee Pfeiffer), but find their escape hampered not only by countless members of the undead, but also by Snow and his fellow gang members.

Featuring a witty script, excellent art direction, great make-up effects from Greg Cannom, and lively, fun performances from all involved, Vamp proves to be one of the better 'cheesy' horrors of the 80s, and is my third favourite teen vampire film of the decade (after The Lost Boys and Fright Night). The film makes stunning use of garish, coloured lighting (perhaps inspired by Dario Argento's Suspiria, which uses similar strong colours), giving the whole affair a freakish and rather unsettling look; this disturbing atmosphere is further compounded by a feeling of complete helplessness that is reminiscent of Scorsese's similarly surreal After Hours.

Admittedly, Vamp does occasionally veer a little too close to dumb teen comedy territory, and one or two scenes are rather convoluted or silly (what kind of vampire keeps metal drums full of flammable liquid in their crypt? And that Formica quip.... weak!), but on the whole, this is a refreshingly offbeat and stylish effort that deserves more recognition.

7.5 out of 10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.

Vamp is a great movie! The comedy mixes with the horror to form an entertaining time! Grace Jones gives a great performance of Katrina! Very recommended. The rest of the cast is funny, and it's really worth it

Vamp is a curious lost little lamb from the 1980's, all lit in bizarre green and purple tones and featuring all manner of Grace Jones wiggling around like a monster. It's a fun ride, cleverly done and not entirely unoriginal, with terrific acting talent and a loopy sense of humor pitched somewhere between After Hours and a sideways college comedy. Another aspect I appreciated was how each vampire had a personality, and they weren't always one hundred percent proud to be vampires. They're very aware that in a lot of ways they're perfectly lame. Fairly cool stuff, especially in the confrontation between a character who "turns" and the protagonist.

On the other hand, the last half lacks the zip and zap of the first and some characters seemed a little undernourished. The geek who owns the car seemed a little extraneous towards the end, and the albino gang, while sort of awesome, didn't really belong.

But either way. If you're interested in an offbeat 80's vampire movie or just seeing Grace Jones scare the s**t out of you with her face, by all means rent Vamp. You will become a much wiser person as a result and your parents will no longer hate you.

This has to be the most underrated vamp flick that i have come across, most could be put off by bottom shelf, fading icon Chris Makepiece gurning his way through frat-cliche after another, but sit tight and you will become witness to invention in a low budget movie not seen since the likes of The Black Gestapo and You can't buy love. Grace Jones makes compelling viewing as the said vamp and the soundtrack is a lesson in the tried and tested sublime to the ridiculous pitch. All in all this is a quality movie and very creepy i might add, could have toned down the pink and green lighting though (maybe Jerry Bruckheimer got a job onset as exec producer)

To get into a highly regarded fraternity, Keith and AJ agree to come up with the goods. That is finding a stripper to perform at a party. They need wheels and they turn to the dweeb Duncan for a favour. The three head off, and they come across a rather sordidly dark neighbourhood, which the After Dark club catches their attention. After this the night turns into a very surreal nightmare, as the place happens to be run by vampires. The trouble begins when AJ gets a personal encounter with the fetching dancer Katrina to hopefully perform at their party.

What starts off like your ordinary teen comedy, turns into a spontaneously imaginative and tantalizing vampire feature. The horror/comedy element more often comes off, despite some awkward moments and bad timing. The wry humour is blackly broad and weird, while the ominous thrills are jarringly explicit. Director / writer Richard Wenk gives the oddball concept unpredictable twists with a wide range of sub-plots that work in a lot of tact on climaxes, and the highly witty and clever script is a saucy treat with its banter. The script had a rapid touch about it, but the pacing of the story and direction can get scratchy. Wenk stylishly floods the seedy locations with neon pink and green lighting for ample effect, and Elliot Davis' singular angle photography gaudily displays a sinisterly lingering and nocturnal atmosphere. The make-up FX by Greg Cannom is pretty top-rate with many wicked and grisly images. The direction can feel loose, but it's visually enticing and at times suspenseful. It does look cheap, but this only enhances the mischievously neurotic air and helping out that tenor is Jonathan Elias' spiralling, steamy music score. The cast are on a real high. Chris Makepeace and Robert Rusler are ably good as the two central characters. Gedde Watanabe admirably pulls the strings in his obnoxiously weedy comic part. Grace Jones gets top billing, despite saying nothing and having little screen time. However she's naturally imposing and her dominance comes from her luridly effective physical actions and appearance. Especially those eyes! A bubbly and sincere Dedee Pfeiffer steals the film for me, and you got a memorably eerie Billy Drago as an albino thug of a street gang. Sandy Baron was also good fun. The comparisons with "After Hours (1985)" are justified, as both follow a path of triggered events during one bad night in an unrecognisable part of town for the unlucky foe/s. Also I wouldn't be surprised if "From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)" was influenced by 'Vamp'.

A neat, showy and off-kilter little horror/comedy romp of the 80's.