Sucker

Here's one of the more underseen Troma movies out there. But also a fine example of a film which doesn't quite live up to its premise. And the premise being "Vampire catches AIDS". A hard premise to screw up. Not to say Sucker screws it up, exactly. But I expected something more than this when I first saw it in 1998. The idea of a vampire contracting the aids virus sounded a bit more taboo way back then, so, of course I had certain expectations for this film that weren't exactly met. But have recently given it a rewatch. And despite still being a tad underwhelming, it really is a fun little film.

Sucker: The Vampire focuses on the growing friendship of a vampire and his awkward henchman. A friendless loser, and raging Necrophiliac named Reed, who vaguely resembles a werewolf but isn't one. Just a tool, really. He seems to want to be Anthony's buddy pretty bad, but of course the brooding creature of the night isn't interested. He just needs him to dispose of the corpses of the hot young ladies that he sucks dry on a nightly basis. which is the perfect job for Reed, being that he gets to stick it to them good before sending them to their final resting place.

Once Anthony catches the aids and seeks advice from his dimwitted henchman, Reed is there for his master like a real friend should be. Although, he's a bit concerned that the may also have aids, now, due to all the corpse loving he does, which leads to an awkward little scene between the two where Anthony gets all huffy and self righteous when he learns of his henchman's fetish. But slowly, they form a warm friendship as Anthony lets his guard down along with his immune system. Bonding over aids, so to speak. And Reed proves to be a true friend to Anthony until the bitter end.

One of the many overlooked Troma movies to come out of the 90's, Sucker is a pretty cool Horror comedy. Although, it could have stood to be a little less silly and a little more surreal which is what I expected for some reason. The premise alone is funny enough without so many attempts at goofy humor. However, this movie's attempt at making AIDS funny without making fun of those who have AIDS is accomplished rather well. Sucker is nothing mindblowing, but for those Troma fans who think they've seen it all, here's a little gem you might have missed. 4/10

Yan Birch (who resembles Malcolm McDowell) is Anthony, a modern-day vampire who uses his rock band's popularity as a front to lure unsuspecting big-breasted women into his clutches. Reed (Alex Erkiletian) is his annoying necrophile henchman/assistant who dresses up the corpses in bondage gear and lingerie before screwing them and dumping the bodies off at his work ("Western Tumor Medical Group"). The very sexy, fit, blue-eyed Vanessa Van Helsing (Monica Barber) is on to the deadly duo. She tricks Anthony into biting her and intentionally transmits AIDS to him, which means Anthony "can't digest" blood and will die a slow and agonizing death.

This morality/cautionary horror tale has no idea how to handle its themes in an effective or thought-provoking way and the comic sound effects and stupid gags undermine any serious messages the filmmakers are trying to get across.

In case you're interested...Also featured are the PUMPKINHEAD prop monster, a pool sex scene, blood puking, a redheaded sorceress (the devil?) who torments Anthony and can revive dead bodies and lots of rock music by groups with names like Groovie Ghoulies and The Mr. T Experience.

Score: 2 out of 10

I am surprised to see this film receive such a low rating here on IMDb. For what it is (a low budget horror-comedy), it's great! The plot is solid and most of the characters are fantastic. The highlight of the film is Reed Buccholz, the wacky lovable vampire sidekick. The movie will keep you entertained to say the least. The production values are not bad at all and many of the shots are actually quite nice. I was hoping for a Sucker II, but I haven't heard anything about a sequel in a long time.

Fans of b-movies, you will surely enjoy this. If you are looking for a truly scary film or something more mainstream, this is not for you.

How to characterise this piece of celluloid trash? "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" meets "Spinal Tap". A film with that bizarre combination was doomed to fail, and this one does spectacularly. "Sucker The Vampire" contains little real humour yet it is clearly not to be taken seriously. The plot is if not non-existent then certainly dull, the film is slow, and the scenery is very limited. The jokes, well, if they are jokes, they should have been telegraphed. Bram Stoker must be spinning in his grave at the very thought of something so...and here we run out of adjectives. If you want genuine vampire horror, stick with Christopher Lee and Hammer Films. For comedy, even "Abbott & Costello Meet The Mummy" would be an improvement on this latter day Dracula and his necrophile sidekick.

Sucker! I love this movie. It's goofy, funny and ridiculous. But it has heart too. It's basically a twisted buddy movie, with Vampires. And it has a nice playful atmosphere about it. Alex Erkiletian's Reed is hilarious. Slightly creepy, but hilarious. The faces he pulls and the way he lurches around. I just love it! Total goofball.

Sucker is a perfect midnight movie. Nothing heavy, but fun.