Embrace the Darkness

The VHS, DVD rents and sales and the cable gave a seccond life to the software films in the 90s.

From the late 80s to the late 90s former TV and even film stars had a revivan in this genre. The most succesful were Shannon Tweed (Mrs Gene Simmons) and Tanya Roberts. In the late 90s they become in their 40s and both retired in order to have a succesful career in realities and sitcom.

And a seccond generación of unknown New starlets from Penthouse, Playboy and even hardcore started.

Unfortunately the budget was usually much lower and the script was worse. So the genre died in the begining of the new millenium. This movie is from that age.

So I was pleasent surprise of the budget, the good script and the very good performance specially of the leading Lady. Unlike other starlet her career started in big budget film of respected directors (ok as a pole dancer, but in Verhoveen, Tarantino and Rodriguez films). So clearly she makes a difference. She is beautiful, charismatic, sexy, sweet, excellent dancer and can act. Making a tour the force change from a ingenue to a vamp.

Its a pitty that after this work the lead actress retired from films. The movie was so succesful that had 2 sequels unfortunately with other actresses.

Embrace the Darkness is the first in a trilogy of sex and vampire films which makes up a three-DVD box-set. The other two films are called, unsurprisingly, Embrace the Darkness 2 and Embrace the Darkness 3. They all come under the Playboy brand and so they naturally contain a fair quota of sex and nudity. This first film is from Mystique Films while the other two are from Indigo Entertainment.

The action starts in a hospital with a bloody murder and the theft of the hospital's blood supply. Moving on from there to LA, we find Miranda (Angelia High) and Galen (Kevin Spirtas) have taken up residence in a run-down part of the city. While Galen spends his time playing his piano, it is Miranda who is the one who actively searches for new victims and brings them back to their apartment. Across the street lives Jennifer, (Madison Clark) a dancer who captures Galen's attention when he sees her dancing almost naked. Into this mix comes Ryan, (Brad Bartram) Jennifer's old flame who wants to restart their relationship. When Ryan finds out what Galen and Miranda really are, they are all set for a showdown but who will survive? There are twists and the outcome is not a foregone conclusion.

Why this film has got such a low vote is a bit of a mystery. More blood in the bloodsucking scenes would have been welcome but overall production values are quite high. The actors acquit themselves well enough and there is a good script with a contemplative ending. The women are what you would expect from a Playboy production with Madison Clark being naturally beautiful, and a welcome appearance by the statuesque Jennifer Ludlow. A good attempt at vampire erotica, so 5 stars.

You've got "Embrace" and "Darkness" in the title, and it's made in the '90s, so what else can it be but a soft-core vampire flick? But unlike a lot of "vampire romance" movies, this one is actually pretty damn sexy. It is NOT a very good movie if you take out all the sex, but taken for what it is -- a softcore vampire flick -- it delivers in spades. Although, I could use a little less of the male vampire playing the piano to soothe away his vampire thirst -- or for whatever nonsense he was playing it. A great fast-forward movie, with plenty of opportunity to press the "play" button, since there's plenty of flesh to be spotted.

It was Angelina High who brought this movie beyond its pedantic writing. When was the last time you saw a short haired lady with fangs? Maybe it was the director's choice but her lovely appearance (and decidedly "un-vampire" attire) made me dispose of some preconceptions and see she and the role for what they were: a better than average job - especially for the genre.

A very nice soft core sex/vampire film. Kevin Spirtas does a fine job as the master vampire; convincing acting without going overboard (it would have been easy to do so in a film like this). I'm disappointed that Angelia High has not appeared in more movies; I thought she was also quite convincing and looked the part of a female vamp.

A realistic ending.