Se ti mordo... sei mio

A vampire Countess (Lauren Hutton) needs to drink the blood of a virgin in order to keep her eternal beauty. It seems that all is hopeless, until she bumps into Mark Kendall (Jim Carrey).

While "Fright Night" is often considered a modern classic by horror fans, this film -- which came out around the same time -- is probably not as well known. And why not? The humor is decent and a young Jim Carrey (with exquisite dance scene) makes this historically important in some small way.

I should say something about the film's treatment of homosexuality. However, I am unsure of what to write. The film seems to have some anti-gay bias (especially with the shower scene), but maybe that is a misunderstanding. Indeed, it might just be presenting what might have been a realistic response from teenage boys in the 1980s...

Once Bitten is a fun and enjoyable comedy vampire flick. Reveling on the alluring number 3 and hellbent on going all the way for a home run it stars the holy trinity of Carrey, Hutton and Little in humorous and lovable roles. The story revolves around the vampire Countess (Hutton) and her need for a blood transfusion from a virgin. No bite in the neck, but further down is required. She's guided and aided by the brilliant Sebastian (Little) with a certain feminine twist that makes for many laughs. Juxtaposed to this duo of (very light) darkness we find a trio of restless youngsters and the protagonist of the movie - Mark (Carrey) who is trying so hard to get to fourth base with his girlfriend but not getting anywhere. He tries to metaphorically go to third base at a drive-in movie when the gear stick gets in the way of the couple and he says "Here, let me put it in third...". That's all he manages to do tho and they sit and watch the movie while all the other cars around start to bounce one after the other. Frustrated and let down he is talked into going to town to get...sorry... 'meet' girls with his two comic relief friends and soon enough he meets the countess and she lures him into her Hollywood mansion to get the first of three blood transfusions in order to retain her good looks. From there on strange and humorous things start to happen to the main character. It's a definitive 80's movie for sure. It's lighthearted and fun and if you expect some serious vampire business and action you will be sorely let down but if you're expecting comedy, teen desires, Carrey and light entertainment you will have a very enjoyable hour and a half of pure 80's nostalgia with a twist and you won't regret seeing it.

Exploiting the typical male teen's desperate attempt to lose his virginity, 'Once Bitten' is a light comedy from the teen horror comedy catalog of the 1980s, though not as funny as say, 'My Best Friend is a Vampire,' nor as satirical as 'My Boyfriend's Back' (a 90s comedy). In part, the comedy is never too adventurous with comedic quips, and instead, carries with it for some parts in the movie, a rather unnecessarily serious mood.

Lauren Hutton plays the sleek, voluptuous Countess, a vampire desperate for virgin blood in order to sustain her youth. Lucky for her, she is conveniently on the prowl at a Hollywood night club the same time that high school teen Mark Kendall (Jim Carrey) and his two buddies arrive for a guys night out. Mark might think he's about to lose his virginity, but instead, finds himself in a whole lot of trouble once he falls into the seductive clutches of the Countess. He displays all the symptoms of a vampire: irritability, pale complexion, a sudden lust for rare meat, and a newfound love for all-black attire. But, his "first time" with the Countess will by no means his last as she follows him around town and haunts his dreams (I guess, they're really light male teen eroticism) as she intends to complete whatever vampire ritual will sustain her youth permanently.

It's a nice comedy, worth of a lazy noon viewing, and particularly for fans of the cult horror comedy. But, as far as vampires and desperate teen virgins go, I would highly recommend 'My Best Friend is a Vampire.'

A Hilarious 80's teen sex comedy!

Jim Carrey hasn't been as funny in a film since. He manages to get plenty of laughs with his performance without going over the top the way he tends to do today. My favorite part is where Robin and the Countess have a dance-off over Mark at the Halloween dance to the very appropriate and silly song "Hands Off, He belongs to me"! And though slightly homophobic by today's standards were the comments by Carrey's sidekicks, "We're Rump Rangers", and the "Fags in the Shower" exclamations however, it all seemed in good fun.

Karen Kopins was really good as Mark's long-suffering girlfriend and held her own well against Carrey. She should've had a better career. I really miss the 80's teen movie genre, and the lighthearted take these films had on a generation.

A must see on Halloween if you're looking to lighten the load from the usual slasher films that always get shown.

Jim Carrey plays frustrated teenage virgin Mark Kendall, who is unable to talk his long-time girlfriend Robin (the lovely Karen Kopins) into going all the way. Mark is convinced by two friends—even bigger losers in the love department—to pay a visit to West Hollywood where they believe they might be able to score with a woman. In a dating bar, Mark meets the sexy Countess (Lauren Hutton) who invites him back to her place, unaware that his new acquaintance is a vampire who needs to feed three times from a virgin before Halloween to retain her youthfulness.

Everybody has to start somewhere. For Jim Carrey, an illustrious career as a leading comedy star started with Once Bitten, a not-particularly-funny vampire comedy that displays little evidence of the performer's trademark madcap style. Fortunately, despite very few genuine laughs, the film's amiable approach and 80s trappings still make it a reasonably fun viewing—harmless nonsense for when there's nothing better to watch. Helping to pass the time less painfully: a fun dance sequence at the High School Halloween Hop, and a scene in the school shower that is actually pretty amusing just so long as you're not bothered by un-PC humour.