Amore all'ultimo morso

This underrated and under-appreciated horror comedy from John (AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN London) Landis has everything you could possibly want in a 90's vampire movie...good special effects, stylish direction, a top-notch cast, action, comedy, explosions, sight-gags, freefalls off of rooftops, shootouts, blood, gore, dismemberment, clever film references, gangsters, spoofy dialog, car crashes, sex, nudity and a slew of cameos (a trademark of the director). Seldom has a filmmaker gone all out to please genre fans, but Landis has done just that with this fun and entertaining film.

Slinky French beauty Anne Parillaud (of LA FEMME NIKITA fame) is Marie, a sexy vampire prowling the snowy streets of Pittsburgh. She only kills the scum of the city and controls vampire overpopulation by blowing the heads off her victims with a shotgun after feeding! When she becomes involved with a local gang of mobsters and accidentally turns mob moss Sal 'The Shark' Macelli (Robert Loggia, who's terrific) into a vampire, things get a bit out of hand. When Sal is bitten and escapes, he realizes the extent of his newly-acquired vampiric traits and sinks his teeth into his crime family members, creating a whole slew of nearly-unstoppable bloodsucking gangsters intent on taking over the entire city! It's up to Marie and cop Joe Gennaro (Anthony LaPaglia) to stop them.

Aside from the three appealing leads, Don Rickles contributes a great supporting performance as Sal's sleazy lawyer and there's fun to be had in playing spot-the-horror-celebrity. Look for Forry Ackerman, Dario Argento, Steve Johnson (who also did the make-up effects), Frank Oz, Linnea Quigley, Sam Raimi and Tom Savini. Plus, you can spot Peter Cushing, Alfred Hitchcock, Christopher Lee, Bela Lugosi and others on TV sets throughout the film.

This is a film made by horror fans FOR horror fans. Enjoy!

What a nice surprise it was seeing this horror-comedy by director John Landis. Landis tells the story of a French female vampire, who does really not enjoy killing for food but must, rely on mobsters for her blood(making the killings look like mob hits afterwards). The story takes place in Pittsburgh, and the city never looked better on film. In fact, Landis has many marvelous shots of the city at night with snow falling in the background. It is a very stylish looking film. The primary story deals with the vampire(played with sex appeal by Anne Parrilaud) bite the throat of mob boss Robert Loggia only to be interrupted, escape, and find out that Loggia has turned into one of the undead on his way to create a legion of vampire mobsters. The premise is handled with care and works thanks to the direction of Landis, the good special effects, and the character acting in the film. Robert Logia, ever the versatile actor, does a wonderful job as this mob boss. Amongst his henchmen is lawyer Don Rickles in a well-played straight role. Anthony LaPaglia is the male lead and he is not a household name for a reason. He can't act! You have to love Landis for his love of the horror genre. In many scenes he has famous horror films playing on televisions in the background(Beast of 20,000 Fathoms and Dracula are two) as well as populates this film with genre cameos like Forry Ackerman, directors Sam Raimi and Dario Argento, Linea Quigley, muppet maestro Frank Oz, and Tom Savini. A well-made comedy horror film.

Glossy horror / comedy about sexy vampire Marie (Anne Parillaud) who only kills those that should be dead. While feeding on a local mobster (Robert Loggia) she is disrupted and forced to leave before she can finish him off. He returns to life and sets up shop turning the members of his criminal family into vampires. Adding to Marie's problems is her relationship with a police officer (Anthony La Paglia) out to nab Loggia. Loggia is terrific in a dynamic performance. He steals the whole show. Parillaud has some rather sexy moments. And the film does a good job of balancing the comedy and horror.

Rated R; Nudity, Sexual Situations, Graphic Violence and Profanity.

The story, actors and the limited special effect use all combine to make a great movie. Anne Parillard was perfect in her role as the French Vampire, Anthony LaPaglia is a great foil for Parillard. Robert Loggia as the Mafia Don almost stole the whole movie but the best character honors went to Don Rickles who played Loggia's legal mouth piece. The cinematography is first rate, the blending of the score and action is very smooth. Setting the time of the movie during Chrismas adds to the mix. I watch An American Werewolf in London then Innocent Blood followed by An American Werewolf in Paris every Holloween Eve. Holloween day I watch Dawn of the Dead and Day of Trifids. What can I say, I love horror movies.

This is not something I would typically enjoy, but it was recommended to me by someone I trust, so I watched it and was happily surprised. Citizen Kane it isn't, but we already have one of those and not everything has to be Great Cinema anyway. This is a very bloody (not my cup of tea, so to speak), very funny take on vampires and criminals. Good script, good performances, particularly from Parrilaud, Loggia and Don Rickles (!), playing a lawyers that even other lawyers would give a wide berth to in distaste. What happens to him is hilarious and proof that there can be justice, at least in films! Watch for the scene with the ambulance attendant and for the blonde nurse in the hospital. Check out the credits for some familiar names. Don't expect Art here, just sit back and have some fun. Recommended.