On ne mord que deux fois

Lauren Hutton is a vampire simply named "The Countess" who must bite a virgin three times per year (ending on Halloween) in order to retain her youth and beauty. However, living in California in the mid-1980s, it's becoming impossible to find a virgin.

This is a horror comedy that's not exactly atmospheric, thrilling or suspenseful (it's also completely free of gore), and not exactly hilarious. Rather, it's just a very lighthearted, mostly enjoyable film that happens to be about vampires, although it's primarily interesting for a one of the earliest, pre-fame appearances of Jim Carrey, and for nostalgia, as Once Bitten is firmly mired in mid-1980s pop culture.

The biggest flaw is that the mythology behind the film is not very well explained or followed. The Countess finds Mark Kendall (Carrey) fairly easily, but we're not shown her and her clan looking very hard until just before Halloween--they had all year. We're never told if the clan has to follow the same rules. It doesn't seem so in the end, but why not? It's never very clear why The Countess can't just go after, say, an eleven year old. When things are getting down to the wire near the climax of the film, there are other virgins around, but The Countess just ignores them as potential drinking fountains of youth. It seems like maybe she has to bite the same person, rather than three potentially different people, three times, but that's never directly stated. How long does it have to be between bites? Why couldn't she just bite the one person twice, then bite someone else three times within a few hours?

Although I don't usually like to try to apply real world logic to films, in this case, I couldn't help it. Once Bitten isn't meant solely as a comedy, and there is a long sequence during the climax that should be as suspenseful as it is humorous. But the suspense was gone, because all I could think of where the questions above instead. To make it worse, the timeline of the film gets a bit muddled, and we lose any sense of when Halloween night is actually occurring. At one point, during a Halloween dance, that seems like that should be Halloween night, but then it seems like Halloween should be over already at a later point. At that later point, it seems like the dance must have been on a different, earlier day. That this crucial fact for suspense in the film isn't clear is a problem. Once Bitten suffers from sloppy scriptwriting and sloppy direction from Howard Storm, whose resume shows that he's much more comfortable with half-hour television sitcoms.

But if one can overlook some of those flaws, Once Bitten is worth at least one viewing. Carrey's performance is good. He easily shows why he became a star in later films. His transformation over the course of the film is great, and a scene with Carrey in full vampire make-up and clothing makes one long to see a serious vampire film with him as a star. I also liked the ice cream truck and took it as a nod to Phantasm (1979). There are enough comic moments that most viewers will at least be occasionally smiling, if not laughing out loud. A scene where Mark's friends are trying to check him for evidence of vampirism is a standout, as is much of the material where Mark and his friends interact. Carrey's scenes with his parents are even better, but there are too few of them. Both Hutton and Karen Kopins (as Mark's girlfriend, Robin) are sensuous. The Countess' vampire clan is severely underused, but they are okay when they do appear. And even the obligatory mid-80s music video/dance scene is mostly tolerable.

I also enjoyed the subtext that sex is a means of protection from evil, rather than something dangerous to be avoided. Robin's attitude about Mark's relationships was also a nice change of pace.

This is definitely a film that needs to be approached with lowered expectations, but in the right mood, you just might enjoy it.

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...

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.

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.

Jim Carrey is hilarious and this is just the beginning of the stars career. It's plot is nothing special and the acting is alright but Jim makes this movie. You will need to see this movie if you are a fan of Jim's. This is a great film and definitely classic for 80's film. Check this film out soon. It is a winner.