Dance of the Damned

...about an 80's rock star-type looking male vampire who picks up a stripper after hours to ask her plenty of questions that a vampire would yearn to know the answer to and then to subsequently eat her before dawn. Questions like "what does the day feel like?", "what does the sun-light on your skin feel like?", "what does it feel like to have a friend?",... Questions that the stripper has a hard time answering to the vampire's satisfaction and she's rather reluctant to put much effort into her answers given that she knows that he wants to kill her in a few hours.

It's really just about those two characters, not much else. The vamp has got plenty of cool powers, wants to eat her but also wants her company and the experiences of her that he can't have. Also the woman contemplated suicide before meeting him so she repeatedly goes from wanting him to kill her and to trying to save her skin which makes for interesting inner conflicts and thrilling drama.

It very much has this early 90's B-movie kind of look and feel to it that I like so much. Man, this thing is so underground, I'm tellin' ya. Erotic goth sleaze with serious aspirations. Forget Anne Rice? No, but this is just as good. It was directed by a woman which, I think, is very noticeable, in a good way. The vamp is a romantic tough guy with cool contacts, he has super powers, taste in art and is rich because of some "long term investments" (makes sense, huh?). And yes, the woman is way more sickly looking than him, actually, but then he isn't the one who's the smoker (makes sense, yes?). Sounds groovy? It is. Unfortunately although the movie has something that feels like a proper ending I personally wasn't satisfied with it, I could have easily gone for another "chapter" to get some real closure on the story.

Jodi (Starr Andreeff), a stripper contemplating suicide, is held captive by a vampire (Cyril O'Reilly) who wants to know what it is like to sunbathe.

Yes, the vampire in Dance of the Damned gets to boff the stripper. I think. Well, it's implied. However, the film is mostly intercourse of the verbal kind, as the bloodsucker chin-wags with his next meal until daybreak.

Not so long ago, I watched To Sleep With A Vampire (1992) by director Adam Friedman, which is a remake of this film by Katt Shea. The two movies are almost identical in every way, with many scenes and much of the dialogue from the original used verbatim in the remake. The biggest differences between the two films are that the vampire in this one has a mullet that would shame Michael Bolton, and that Charlie Spradling, who plays the stripper in the remake, is a damn sight hotter than Andreef.

However, even though I much prefer Spradling to Andreef in terms of visual appeal, I do slightly prefer the original movie overall: Andreef is a better actress and Katt Shea is a better director than Friedman, plus this one has more style, even if it is late-80s style (lots of blue lighting and plenty of widdly guitar, sax solos, and synths). I also liked how, by the end of the film, the roles have reversed, with Jodi desperately wanting to live and the vampire developing a death wish; this might also have been the case with the remake, but that film was ultimately so forgettable I can't say for sure.

5.5/10, rounded up to 6 for the vampire's plasma ball and his bubbly water ornament. Man, that vampire has good taste in furnishings!

The first thing that struck me about this movie and is often true of well done, low budget films is that it feels like a stage play. The movie is character and dialog driven with an economy of changing scenes. Like insects trapped in a magnifying jar, the claustrophobic space brings the characters into raw detail.

When I first saw this film, I thought it was foreign - maybe British, Canadian, or Italian. None of the actors have been in a lot of movies that I am aware of, although Starr has been in a few other B grade vampire movies (none near this good). Surprisingly it used to be easy to find for rent. Since it never came out on DVD though, it is tougher to find now (apparently it was released on laser disk but the second half/side was badly engineered so it would have to be remastered before being transferred).

There was however an uncredited remake in 1993: To Sleep With a Vampire (directed by Adam Friedman) that is available on DVD (for real cheap). It features almost the exact same script including portions of word for word dialog. Besides the fact that it is not as well acted, the main differences are that the stripper has bigger breasts and that both of the main characters had a small following before they took the rolls. Watching that remake is like watching your favorite play performed at a local High School: it reminds you pleasantly of the better performances you have seen.

A rare little gem that transcends its genre to portray some interesting angles on suffering, the nature of good and evil and death. The fatalistic stripper who believes her life isn't worth living until death looms, the remorseful vampire who needs to feed but feels compassion for his victims are both convincingly played. For my money this film is worth fifty of the pretentious, self-important overblown vampire-chic films like 'Interview with the Vampire'. For a "horror" film this movie is quiet and even a little plodding at times but the understated performances, taut scripting and interesting story (with nice twists on the myths of vampirism) make a worthwhile viewing.

A needless remake "To Sleep with a Vampire" made by Roger Corman in 1992 doesn't nearly live up to this movie's quirky originality.

A vampire (Cyril O'Reilly) goes to a strip-club and overhears that the dancer Jodi Hurtz (Starr Andreeff) is thinking of committing suicide since her ex-husband did not let her see her son on his birthday. When she is leaving the club late night, the vampire says that he is lonely and offers one-thousand dollars to Jodi to talk to him sharing her life experience. They go to his house and soon she learns that she is trapped inside, and he is a vampire that will kill her drinking her blood at 6:00 AM. Along the night, the vampire discloses his existential crisis and Jodi discloses her unfortunate life but concludes she does not want to die. Their inner feelings unleash a strange sentiment between them that are different creatures of the night.

"Dance of the Damned" is a different vampire movie, with a touching romance. Despite the low budget, the storyline and the screenplay are very well written in few locations. Therefore, the plot is theatrical and supported by magnificent performances of the lead cast. Unfortunately, this film was only released on VHS. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Dança Macabra" ("Macabre Dance")