Dance of the Damned

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!

Not your average run-of-the-mill vampire movie, so at least that's something. Don't expect vampire-action, bat-like facial transformations or bloody killings in general from "Dance of the Damned" or you'll be disappointed. What we get here is more like a TV-drama play, with a bit of 80's cheesiness and nudity added for good measurement. Pretty much a 'doomed romance' type thing about a non-vampire stripper and a vampire-yuppie. One wants to die, the other one will have to die if that other one doesn't die. Something like that. Starr Andreef is damn sexy in this one (and she shows plenty of skin - yes, the top comes off) and it has an ending that will leave you hanging in there (in a neither-here-nor-there kinda way). Certainly worth a watch if you're into offbeat vampire movies (more like the cheesy romance ones, not the edgy arty ones). And it's at least about 5 times better than that awful Andrew Stevens vampire-vehicle "Red Blooded American Girl" from 1990 (I've said it before & I'll say it again: avoid movies with Andrew Stevens playing the leading role in them). Anyway, he's not in "Dance of the Damned", so you're safe to watch it.

...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.

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")

A suicidal stripper is token hostage by a lonely vampire who tells her he is gonna kill her at sunrise, but first he makes her teach him about what people do during the daytime, but as it gets closer to sunrise their feelings for each other grow strong and the vampire and stripper form a close bond.

Intelligent, exceptionally well acted and made film by the true master of this genre in my opinion Katt Shea has largely, and unjustly been ignored for no appearant reason. The film features very good characterizations and covers many themes including love, death, guilt, and redemption. Terrific premise also. Seek this out.

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