Movies-TV

Underrated horror-comedy made with wit and style

Despite the presence of the ludicrous Grace Jones, this is an amusing and cleverly made vampire comedy. It will strike some at first as just another dumb college caper flick, but it's weird visuals and genuinely funny moments puts it into a different and altogether superior category. Most of the film is set at night, in and around a sinister strip-club, and the pink and green neon lighting is quite unlike anything you've ever seen in a movie before. Furthermore the brilliantly constructed final shot as the credits roll is a very satisfying conclusion. Story-wise it is quite stupid, but there's more than enough frights and one-liners to keep it moving along.

Ever have one of those nights?

''Vamp'' is an horror comedy of the 80's. With one of the ugliest vampires that I already have seen in my life (yeah, they won the vampires of 'Angel'series.), being the master of the vampires, Katrina, the ugliest and most exotic vampire already showed in television! Three young men go to a bar looking for strippers to entertain their sorority's parties. The problem is, that the bar they choose is full of vampires,including the strippers of the place and the guards. Katrina, the 'master'of the place, kills A.J., transforming him a vampire. Now they have big problems to go out of the place, since one of the rules, of never showing a visitor the vampires, is broken.

Not bad at all!

The 80's may have been the decade I grew up in, but I'm far from
nostalgic for its (often) mediocre movie offerings. I'm not a big fan
of film favorites like Sixteen Candles or Goonies. There's nothing
wrong with these films; it's just a matter of taste.

Until I read the back of the DVD case, I hadn't heard anything about
this film. Nothing. The plot seemed fairly standard, "a group of
fraternity pledges head for the seedy side of the city in search of
strippers and discover a sinister spot called The After Dark Club." It
was touted by Anchor Bay as a "horror comedy." At $4 how could I say
no?


The parts that really impressed me were as follows. First, there was
the demon-esquire vampire makeup. I'm always a sucker (pun not intended.
I shouldn't have even drawn attention to it, really) for good character
designs, even if the film itself is mediocre (example: Return of the
Living Dead 3). The vampires here look really ghoulish. I also enjoyed
how it almost felt like a legitimate 80's teen flick due to the antics of
Gedde Watanabe (aka the little asian dude) of Sixteen Candles. There were a few laughs too, even if they're mostly that eye-rolling,
oh-my-God-so-80's type of way. Sometimes I felt guilty for laughing.
Last of all, it co-stars Deedee Pfeiffer. Ever since I saw her
in The Midnight Hour (at the age of six) I've had a huge crush on her.
She pretty much made the movie (for me).

Let's face it, this is no Lost Boys. But there is enough here for any
true horror fan to enjoy. Or if 80's nostalgia is your thing, there's
plenty of that too. Definitely worth a view.

FUNNY

GRACE JONES IS GOOD IN THIS MOVIE. SHE'S THE QUEEN BITCH! I LOVE THE WAY THEY PLAY WITH THE COOL SHARP COLORED LIGHTING. STUPIED FRAT BOYS ON A MISSION TO FIND A STRIPPER FOR THERE FATERNITY. THEY WIND UP IN A HOLE LOT OF MISADVENTURE AND VAMPIRE TROUBLE. WORTH HAVING IN YOUR COLLECTION. WHATEVER HAPPENED TO CHRIS MAKEPEACE,ROBERT RUSTLER AND DEDEE PFEIFFER! HMM???

Revenge of the 80's" The Teenage Sex/Horror flick!

Vamp (1986) was another one of those teenage sex/horror film that was widely popular during the eighties. This is one of the better ones. Not a great movie mind you but it's entertaining and it does the job. Vamp stars Chris Makepeace, Robert Rusler (whats an 80's movie without him?) Gedee Wantanabe, Dee Dee Phiffer , Billy Drago and Grace Jones. A group of late teens decide to go to the big city and look for some kicks. They find a seedy strip club, inside are a bunch of wigged out patrons, sleazy strippers and a Reinfried like bartender. Robert is fascinated with one of the strippers whilst Chris falls fro one of the waitresses. Grace Jones co-stars as the main attraction. Billy Drago makes a guest spot as a crazy vampire who likes to slum it up in a kiddie corner. It doesn't take Chris too long to find out that the club has a dark secret and he tries to find a way out without drawing the attention of the owners. Can Chris and his buddies make it to safety or will they become part of the staff?An entertaining film that was heavily borrowed in the nineties cult favorite From Dusk 'til Dawn. The similarities are too obvious. Q.T. must have had this movie in mind (along with about six others) when he wrote the script. I would have to recommend this movie for horror fans and lovers of eighties movies. Fun stuff with a lot of tongue in cheek humor!

Quite dull.

Not a very successful mix of horror and comedy. Too many dull and deadly stretches, too many endings, too much effort by Grace Jones to little effect. Furthermore, it's an ugly-looking movie, and the bland lead characters never come fully alive. Any good points? Well, SOME of the special effects are quite impressive, and there are perhaps two or three good lines.... (*1/2)

Vamp

To become members of a fraternity, AJ(Robert Rusler)concocts a scheme to get in by bringing a hooker to their party. He'll persuade his pal, Keith(Chris Makepeace)to use nerdy, rich Duncan's(Gedde Watanabe, scene stealing as always)car..and wallet.. to drive to the city to pick up a hooker(..or hookers, but preferably one will be sufficient). They immediately run into a no-good albino thug(Billy Drago)and his group and escape a scrape. But, their night takes a turn for the worse when they find a strip club, called "After Hours" whose boss, Katrina(Grace Jones)is an Egyptian vamp. The ones under her employ are vamps as well, and soon poor AJ will make the mistake of meeting Katrina in her living quarters back stage after her provocative, unusual number for the crowd of patrons. She'll tear into his neck leaving him for dead..until they find out that he was not alone and actually had two friends along, Keith and Duncan. Luckily, a non-vamp, Amaretto(Dedee Pfeiffer, who is a wonderful, welcome presence)who had a past kiss with Keith will assist him when he's running for his life and looking for AJ, who had been temporarily disposed. But, Keith doesn't just have the vamps to contend with, the Albino has rounded up his gang of co-horts so escape for the poor guy seems nearly impossible. That's not counting the number of vamps who live around the club and underneath in the abandoned sewer system below. Finding that his best friend is indeed a vampire, Keith and AJ have a very awkward moment where friendship will be called into question as the blood-thirst becomes unbearable. Keith will find that a route out of the clutches of those vamps around him seems almost impossible as even his friends are after his blood. It'll come down to Keith and Amaretto to somehow find a way out of the situation they find themselves as even Duncan is turned over to the dark-side, and even escaping in a car will be a daunting task as garbage men are "corrupted" by Katrina as well. Katrina has a man under her, Vic(Sandy Baron;always dreaming about Vegas)that watches after things in the club..always returning to Katrina when mistakes are made by her hired help or when things regarding their secret may be divulged.Silly, colorful, stylish 80's vampire comedy is quite lurid thanks to the setting around the strip club. The casting excels as Makepeace is quite a likable hero displaying his dismay, confusion, and horror at what is taken place around him. Sandy Baron has some of the best lines as he explains to Makepeace about there being no escape and that their business is a lucrative one for it eliminates the degenerate slime of the world by making them lunch. Watanabe carries a facade of sophistication trying to sound rich with his voice..he so desperately craves to belong to a popular group and Keith & AJ provide that glimmer of hope as he often shells out bucks for their beer amongst other things. Then you have Pfeiffer as the sweet, bubbly love-interest with an aura of natural charm. She really shines bright, radiating such an, at times, quite sleazy flick. And, she's sexy to boot which is a knock-out combination, a winning role she should be proud of. Rusler has some great moments as a conflicted vampire, trying to determine what's best when faced with possibly drinking his best friend's blood or falling on the stake. Except for a jaw-droppingly bizarre opening act, Grace Jones has limited time on screen. Her dance number stops the show, though..it's hard to forget. And, her feast of Rusler's neck is quite gruesome. She's equally exotic and menacing, never uttering a word, using her sheer presence to seduce and captivate the viewer. Good make-up effects, and a heavy dose of humor really make this a surprising gem ready for fans of 80's horror. It is a required taste, however, for it dwells in some rather scuzzy places. Great use of neon shading the buildings, streets, and sewers bring an atmosphere that reminds us of the time this flick was made. Billy Drago has like 5 or so minutes and compliments Grace in the menace department..although, his work is often used for laughs, even though his intensity is at a high as he confronts our heroes ready to inflict damage. The violence includes a stripper vampire stabbed in the heart by the heel of a stiletto shoe, a heart ripped from the chest of an employee by Jones who was displeased with her mistake at selecting a victim with friends, and a smashing finale where we see a vampire's face strip away at the sight of sunlight. And, Jones' transformation(..teeth protruding, eyes rolling back, toe nails extending)into a vampire is eerie, and her ripping away at the neck wound of a victim she's feeding from is perfectly savage. Really has that kind of off-the-wall, disastrous, exhausting "night in the life" premise where a character escapes one perilous situation after another, wondering, like the viewer, what could possibly happen next..maybe, that's what draws me to this movie.

Another 80s Class horror

Here's a classic horror thats still getting talked about today that has Chris Makepeace and Robert Rusler as two guys trying to get into a fraternity, all what they need top do is hire a stripper. When they cant find someone they see Duncan who will be their friend for a week if he gives them a car and takes him with him on their hunt to find a stripper, they one they want isn't what she appears to be.Deedee Pfieffer and Gedde Watanabe are brilliant in this film not to mention a half naked Grace Jones who plays Katrina, if you look at this film it has the same sort of dialogue as from dusk til dawn. strangers going to a seedy bar and get a shock.Just remember one night stands can be a KILLER

okay, so i like this movie!

this tongue in cheek movie about the undead operating a strip bar in a run down section of a city to lure drunks and other retrobates to their death is an original-if somewhat silly concept for a movie hence the 4 stars instead of 5).but despite this obvious flaw in the movie(i really think it was produced this way on purpose)it makes for a wonderfully funny(if not sometimes kind of gory) vampire movie. the lead vampire played by grace jones is always being hounded by her manager to move to las vegas but she is doing just fine where she is.
this movie is full of stripping vampires,whiteheaded street freaks and little girl vampires who like to chomp on big persons necks.
the humour is intentional,the acting is good and the the script is okay.this is another of many strange movies that i just can't help liking.this is another movie that i'm sure the critics didn't like-but the video buying public have embraced.i am so glad they put this out in dvd-we need to just keep pressuring the studios to keep putting out these older movies in dvd.
enjoy!

A Class seldom seen....

Can not think of one thing I do not like about this movie....Grace Jones overpowers you by sheer presence and by not saying one word!!! This movies starts up like a silly teeny scary movie; but the music; the atmosphere; the performers; and even the sorrority guys are utterly believable. This movie simmers along untill Katrina ( Grace Jones) is performing on stage; after that ...nothing is the same again. The one liners I still remember to this day...and they are countless.
A movie to buy...and watch over and over again. Amazing musical score...

Cut above the rest....

VAMP has much more going for it than most of the 1980's wave of slashy trashy horror films.

This film is imaginative and quirky. First of all it stars Billy Drago as an albino thug. Secondly, it stars Grace Jones who was probably born to play the mute but imposing vampiric dancer.

The film is surprsingly stylish with stylish green and pinkish hues adding to a strange landscape. This film reminds me of Martin Scorcese's AFTER HOURS. Like AFTER HOURS this has a surreal world just around the corner from normality where oddballs lie in wait and strange events lead into other strange events.

The film is not without its faults. The acting can be suspect, though not bad enough to spoil the film, and it can be quite cheesey at times. But, then again, I think this adds to its charm. Buy it!

Under Rated Cult Classic!!

I remember seeing this movie when i was about 10 years old i loved it and as soon as the digital versatile disc was formed it was the first film i looked to start off my collection.It came along around the same time as Fright Night which for me is another vampire cult classic of the 80's.I love the characters very funny Robert Rustler as one of the main stars was excellent as well as Billy Drago as Snow, i loved the settings with the made up town and the coloured street lamps very surreal.I think the reason why people have gave this film low ratings is because it's played for laughs which i believe isn't a bad thing it still has it's scary moments with Grace Jones as the head vampire and it wasn't afraid to throw it's fair amount of blood without going over the top.I would recommend this film to anyone and as the person in the previous post said everyone i have showed this film to really enjoyed it, it's in no way slow at all in fact i would say it's the opposite entertaining from start to finish.

A good, solid and enjoyable mix of comedy and horror.

Keith (Chris Makepeace) and his college roommate AJ (Robert Rusler) are sent on an fraternity initiation that involves hiring a stripper for a party. They convince the most unpopular kid in college Duncan (Gedde Watanabe) to lend them a car, Duncan's only condition is that they take him with them and pretend to be his friends. They head into Los Angeles to find a strip club. Looking through a local paper they decide on the After Dark Club. Once past the cockroach eating doorman Vic (Sandy Baron) Keith and Duncan grab ringside seats and watch the show while AJ tries to find a suitable stripper for the party. Katrina (Grace Jones) takes to the stage and performs a dance which leaves everyone in the club spellbound. AJ goes backstage to try and get her to perform at the party. Back in the club Keith is being hassled by an attractive waitress, Alison (Dedee Pfeiffer) who says she recognizes him, at one point Duncan comes out with a great line he says "you don't have any friends who want to remember me do you? Nah, I didn't think so." Later on in the night he also asks a different waitress "what time do you get off?" she replies "2.30" Duncan then says "can I watch!?" When AJ doesn't reappear from backstage Keith becomes suspicious and starts asking questions. As the night draws on Keith realizes this is no ordinary strip club and as his night continues to go from bad to worse will he live to see the morning and save his friends? Written and directed by Richard Wenk I liked this and thought it was good fun. The way Wenk films the night scenes is highly stylized, he uses a pink and green neon lighting effect. For instance there is a scene when Keith is walking in an abandoned sewer system, as he walks down a tunnel one side of it is bathed completely in pink and the other side in green, almost all of the exterior night shots are lit this way, it looks quite cool if a little unusual. The special make up effects by Greg Cannom are for the most part impressive, we get a ripped out heart, bitten necks, slit wrists, death by high heeled shoe, a melting face and decaying vampires. Surprisingly, considering it's set in a strip club there isn't a lot of nudity, hardly any in fact. The acting was fine even if Chris Makepeace makes for a slightly dull leading man on occasions, Dedee Pfeiffer makes for a very sexy heroine, and best of all Grace Jones didn't say a single word throughout the entire film which is just the way it should be. The script is a little slow to get going, it takes over half an hour for the horror elements to kick in, but when it does it's great fun. Although Duncan as the comedy relief didn't always work and became annoying on occasions, and why when their running around in Los Angeles is there no one else anywhere? Not one single person, or car. Overall I liked it, you could certainly do a lot worse. Recommended for some fun.

SNOW! The greatest 80's gang member ever!

The cheesy dialog, red and green lighting and quirky characters make this movie fun for all. Although the focus of the movie is on 2 university students trying to find a stripper, the true core of the movie lies in the character of Snow and the goth/french/Japanese head vampire Katrina. Snow and his gang, which is composed of albinos and black hookers, has a slough of side splitingly funny lines and an awesome soundtrack to back them up. You have to hear Snow's Flute theme to believe it! These characters provide hours of amusment even after the movie is done. The strangest Character in the movie is Katrina the Head Vamp stripper. Her strip act encorperates new age music, a gravity defying chair, and goth makeup. In her act she uses rather peculiur dance steps and at the climax has spasem on top of her bizzar chair, and then fianlly ends by giving oral sex to her chair. Once again you must witness it to believe it. Her performance is enhanced further by her metallic sexually armour that she wears. Other notable parts of the movie are the incredible spinning car scene, the killer elevator, the dominatrix stripper, the rich Chinese guy, the main characters uncanny archery skills and the fabulous green and red lighting. Whatever you do don't try to take this film seriously, the special effects and acting are horrible, but that adds to the fun of the movie. Besides the Snow character is worth it. Don't let the chance to see this comic masterpiece pass you by, you'll regret it!

Bite Me!

I tend to rate a vampire film on what I call "Bite Scenes" (like the money-shot), a vampire film should have at least one good scene where the vampire feeds on a victim (unlike some American films such as Cold Hearts, where the vampire drags the victim out of site, & turns up later with blood-smeared mouth). Vamp has a great 'bite scene'. Grace Jones plays a very powerul, agressive female vampire who completely dominates her prey. For this one scene alone, I've given the film 4 stars.

Unfortunately, the rest of the film is appalling. There's too much of this that doesn't make sense. Why do the vampires sleep amongst drums of petrol? Chris Makepeace uses these to set the vampires alight. Obviously a good idea would have been for the vampires to settle down for the night in a more secure place.

Billy Drago has a small part as an albaino nutcase, but he's sort of a side-story who is inserted in this film for no real reason.

Too much of this film doesn't make sense.

An extremely underrated comedy...

When I started using IMDb, one of the first movies I wanted to check out was this one. I knew in the back of my mind that its rating would be low, and that not too many people would have seen it. It seems that both of my assumptions were correct. In any case, this movie is a personal favorite of mine. It's one of those films that make you feel at home (as odd as that may sound), because it's a movie my dad introduced me to when I was young, and that we've continued to watch, quite often, in all subsequent years. If you watch it as if it's a horror movie, then you're going to hate it, as I did the first time I saw it (when I was 8 or 9-years-old, I think). But, if you watch it without any preconceptions, you'll walk away with a big, dumb grin stretched across your face. One of the most quotable movies I've seen, and one of the funniest (for its sheer quirkiness). My dad and I are constantly throwing lines of this movie into conversation, most notably "Kid, I used to own thiiis cluuub. You know who used to work here? Louis Prima, Buddy Greco, Phil Harris: class!" along with "Do they do that in Vegas? Whoa! That's classy, now that's classy!". Is it Oscar worthy? Not even a little bit. Is it a perfect film? 'Course not, but it does what it's supposed to do: entertain. And very well, at that. For that reason alone, I'd say it's a great film.8/10

"last stop"

along with Fright Night and The Lost Boys this is my favourite 80s horror movie. The Chinese guy steals the whole show, and Billy Drago as "Snow" is funny too. The neon lighting and 50s music, and sleazy girls and lame 80s music set it all up for a great ride.

Great horror movie!!

Vamp is a great movie! The comedy mixes with the horror to form an entertaining time! Grace Jones gives a great performance of Katrina! Very recommended. The rest of the cast is funny, and it's really worth it

Fantastic!

Ok the film is brilliant but the dvd is awesome! Theres loads of extras but the big bonus is the commentary - its the most entertaining commentary I have ever heard on a dvd. Having the director and actors on one commentary is so funny, they are such nice people and you can tell the fun they are having. best dvd commentary yet!

Fangtastic horror comedy.

Three college students (Chris Makepeace, Gedde Watanabe and Robert Rusler) from a town go to the big city to find strippers for a party, they go inside of a sleazy strip join called "The After Dark Club". There they meet the strange owners, the sexy strippers and the seductive main star named Katrina (Grace Jones)who aren't what they appear to be as they are actually blood-thristy vampires in disguise, can they survive one hell of a night?

An outrageous and sexy horror comedy that has gained a cult following ever since it's release and is one of the most underrated vampire movies ever. Though it's not as awesome as "Fright Night", "Lost Boys" or "Near Dark" i still think this is a charming and sometimes funny movie that co-stars sexy DeeDee Pfiefer (Michelle's sister) as the main hero's girlfriend and Bill Drago ("The Hills Have Eyes 2006") as an albino man, the make-up and gore effects are outstanding thanks to the wizardry of Greg Cannom (who did the make-up for Bram Stoker's Dracula) and the acting is fine. Grace Jones herself steals the show as the title character and is probably her best role since she played in "Conan The Destroyer".

This DVD has great picture and sound with widescreen format and cool extras like audio commentary, an amusing short film called "Dracula Bites the Big Apple" from writer-director Richard Wenk, Blooper Reel, Behind-The-Scenes Rehersal footage, theatrical trailers, TV spots and Poster-and-still gallery, a must see for vampire movie lovers.

Also recommended: "The Lost Boys", "Near Dark", "Once Bitten", "The Monster Squad", "Evil Dead 2", "From Dusk Till Dawn", "Bordello of Blood", "Fright Night 1 & 2", "Def By Temptation", "The Hunger", "Buffy The Vampire Slayer (Movie and TV Show)", "Underworld", "Vampire Hunter D", "Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust", "Dracula (1931)", "Demons", "Blade Trilogy", "Pumpkinhead", "Interview with the Vampire", "Queen of the Damned", "Lifeforce", "Lair of the White Worm", "Vampire's Kiss", "John Carpenter's Vampires", "Daughters of Darkness", "Vampyres", "Shaun of the Dead", "Scream", "Bram Stoker's Dracula", "Vampyros Lesbos", "Innocent Blood", "Rabid", "Van Helsing", "House of Dracula and other Hammer Dracula movies", "Not of this Earth", "The Return of the Living Dead", "Salem's Lot (1979 and 2004)", "Razor Blade Smile", "The Forsaken", "An American Werewolf in London", "The Howling", "Blood The Last Vampire", "Wolf", "Love at First Bite", "Dracula Dead and Loving it", "Ginger Snaps", "Re-Animator", "House (1986)", "Cronos", "Grindhouse" and "Idle Hands".