Vamp (Blu-ray)
Anthony Arrigo
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Starring Chris Makepeace, Robert Rusler, Grace Jones, Gedde Watanabe
Directed by Richard Wenk
Distributed by Arrow Video
Watching Vamp (1986), it’s hard to imagine it didn’t make some impression on Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino when it came time to script From Dusk Till Dawn (1996). Plot specifics aren’t quite so parallel, but the meat of both stories is “people go to a strip club and discover all of the employees are vampires who feast on their patrons”. I’m not suggesting RR & QT ripped their idea wholecloth from Vamp or anything, but to suggest it played a part in influencing the overall story doesn’t seem like too great a stretch. Vamp even has its own Satanico Pandemonium in the form of someone crazier than a fanged-out Salma Hayek: Grace Jones (side note: where the hell has she been for the past decade?). Instead of a couple crazy, tough guy brothers, though, we get an odd yet complementary comedic duo comprised of Robert Rusler and Chris Makepeace. The plot is thin and at times a bit aimless, but the word of the day here is “fun” and Vamp is nothing if not that.
Keith (Chris Makepeace) and AJ (Robert Rusler) are a couple of college kids looking to join a fraternity. As pledges, they’re nearly invisible and viewed as worthless, but when the brothers of their chosen house are looking to party the two best buds get a bright idea: strippers. They’ll be kings of the castle if they can show up to a frat party with some hot ass in tow, so they quickly strike a deal to essentially “buy” their way into the group despite having no connections whatsoever to any strippers. Keith and AJ enlist the aid of Duncan (Gedde Watanabe), a rich kid loner who happens to own a car, and the three head off into downtown in search of a seedy strip club.
They find one alright, run by a couple of sweaty Italians and highlighted by Queen Katrina (Grace Jones), who puts on a strip show that is more performance art than voluptuous visuals. Everyone in the club is drawn to her bizarre, primal dancing. The boys think she’s perfect. While Keith chills on the showroom floor, AJ decides to pay Katrina a visit in her dressing room, intent on recruitment. His plans go awry when she seduces him, biting into his neck and draining him dry. Keith, meanwhile, makes a new friend in Amaretto (Dedee Pfeiffer), one of those “stripper with a heart of gold” types. She and Keith finally track down AJ and find him – dead. The cops are called, and they actually show up, but by this time AJ has flipped to the fang side and he appears totally fine. A bit paler but same as ever. Unlike the rest of the bloodsuckers keeping Keith trapped, AJ sticks by his buddy, but with an army of the undead both inside and outside the club Keith and Amaretto don’t have many avenues for escape.
This film didn’t gain much traction in theaters, and at best it has attained a minor cult following since that release, but it fits in surprisingly well with most of the early ‘80s more popular pictures – specifically the output of John Hughes. The humor is just a couple notches below Hughes’ comedies, and the casting feels similar, too. It doesn’t hurt that Rusler co-starred in Weird Science (1985), one of Hughes’ most popular titles; or that Gedde Watanabe will be inexorably linked to Sixteen Candles (1984) in perpetuity. Rusler handles the in-your-face/sarcastic humor, while Chris Makepeace – he of My Bodyguard (1980) and Meatballs (1979) fame – is the amiable straight man. The interplay between the two is genuine and you get a nice sense of their camaraderie.
Grace Jones is a weird woman. She was Lady Gaga before there was Lady Gaga, well known for sporting outlandish outfits and oozing all sorts of intense, intimidating sexuality. Her strip tease in Vamp is pure Jones, her unique sense of eroticism and fashion on full display. She doesn’t say a single word for the entire run time which, given her penchant for visual assault above all else, seems fitting.
Vamp is a breezy ‘80s urban adventure that is easy to watch even if it isn’t entirely memorable. Vampire comedies have been done plenty, with this one falling somewhere in the middle. Rusler and Makepeace are an unlikely leading duo, but thanks to some screen charisma and chemistry they’re able to hold interest just as well as anyone else in those roles. There is a good amount of wheel spinning script-wise once the second act starts in, and I wouldn’t exactly say the picture finishes strong since the climax can be seen coming from space, but, again, in the pantheon of vampiric comedies this is a welcome entry that fans of neon-drenched ‘80s-era horror should dig.
The visuals look very good thanks to the film’s 1.85:1 1080p transfer. Arrow isn’t touting any new scan or restoration, so this is likely the existing HD master used on their previous edition, with some minor tweaking in the color department. Grain is largely consistent but there are some moments when it comes through thick. Colors are a bit drab, looking (fittingly?) drained at times, though the neon lights of downtown’s shadier spots do seem to pop nicely. Daylight scenes shine the brightest, with the best examples of fine detail and definition to be seen. The print used here is in excellent condition, with no signs of damage or dirt.
There isn’t much to crow about as far as the audio is concerned. An English LPCM 1.0 mono track carries all of the requisite noise – dialogue, sound effects, score, source music – none of which comes with any sort of deficiency. Dialogue is loud and clear, the effects have a good sense of weight to them, and music tracks register with strength. Subtitles are available in English SDH.
The new U.S. edition of Vamp includes a few new bonus features, though it also drops a handful of extras that were found on Arrow’s U.K. release, meaning you’ll have to hang on to your older copies if you want it all.
“One of Those Nights” is a lengthy making-of retrospective, featuring interviews with all of the main principals save for Jones, who is strangely absent. I mean, it’s not that unusual she’d opt out of something like this but it would’ve been nice to hear her thoughts after all this time.
A short reel of rehearsal footage is included, shot on camcorder.
“Dracula Bites the Big Apple” is a 1979 short film directed by Richard Wenk.
A blooper reel, TV spots, two trailers, and an image gallery are also included. First pressings include a booklet, featuring essays on the film and still photos.
Special Features:
- High Definition digital transfer
- Original mono audio
- Subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- One of those Nights: The Making of Vamp – a brand new documentary featuring interviews with director Richard Wenk, stars Robert Rusler, Dedee Pfeiffer, Gedde Watanabe
- Behind-the-scenes rehearsals
- Blooper Reel
- Image gallery
- Dracula Bites the Big Apple (1979) – Richard Wenk’s celebrated short film
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by the Twins of Evil
- First pressing only: Booklet featuring new writing on the film by critic Cullen Gallagher
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Vamp
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Special Features
Categorized:Reviews
