‘She’ll love you to death.’
Vamp is a 1986 American comedy horror film directed by Richard Wenk (Dracula Bites the Big Apple; Wishcraft), from a screenplay co-written with Donald P. Borchers (producer of Children of the Corn; Leprechaun 2; Voodoo). The movie stars Chris Makepeace, Sandy Baron, Robert Rusler and Grace Jones.
Two college students, Keith and AJ want to hire a stripper to buy their way into a campus fraternity. They borrow a Cadillac from lonely rich Oriental student Duncan, who insists on coming with them to scope out strip clubs in a nearby city.
The three boys find themselves at a club in a shady party of town and, after being impressed by an surreally artistic stripper Queen Katrina, AJ visits her dressing room to convince her to come strip for their college party. Katrina seduces AJ, then pins him down, killing him with a bite to the neck…
Reviews:
Vamp is a vapid American Werewolf-influenced frat boy-themed time-waster that did well on VHS in the mid-1980s and has built a minor cult appeal since. Grace Jones was – and still is – featured extensively in the film’s promo imagery but her role in the movie itself is minimal. That said, she’s genuinely creepy.
Overt green/blue/red lighting was stylish when Dario Argento defined it well in Inferno (1980) and many movies copied the look but six years later it was passé and now makes Vamp seem very dated.
Making a combination of vampires and strippers on-screen dull would seem to be impossible but, alas, Wenk and his cohorts manage this and most viewers will probably become distracted midway through; this one certainly did.
Adrian J Smith, MOVIES & MANIA
On 3 October 2017, Vamp is issued in the UK on a single disc Blu-ray by Arrow Video with new extras:
High Definition digital transfer, with original mono audio and optional English subtitles.
One of those Nights: The Making of Vamp – new documentary featuring interviews with director Richard Wenk, and stars Robert Rusler, Dedee Pfeiffer and Gedde Watanabe.
Behind-the-scenes rehearsals with Grace Jones and Robert Rusler.
Blooper Reel
Image gallery
Dracula Bites the Big Apple (1979) – Richard Wenk’s disco-themed short film
New artwork by the Twins of Evil
Booklet featuring new writing on the film by critic Cullen Gallagher
Buy: Amazon.co.uk
Other reviews:
“There are some funny lines, and the relationship between the human kid and his best pal the vampire is handled with a lot of original twists. But the movie finally descends, as so many films do these days, to one of those assembly-line endings made up of fights and chases.” Roger Ebert
” … a fun vampire movie with that undeniable 80’s movie feel. It plays with that delicate balance between comedy and horror. Not every movie is successful in this merging of genres … The comedy in Vamp falls a little on the silly side; it has the kind of humor you’d find in films like Revenge of the Nerds (1984) or Porky’s (1982).” The Film Connoisseur
“Director Richard Wenk slathers the film in 80’s purple and green lighting through almost the entire run time. I would say this looks like crap if I saw it in a modern movie but this is an 80’s movie and for whatever reason it seems to work. Wenk seems to know how to set up some interesting ideas and visuals and they do mostly work for the film.” Rogue’s Hollow
“Whether that’s due to a sluggish middle act, the American horror movie tradition of having incredibly boring strip routines, some bits of stilted dialogue, or just a general lack of urgency about the whole thing it’s hard to tell. I’ve seen Vamp a couple of times now and have always wanted to like it, but after a very promising start it seems to lose its way.” House of Mortal Cinema
” …an oddball fusion of gore, black comedy and sexy vampire hotness, featuring day-glo noir visuals from three-time Oscar winner Greg Cannom (Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Mrs Doubtfire, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), OTT costuming under the direction of Grace Jones (who is genuinely terrifying), and a career-best turn from Deedee Pfeiffer.” Kultguy’s Keep
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