Vamp (Midnight Madness) [Blu-ray]

If you go into the movie epexting campy 80s horror with soms cool special effects, this movie delivers. If you go into it expecting a production equivalent to 1992's Bram Stoker's Dracula or Nosferatu (2024) you will be disappointed. Its a black comedy that ages like milk, and thats why I loved it. I could feel the 80s seeping from the film, and as that was what I was looking for; I had a great time.

Campy horror comedy vampire flick. Geddy Watanabe is mighty funny in his brief scenes

Vamp, a 1986 feature film, is one of the most underrated films of the 1980's. That decade gave us so much wonderful entertainment that it is hard to believe that many really good movies get lost within the mix that it is really hard to keep track of. While Vamp was not a big box office success and received mostly negative reviews, it happens to be a pretty decent flick and very watchable.Vamp is really not a horror film in the true sense. It is simply a movie that urban slang would call a horromedy, which means a comedy with a horror film theme.It all starts when two best friends since childhood, AJ and Keith (Robert Rusler and Chris Makepeace), are being initiated into the most popular fraternity on campus. The whole thing goes awry and when AJ makes a really hard to believe deal that he and his friend can provide anything in the entertainment department for their party, they request that they get a stripper for their party that night and then, they will be automatically in. After a few failed attempts, they decide that a professional stripper is needed and they ask an obnoxious Asian American student named Duncan(Gedde Wantanabe)for a car, providing that they take him along on their field trip despite their objections. While on the way there, they check an entertainment paper and see an ad for the After Dark Club and AJ feels that this is the place that they have been looking for. They first have a run-in with the area gang led by an Albino looking guy named Snow(Billy Drago), which ends with AJ and Keith getting the better of them and using it against them. They arrive at the club some time later, and despite that they feel that Duncan should stay in the car, Duncan winds up going in the club despite their objections and that is when the story really unfolds. Unbeknown to our three young men, the After Dark Club is a hideout for a coven of modern day vampires as every one who works in the club, with the exception of two young ladies, are all vampires led by a queen named Katrina(Grace Jones)and that they might be the next intended victims. AJ feels that after seeing Katrina perform that she is the right stripper for the frat party and decides to talk to her to make the preposition, but winds up getting bitten and after Keith accidently puts a cockroach in his mouth to eat, he decides that enough is enough and wants to go home fraternity or no fraternity as he really didn't care whether he and/or AJ made it into that group in the first place. But later, we see that Keith finds out the truth about the club and also seeing that AJ has now become one of them, he now knows that in order for him to survive, he has to get out of the club and the area immediately. During this time, a young waitress and would be hopeful dancer named Amaretto(Dedee Pfeiffer, who has always stated that Vamp is her all time favorite out of all the films that she has done)tries to get Keith to remember her, but Keith really has no clue as to who she is, until later on when she reveals herself to be an old school mate of his named Allison Hicks. With Amaretto and Duncan, they fight to escape the club after discovering the truth about everyone there. But after discovering that Duncan has also been bit, Keith crashes the car deliberately and it explodes only a few seconds later destroying him. For Keith and Amaretto, it now becomes a fight to survive the night and to stay mortal in the midst of the vampire population in that area. As usual, I won't give too much away as I don't want to spoil this for anyone who hasn't seen it as of yet.Director and co-writer Richard Wenk effectively blends the elements of horror and comedy to deliver a very fun and entertaining romp. The cast all play their respective roles in the film with class and charisma and also, Grace Jones, though she has no speaking lines in this film, steals the show as the vampire queen Katrina. Her character simply growls, snarls and laughs very wickedly and hysterically, but is very effective and does help to keep the film afloat. Sandy Baron also helps in his performance of Vic, a partner in the club ownership. Gedde Wantanabe, who also appeared in other 1980's films like Sixteen Candles and Gung Ho, is a hoot as the over sexed, obnoxious and narcissistic Asian American guy named Duncan. That and the wonderful soundtrack, make this film an entertaining and fun romp that takes the horror element to the limits and also, you will have a few laughs along the way.The reception for Vamp wasn't very favorable back in 1986 when the film was released. It didn't really play much in many areas. I don't even remember this film even playing at a theater in my hometown. I still remember the TV spots that did get shown on TV a lot, but still, I don't remember this film ever coming to my hometown as I never really saw it in the local newspapers playing at one of the local theaters. The vast majority of critics didn't like this or maybe, they really didn't understand it at first when it was initially released. So, as a result of that, I didn't get a chance to see it in any movie theater in my hometown as again, I have no recollection of it playing in my hometown.But on one birthday of mine back in the mid 1990's, a friend of mine bought this for me on VHS as a present and since I had only limited knowledge of the film, I decided to pop this in that very night. This particular VHS tape was the initial re-issue of the movie on VHS by the Starmaker company, that was later bought out by Anchor Bay Entertainment, who also later re-issued this movie on VHS again in 1997 with a theatrical trailer before the film started and also, a small featurette where a few members of the cast and the crew talk about the film and their experiences making it. I popped this movie in my VCR and I actually enjoyed the film immensely. I thought that it was a wonderful and entertaining romp and I actually watched it several times after that. I still enjoy this film and it is one of my favorite movies. The film is a hoot and a holler and worth watching. The film is very watchable and laughable. It is worth renting or even owning if you enjoy movies of this type. It is a fun and entertaining romp.Yes, the film was not a big success, critically or commercially, but it has since become a cult classic and also, a favorite among everyone who admires the actors who starred in this, especially the legions of Grace Jones fans out there in the world. Though she doesn't have any spoken lines of dialogue in this, she still steals the show as the wicked, but you can't help but love, queen Katrina. She alone is the main reason why this film is worth watching and owning. Grace Jones is a multi-talented performer who sings, writes songs and acts. She is still loved by her legions of fans across the world. I happen to be a fan of hers in my own right as I have several of her albums in my ever growing vinyl collection. The movie, as a whole, is considered a "guilty pleasure" amongst it's cult of admirers who love the movie and still do.This debut DVD release of Vamp by Anchor Bay Entertainment has the film remastered digitally from the original negatives for superb quality. The film is very colorful and the audio sounds terrific. The soundtrack also sounds wonderful.PROS: There are some wonderful special features. This DVD has several TV spots. The theatrical trailer that was used on the 1997 VHS re-issue. It also has a short film called Dracula Bites The Big Apple, that was also directed by Richard Wenk in 1978, eight years before the making of Vamp. We are also treated with a poster and still gallery. Also, the aforementioned colors and terrific sounding audio and also, the soundtrack sounds wonderful. The commentary track is also very entertaining, as the director and a few of the film's stars talk about the film and their experiences making the film.CONS: While the aforementioned special features make this DVD a treasure, it doesn't reissue the short featurette that was issued on the 1997 VHS re-issue by Anchor Bay Entertainment. If that were included with all of those above aforementioned special features, it would have made this THE definitive DVD issue. Since this has gone out of print, it has been re-issued on DVD by other company's and it is also available on Blu-Ray.Overall, Vamp is one of the most underrated films of the 1980's and is a very satisfying film in many ways. It is a very fun and entertaining romp that can be watched more than once and enjoyed again and again. It is well worth renting and even owning, especially if you admire any of the films stars and even Grace Jones fans will be satisfied. It is fun if you love horror movies or comedy movies or both. If you haven't gotten this film yet, by all means get it. No horror or comedy fan, or even Grace Jones fan, should be without it.

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".

It was great