Vamp (1986)

Vamp - the Trailer!

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

(Didn't Like It) 

Netflix Synopsis: Fraternity pledges seeking a good strip joint check out the After Dark Club, unaware that the bar's luscious dancers are bloodthirsty vampires. 

The Peeps:  Richard Wenk (writer, director); Chris Makepeace, Robert Rusler, Grace Jones

Quick Run Down: Confusing, Awkward, Strangely Paced 

Worth the Watch: No

Keith and AJ are college buds wanting to get into a fraternity, but, in order to do so, they have to round up a stripper for a party the frat's throwing that evening.  So, they call around, strike no oil, and decide to venture into the city, where they plan to visit a strip club and acquire services in person.  To accomplish this, though, they need a car, so they have to borrow one from a wealthy reject student that will only lend them wheels if they take him along with them.  The two guys begrudgingly agree, and all three head for town and ultimately, the After Dark Club.  But things aren't as they appear at the ADC - the shady, seedy strip joint and its seemingly harmless employees bite harder than the kids realize!

'5 W's and How' 

Vamp is not a good movie.  It has a few good parts but not near enough to make the whole worth much for watching. What IS good - an elevator scene; two death scenes; a constant array of half naked chicks; random funny moments - gets caught up in the confusing plot movements, poorly executed sequences, and strange to the point of uncomfortable pacing that litters the film.  For example, our three college guys get into the city, and they are all looking around at the shops and malls and people and cars.  Then, the driver - AJ (Robert Rusler) - runs a red light and has to swerve to avoid hitting a car.  The camera spins around and around within the cab of the car, and the guys inside shout and scream, etc.  Then, when the car finally stops, the camera shows us a long shot of the car sitting still in the middle of the road, and the whole city has changed. The thriving shops are gone, places are boarded it up, newspapers flap by in the wind, and there's no one in sight.  Oh, and it's suddenly dark too.  Keith (Chris Makepeace... not war) says some throw away line, there's an awkward pause, and then the kids drive off. And that's that.  Er... what the hell just happened?  Did the car spin into an alternate universe?  Did the kids jump in time to some sort of post-apocalyptic city?  Are they high, and this is their imagination?  Did I miss something?  These kinds of things happen all throughout the movie.  Granted, none are as bad as the example given, but most still leave you asking the '5 W's and How' - what, when, why, where, who, and how.  Still, I want to say that the movie might have been enjoyable if the plot added up, but I don't think I can go that far.  The main actors do a decent job, but the background guys are just terrible.  Random faces in a titty bar looking uninspired and pointless.  Grace Jones (I only know her from Conan The Destroyer and Boomerang, but, after looking her up, I see she's done a ton of stuff, namely music) doesn't say a word, but she manages to have a little bit of an effect through make-up and just looking like her strange, angular self. Her costumes are pretty ridiculous though.  In fact, most of the production design and the like are boring.  You've got a run down city, a dark smoky uninteresting bar, and a lot of alley ways; that's about it.  The DP tried to give this drab scenery some life by lathering everything in green and pink, but it still isn't much to look it, though it does manage to create some creepiness and increase the tension some.  Speaking of tension, there's mostly none.  Three scenes come to mind where I felt myself getting into what was happening, but that's it.  The rest is just feels so lazily put together that nothing comes through but motions and words.  It sucks, too, because I really wanted to get into this.  I root for 80's horror flicks because they are good-bad and usually the underdog in winning people's attention, but this one just couldn't pull me over to its side.

Something I noticed in the flick is that it is pretty similar to From Dusk Til Dawn. The premises are very very closely related - vampire-ridden nudie bar with patrons as dinner/snacks/treats - and the make-up kind of looks the same.  The latter might be a stretch at times, but the plot connections aren't a stretch at all.  In fact, there are elements that match up kinda uncannily.  None of this matters, though, for two reasons: 1) the films wind up doing entirely different things; and 2) From Dusk Til Dawn is TOO much better than Vamp for it to make any difference.  The comparisons are still interesting to note.

Vamp

From Dusk Til Dawn

So, I'd say skip it, but if you wanna watch an awkward and strangely paced movie that raises more questions than intrigue or hairs, check out Vamp.  It's got some good scenes, but they are few and far between.  Whatever you decide, you know where to avoid it or find it - Netflix!  

"Hey, baby - what time do you get off?"

"2.30."

"Can I watch?"