Vamp (1986)
Directed By: Richard Wenk (Wishcraft)
Where to get it: IMAGE
The Prologue
When I first watched Vamp, I wasn’t that impressed. It had it’s perks, but it was a little too cute in some areas for my own personal taste. But since it got the blu-ray treatment from IMAGE and their Midnight Madness series, I figured it was worth another day in court, if for nothing else, just to see how the transfer looks. Now after having seen it, I think anyone who is a fan of Vamp, will be a big fan of this release. So if you love the film, take comfort in knowing you will be happy with this release. But if you still care, let me now pick my bone with this film.
The Movie
So two guys are trying their best to get into a college fraternity. One things leads to another and the next thing you know they grab a rich nerd and head off on the hunt for a stripper for a party. However, it turns out all they end up finding is trouble with albinos and um..oh yea..VAMPIRES!! I don’t know about you but the albinos scare me a lot more. I mean come on, have you seen an albino in person? I hear they have no soul, but that neither here nor there with this film.
So what’s with the love for this one, kids?? I mean it may be a bit of a trip down memory lane for some of you with it’s 1986 date, but come on! I think one thing it does soo wrong right off the bat is you get the idea Robert Rusler, in the role of AJ, is going to be the lead, but he isn’t. He’s a much better actor and stronger character than the man who plays our lead, and who is a bit of a wussy. None the less, that was strike one for me. Strike two comes with our gang of albinos who run around in this vampire filled area. It makes no logical sense to me at all, but far be it for me to look for logic in an 80′s horror movie (and I say this as a BIG fan of 80s horror). Also, the town has vampires and it has albinos, but you mean to tell me the cute blonde and the guy at the diner are the only normal folks in the whole damn town as well??
Strike three is our little Asian man with the money, who these two take along with them on their trip. He’s suppose to be our comic relief but there’s a problem, he isn’t funny. It seems to be a common problem with this film, the characters don’t properly fill their roles. The lead is a waste of time, the lead girl is cute but dumb, and the comic isn’t funny. Oh and our lead Vampire, who is suppose to be just soo damn hot (played by Grace Jones) isn’t at all hot either…But that’s just my own personal taste and really is not important with my review of this movie overall.
But corny ending aside, if I’m to pick just something I like about this one, I’d say it has a nice look to it (a look that is made to look better with the HD transfer). I mean there’s nothing else to really say. I think the film would have been a lot better had they went and snatched up a vampire stripper by mistake and brought them back to the big college party and let her go on a rampage. Sadly that’s not at all what we get, and we do get isn’t that great to me. But maybe if they ever do a remake they can snatch my idea here and run with it? I’m joking, please don’t flood me with too many hateful emails.
The Conclusion
Yeah, this movie doesn’t pack enough to get my motor running, but I can see why some of you love it. And I do know that a ton of you (or more than a ton if we are to be serious) out there do love this film and that’s why it’s getting a blu-ray release today. And this transfer is perfectly acceptable. Even if I’m not a big fan of the movie it’s self, I do like the way the film looks. It’s got nice textures and the lightening does come across very cool in this type of setting. So, while I don’t care for the film, I do like the look of this disc. Which means you Vamp fans should be more than pleased.
The Rating (5/10)
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