Vamp (1986) Horror Movie Review

by Carly Marie

Vamp is a colorful period piece for those into 80s camp, larger than life characters, strippers bearing breast and the incorrigible Grace Jones.

Release: 1986
Directed by: Richard Wenk
Written by: Richard Wenk and Donald P. Borchers

Starring:
Chris Makepeace as Keith
Sandy Baron as Vic
Robert Rusler as AJ
Dedee Pfeiffer as Amaretto
Gedde Watanabe as Duncan
Grace Jones as Katrina

When I was very young, unlike all the purrty little girls I sat next to in Sunday school, my afternoons were spent with mom and dad watching genre classics like Vamp, directed by Richard Wenk. This1986 fright night feature, heavy enough in strip-o-rama and slime-ball fun to make even the most jaded movie-viewer happy - or horny if Grace Jones is your drag queen dream - was almost lost to me. I forgot about Vamp until I came across a box of VHS tapes smelling of cat piss and arsenic in the garage and found it under a copy of The Best of Times. I spotted the shiny cover art and the telltale pair of Angelina Jolie-like lips parted just so, looking more like daddy’s forgotten porn then a horror movie. I could not resist reliving the fond memories of my mom shielding my eyes and my dad yelling at me to “Plug my ears” when Candy the stripper made her entrance onto the screen, titties blazing.

One thing I knew for sure: Vamp was either going to surpass my expectations or fall devastatingly short, proving itself a film best left to the flattering light of my pre-pubescent memory.

Thankfully, Vamp got it on with as much quirk and oddity as I remembered. All-American college boys and BFF’s, AJ and Keith, (played by Robert Rusler and Chris Makepeace, the latter of which being an underrated everyman, contrasting the confident, balls-out AJ) are willing to go through “Pledge Week Hell” if it means they can move out of their dorm and into the private Tri-Getta-Laida (Or is it Phi-Delta-Burke?) house. They decide that a booze filled partaay, complete with strippers, would be a surefire way to win over the frat boys and bag themselves a sweet, new pad.

Along with Duncan, a rich kid who’s give his left kidney to make a friend (played by great character actor Gedde Watanabe of Sixteen Candles fame), AJ and Keith set off downtown to go slumming in the hopes of finding the stripper to top all strippers.

**Side Note**

I love the use of color in Vamp as night falls and we’re ushered into the vampire world, the instant shift to mesmerizing blue, pink, green and red is gorgeous enough to make me believe it would have translated easily to 1950’s style EC horror comic books while also drinking from the same vein as Romero’s 1982 send-up Creepshow. It left me wondering why directors shy away from that Technicolor intensity nowadays, often opting for grey, muted and monotone. Imagine how much less you would have hated M. Night Shamylan after Lady in The Water if you were too distracted by an intense attention to color, ala Suspiria?

The trio’s first, and last stop out on the town is a strip club run by wannabe Vegas headliner Vic, whose over the top persona is provided by actor -slash -comedian Sandy Baron. Sandy proves his acting chops while played against the often green acting skills of the younger cast, making us thankful for his Rat Pack demeanor and quick one-liners. The boys catch many a strip tease-some good ‘ole bondage and fetish stuff here- at Vic’s, including an act performed by Katrina, aka Grace Jones, dragged up in feline tribal body makeup while acting out oral sex with the aid of an art nouveau furniture prop (Yes, it really is every bit as awesome as it sounds). AJ knows she’s the only stripper for the job, but Katrina has other plans for the boys…

And in the end…
Vamp survives as a horror melting-pot for quirky 80’s characters and tongue-in-cheek comedy, a trip best taken with a grain of salt-preferably around the rim of a shot glass.

Genre pro Billy Drago’s role as badass (or at least badass looking) vampire Snow involves a 3 Stooges –like confrontation with AJ early on. I hate to see such a cool dude not being given a better part here as he and his gang of trouble-makers come off as merely unnecessary, but still fun, additions to the backdrop. Michelle Pfeiffer’s sister, Dedee Pfeiffer, makes an appearance as spunky cocktail waitress Amaretto. Dedee’s Cameron Diaz looks and performance as the flirtatious, forgotten love interest of Keith ranges from cute to just-barely-tolerable to kinda -want -to -strangle -you -but -you’re -still -hot.

Keith’s transformation from AJ tag-along to revenge seeking survivor is as quick and satisfying as the final throw-down between Katrina and Keith – which involves a cheeky appearance from AJ and a skeleton Flipping the Bird.

All in all, Vamp made me glad that I finally got to see what mummy had tried to shield my young, innocent eyes from all those years ago. I’d recommend Vamp as a great popcorn flick, good for anyone that can appreciate a brief glimpse of boobs in bondage, Gedde Watanabe in a tux saying “Guyyyzzzzz,” the sweet (but totally heterosexual) brotherly chemistry between male leads Rusler and Makepeace, and the incorrigible Grace Jones in her first role, as herself.

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