Scream Factory does it again with this great double bill that just hit Blu-ray, pairing two of the campiest vampire romantic comedies to hit in the 70s/80s together on one set. The strangest part of this package is how both films literally mirror each other so perfectly: one takes place on the east coast, the other on the west, one features a male vampire looking for love and the other features a female vampire also on the prowl. Both films also feature not only the same 3-bite-and-you’re-a-vampire rule for their prey, but also a badly choreographed dance number for good measure as well.
First up is Love at First Bite (1979) which stars 80s professional daytime guest star and master tanner George Hamilton as THE Count Dracula. After being evicted from his castle in Romania the Count moves to the big apple to hopefully catch the eye of a supermodel he believes could be his one true love. This film is a spin on the fish out of water formula as the Count tries to acclimate to the big city and the 70s while trying to win over the city girl — all while also trying to avoid being killed by her ex, who just happens to be descended from Van Helsing.
Unlike Once Bitten, Love at First Bite hasn’t aged well, and that’s surprising considering that of the two on this set, this film was a mega hit on its release, grossing $33 million against its $4 million budget. That said, while the film has its moments, the problems lie in the script that plays it safe with jokes that now are more miss than hit. I think the biggest surprise of the two is how sexist the film tends to be given it was made at the end of the disco era. The Count’s love interest is played as a ditzy blonde model that just wants to be swept from her life of glamour to be a housewife for Dracula, not very forward or progressive.
Next up is Once Bitten (1985), which borrows quite a bit from the previous film,and if you grew up in the 80s you no doubt caught Once Bitten at one time or another. The film was on heavy rotation on cable in the 80s and I remember catching this film on more than one occasion before having to head up to bed. The film places the well-worn archetypes from a boner comedy into a campy vampire movie, both which were definitely in their heyday at the time.
The film stars a very young Jim Carrey as Mark, your stereotypical 80s movie 30-something high school student who can’t seem to score with his long time girlfriend. Across town we have the Countess (Lauren Hutton), a 400-year-old vampire who needs to drink the blood of a virgin 3 times before Halloween to keep her beauty, but finding a virgin in LA in the 80s is apparently a tall order. In the first 10 minutes you can track this film’s trajectory, but it’s just so much fun getting there.
Once Bitten revels in its camp and is extremely forward thinking; I mean not only do you have a strong independent female protagonist in charge of her sexuality, but also her “assistant” is a rather flamboyant black man. The film feels like a fun brisk time capsule of the 80s with all the tropes, music, and hallmarks you would expect. The only thing that slightly felt off watching the film would have to be some of the physical comedic bits by Carrey which seem shoehorned in at times. Aside from that, Once Bitten is a lot of fun and definitely was my favorite of the set.
As far as presentation, while the transfers on both films look better than we have seen on either, extras on the set consist only of trailers and radio spots; but I can’t complain for the price. That said, if either of these films hold any nostalgic value I wouldn’t hesitate at picking them up. You wont find a funnier, campier, vampire double feature thanks to the good folks at Scream Factory. Definitely pick this one up!
