Vamp (1986)

Director:

Richard Wenk

Writers:

Donald P. Borchers (story) &
Richard Wenk (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

18 July 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Horror

Tagline:

A Frightening Comedy

Plot:

Two fraternity pledges go to a sleazy bar looking for strippers to entertain their college friends. They have problems with transportation...

Plot Keywords:

Stabbed In The Back | Nudity | Teeth | Burned Alive | University

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Chris Makepeace	...	Keith
Sandy Baron	...	Vic
Robert Rusler	...	AJ
Dedee Pfeiffer	...	Amaretto
Gedde Watanabe	...	Duncan
Grace Jones	...	Katrina
Billy Drago	...	Snow
Brad Logan	...	Vlad
Jim Boyle	...	Fraternity Leader
Larry Spinak	...	Student
Eric Welch	...	Student
Stuart Rogers	...	Student
Gary Swailes	...	Sock Salesman
Ray Ballard	...	Coffee Shop Proprietor
Paunita Nichols	...	Maven
Trudel Williams	...	Dragon Girl
Marion McGann	...	Hard Hat
Thomas Bellin	...	Shorty
Bryan McGuire	...	Pool Player
Leila Lee Olsen	...	Seko
Hillary Carlip	...	Jess
Francie Swift	...	Dominique
Tricia Brown	...	Candi
Naomi Shohan	...	Bartendress
Janeen Davis	...	Bartendress
Tanya Papanicolas	...	Waitress
Robin Kaufman	...	Little Girl
Hy Pyke	...	Desk Clerk
Bob Schott	...	Gang Leader
Adam Barth	...	Dragon
Bill Morphew	...	Dragon
Simmy Bow	...	Bum
Roger Hampton	...	Police
Andy Rivas	...	Police
Julius LeFlore	...	Garbage Truck Driver
Greg Lewis	...	Bus Driver
Dar Robinson	...	Security Guard
Deborah Fallender	...	Additional Voice (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Lisa Lyon	...	Cimmaron
Bryan Michael McGuire	...	Pool player

Directed by
Richard Wenk

Writing credits
Donald P. Borchers		(story) &
Richard Wenk		(story)
Donald P. Borchers		(screenplay) &
Richard Wenk		(screenplay)

Produced by
Donald P. Borchers	....	producer

Original Music by
Jonathan Elias

Cinematography by
Elliot Davis
Douglas F. O'Neons

Film Editing by
Marc Grossman

Art Direction by
Alan Roderick-Jones

Costume Design by
Betty Pecha Madden

Makeup Department
Everett Burrell	....	special makeup effects artist
Frankie Campbell	....	key hair stylist
Greg Cannom	....	special makeup
Peter Tothpal	....	key hair stylist
Pamela S. Westmore	....	key makeup artist
Klexius Kolby	....	assistant makeup artist (uncredited)
Kelly Mann	....	effects technician (uncredited)
Lisa Rocco	....	makeup effects lab technician (uncredited)

Production Management
Mario Davis	....	production manager

Art Department
Bradley C. Golden	....	miscellaneous crew
Eugene McCarthy	....	property master
Pete von Sholly	....	storyboard artist

Sound Department
Gregg Barbanell	....	foley artist
Gregg Barbanell	....	supervising sound editor
Gary C. Bourgeois	....	sound re-recording mixer
David R. Finkelstein	....	apprentice sound editor
Patrushkha Mierzwa	....	boom operator
Jerry Trent	....	foley artist
Mark Ulano	....	production sound mixer

Special Effects by
Tom Chesney	....	special effects technician
Clive R. Kay	....	special effects contact lenses

Stunts
L.L. Brittany	....	stunts
Jeannie Epper	....	stunts
Kimberly Epper	....	stunts
George Fisher	....	stunts
Sandy J. Leavenworth	....	stunts (as Sandi Leavenworth)
Lane Leavitt	....	stunts
'Wild' Bill Mock	....	stunts (as Bill Mock)
Spiro Razatos	....	stunts
Dar Robinson	....	stunt coordinator
Debby Lynn Ross	....	stunts
Leland Sun	....	stunts
Jesse Wayne	....	stunt coordinator (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Marsha Blackburn	....	still photographer
Shunil Borpujari	....	key grip
Colin E. Fritz	....	electrician
Elwin 'Bub' Greer	....	best boy
Bob Myers	....	grip
Jorgen Wedseltoft	....	first assistant camera

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Lydia Shiferaw	....	costumer

Editorial Department
James Gavin Bedford	....	assistant editor
Valerie Davidson	....	assistant editor

Other crew
Alicia Alexander	....	location manager
Dennis Tufano	....	adr loop group
Ray Zimmerman	....	production accountant

Production Companies

• Balcor Film Investors

Distributors

• Altomedia. Co. Ltd. (Korea) (DVD)
• Altomedia. Co. Ltd. (Korea) (VHS)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (USA) (DVD)
• Astro Distribution (1998) (Germany) (VHS)
• Image Entertainment (laserdisc)
• Metropolitan Filmexport (1987) (France) (theatrical)
• New World Home Video (USA) (VHS)
• New World Pictures
• Paramount Home Video (video)
• Roadshow Home Video
• Succéfilm AB (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Top Tape (Brazil) (VHS)

Special Effects

• Makeup Effects Laboratories

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Australia:R (DVD rating) | Australia:M | France:-12 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:18 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:R (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Balcor Film Investors

Movie Connections:

Featured in Stephen King's World of Horror (1986) (TV)

They play, they bite.

To get into a highly regarded fraternity, Keith and AJ agree to come up with the goods. That is finding a stripper to perform at a party. They need wheels and they turn to the dweeb Duncan for a favour. The three head off, and they come across a rather sordidly dark neighbourhood, which the After Dark club catches their attention. After this the night turns into a very surreal nightmare, as the place happens to be run by vampires. The trouble begins when AJ gets a personal encounter with the fetching dancer Katrina to hopefully perform at their party.

What starts off like your ordinary teen comedy, turns into a spontaneously imaginative and tantalizing vampire feature. The horror/comedy element more often comes off, despite some awkward moments and bad timing. The wry humour is blackly broad and weird, while the ominous thrills are jarringly explicit. Director / writer Richard Wenk gives the oddball concept unpredictable twists with a wide range of sub-plots that work in a lot of tact on climaxes, and the highly witty and clever script is a saucy treat with its banter. The script had a rapid touch about it, but the pacing of the story and direction can get scratchy. Wenk stylishly floods the seedy locations with neon pink and green lighting for ample effect, and Elliot Davis' singular angle photography gaudily displays a sinisterly lingering and nocturnal atmosphere. The make-up FX by Greg Cannom is pretty top-rate with many wicked and grisly images. The direction can feel loose, but it's visually enticing and at times suspenseful. It does look cheap, but this only enhances the mischievously neurotic air and helping out that tenor is Jonathan Elias' spiralling, steamy music score. The cast are on a real high. Chris Makepeace and Robert Rusler are ably good as the two central characters. Gedde Watanabe admirably pulls the strings in his obnoxiously weedy comic part. Grace Jones gets top billing, despite saying nothing and having little screen time. However she's naturally imposing and her dominance comes from her luridly effective physical actions and appearance. Especially those eyes! A bubbly and sincere Dedee Pfeiffer steals the film for me, and you got a memorably eerie Billy Drago as an albino thug of a street gang. Sandy Baron was also good fun. The comparisons with "After Hours (1985)" are justified, as both follow a path of triggered events during one bad night in an unrecognisable part of town for the unlucky foe/s. Also I wouldn't be surprised if "From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)" was influenced by 'Vamp'.

A neat, showy and off-kilter little horror/comedy romp of the 80's.