VAMPIRES SUCK! | Offscreen
No supernatural creature has been portrayed as frequently in cinema history as the vampire. Bram Stoker's Dracula, everyone's favourite bloodsucker, has alone racked up nearly 200 different movie appearances. Even today, the vampire continues to fascinate, guaranteeing the box office success of franchises such as “Twilight” and “Underworld”. The flipside of this popularity is that the monster has become too hokey and familiar. Indeed, to quote the title of one "Twilight" spoof, “Vampires Suck”. But they are also supremely versatile, as Offscreen shows with a selection of 21 transgressive vampire movies which turn the genre conventions upside down, breaking with the clichés of Gothic castles, garlic and crucifixes to depict the creatures as hyper-realistic, modern, exotic, hybrid, unusual, or simply deranged. These films provide unique spins on vampire mythology and inject the genre with compelling stories about the human condition, sexuality, addiction, disease, and mortality.
BLADE
Wesley Snipes plays the half-vampire half-mortal superhero, based on the Marvel Comics character, who slays fanged monsters to protect the human race. A visually innovative film thanks to acrobatic camera angles, bizarre costumes, and continuous cutting between closeups and long shots.
VAMPIRE'S KISS
Peter thinks he's a vampire. Or is he insane? Nicolas Cage's outrageous overacting and the useless discussions with his “psychotherapist” evoke the brilliantly inept scenes from “The Room” and will have you roaring with laughter. Cage also eats a real live cockroach. A quirky gem of 1980s horror-comedy.
FRIGHT NIGHT
A teenager learns his new neighbor is a vampire, but his friends don't believe him, so he seeks help from a TV horror show host. Director Tom Holland (“Child's Play”) successfully mixes suspense with humor in this fun genre-update with wacky practical special effects and a great 1980s soundtrack.
LA COMTESSE AUX SEINS NUS
Franco cast 19-year-old Lina Romay, his muse, in her first leading role as a vampire feeding on both the sexual fluids and blood of her victims. Soaked in hypnagogic atmosphere, this Belgian co-production is one of the director's most transgressive films. Screened in the uncut erotic French-language version!
THE HUNGER
A beautiful vampire (Catherine Deneuve) promises her lovers eternal life, but neglects to tell them eternal youth isn't part of the deal. When her latest mate (David Bowie) starts ageing, she looks around for someone to replace him. A strange, dreamy film from the director of “Top Gun”, "True Romance", and “Unstoppable”.
THE LOST BOYS
Two brothers move to a Californian town which is teeming with teenage vampires. Fun-filled horror comedy from the director of “St. Elmo's Fire” and “Batman Forever”, featuring a cast of such up-and-coming young 1980s talent as Corey Haim, Kiefer Sutherland, and Corey Feldman.
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