Vamp
(1986/MVD Visual/Arrow Blu-ray)
Picture:
B Sound: B Extras: B Film: C
Obviously
an influence on the Rodriguez/Tarantino classic From
Dusk Till Dawn,
the 1986 comedy chiller Vamp
lands on Blu-ray disc for the first time thanks to the good folks at
Arrow Films. Though a bit dated, the film is still a pretty fun
vampiric journey that isn't quite like the other Vampire films being
made around that time such as Lost Boys. Directed by Richard Wenk
(who just recently wrote the sequel to Tom Cruise's Jack
Reacher
sequel and the remake of The
Magnificent Seven),
the film stars Grace Jones, Chris Makepeace, Robert Rusler, and Billy
Drago to name a few. Also included on the release is the short film
Wenk made in 1979 entitled Dracula
Bites The Big Apple
that is a nice relevant addition to the set.
In
Kansas, two buddies Keith (Makepeace) and AJ (Rusler) are trying to
join the best fraternity in the university. Their pledge is
conditioned to the presence of a stripper to entertain the veteran's
members of the fraternity. They need transportation to go to the
city to hire a stripper, so they invite Duncan (Gedde Watanabe) to go
with them in his car. When they arrive in at a sleazy stripclub
called ''After Dark Club'' they get more than they bargained for when
they encounter a group of femme fatale vampires, led by Katrina
(Grace Jones).
Re-mastered
in 2K from fine 35mm elements, the 1080p 1.86 X 1 high definition
presentation of the film looks fantastic on disc with incredible
contrast and colors throughout. Many parts of the film feature high
contrast blacks that mix nicely with the colors (lots of greens and
purples), namely in the strip club scenes - which look stunning. The
new HD presentation resolves these color complexities well. The
original mono mix in PCM 2.0 Mono is featured on the disc, which is
an improvement over previous releases, but nothing significantly
different.
Special
Features include...
-
One of
those Nights: The Making of Vamp
- a brand new documentary featuring interviews with director Richard
Wenk, stars Robert Rusler, Dedee Pfeiffer, Gedde Watanabe
-
Behind-the-scenes rehearsals
-
Blooper Reel
-
Image Gallery
-
Dracula
Bites the Big Apple
(1979) - Richard Wenk's celebrated short film
-
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork
by the Twins of Evil
-
First pressing only: Booklet featuring new writing on the film by
critic Cullen Gallagher
If
you're a fan of the film, this is the edition to get.
-
James Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
