Probably seen by most on the after-dark Cinemax circuit of the late 90's, (most likely wedged between an "Emmanuelle in Space" episode and something starring Gary Daniels) the 1998 direct-to-video flick "Modern Vampires" surely amassed some sort of cult following. Directed by Danny Elfman's brother Richard, ("Forbidden Zone") and honing an eclectic cast featuring Casper Van Dien, Craig Ferguson, Kim Cattrall, and the legendary Rod Steiger, this is definitely a unique film in its blend of wild comedy, pop culture, horror and spoof.
Talented screenwriter Matthew Bright ("Freeway," "Gun Crazy") continues his themes of troubled urban youth and the moral perversion of mainstream America with a story about a band of vampires living in L.A., who are carefully trying to protect the secrecy and dignity of their breed. They hunt down reckless prostitute Nico, (Natasha Gregson-Wagner) who has been using her profession to wantonly lure nightly blood feasts, and is consequently calling dangerous attention to the vampire community. The gang is led by the youthfully handsome Dallas, (Van Dien) who falls for Nico and tries to protect her from his contemporaries.
Things get interesting when Rod Steiger's Dr. Van Hellsing comes to town to find Count Dracula among the city's growing vamp population. The best scenes of the movie rise from a sub-plot where Hellsing hires South-Central Crips to help him with the vampire slaying. The comedic contrast between the stubborn, culture-clashed Steiger and the joint-sucking, gangsta-rap blasting thugs is a stroke of genius, and Elfman uses enough restraint to keep the running gag amusing throughout the entire movie.
In similar ways, Richard Elfman allows the campiness of his own direction, and the natural disparity of the cast, to keep each scene entertaining with an appropriately silly tone. Think of the carefully balanced spoofery of "Fright Night," the teenage wit of "Scream," and the schlock of 90's B-movies like "Jack Frost" and you have "Modern Vampires," a send-up of vampire lore that doesn't take a frame seriously. The fun of this movie is that it feels completely aware of its own badness, and seems to string many of its laughs around the kitschy acting and production values.
However, one of the problems Elfman has with balancing spoof and horror is that he mistakenly allows a certain amount of laziness to be taken towards the material. To fully make fun of something, a director needs to have complete control over the things s/he is spoofing. "Modern Vampires" has very little establishment of its own mythological rules, its action sequences are dull, the special effects are half-baked, and the flashy, frequently used editing trick of inserting quick B-roll shots for dramatic effect is annoying. It's too easy to make a slapdash spoof with the excuse that it's "supposed to be bad." Great send-ups know how to poke fun at the subject matter, but give you what you want out of the genre anyway - like what Spielberg did with adventure serials in"Raiders" or what Tarantino did with kung fu movies in "Kill Bill," etc. This film is just a contentedly bad one, with a few laughs scattered around the camp.
Talented screenwriter Matthew Bright ("Freeway," "Gun Crazy") continues his themes of troubled urban youth and the moral perversion of mainstream America with a story about a band of vampires living in L.A., who are carefully trying to protect the secrecy and dignity of their breed. They hunt down reckless prostitute Nico, (Natasha Gregson-Wagner) who has been using her profession to wantonly lure nightly blood feasts, and is consequently calling dangerous attention to the vampire community. The gang is led by the youthfully handsome Dallas, (Van Dien) who falls for Nico and tries to protect her from his contemporaries.
Things get interesting when Rod Steiger's Dr. Van Hellsing comes to town to find Count Dracula among the city's growing vamp population. The best scenes of the movie rise from a sub-plot where Hellsing hires South-Central Crips to help him with the vampire slaying. The comedic contrast between the stubborn, culture-clashed Steiger and the joint-sucking, gangsta-rap blasting thugs is a stroke of genius, and Elfman uses enough restraint to keep the running gag amusing throughout the entire movie.
In similar ways, Richard Elfman allows the campiness of his own direction, and the natural disparity of the cast, to keep each scene entertaining with an appropriately silly tone. Think of the carefully balanced spoofery of "Fright Night," the teenage wit of "Scream," and the schlock of 90's B-movies like "Jack Frost" and you have "Modern Vampires," a send-up of vampire lore that doesn't take a frame seriously. The fun of this movie is that it feels completely aware of its own badness, and seems to string many of its laughs around the kitschy acting and production values.
However, one of the problems Elfman has with balancing spoof and horror is that he mistakenly allows a certain amount of laziness to be taken towards the material. To fully make fun of something, a director needs to have complete control over the things s/he is spoofing. "Modern Vampires" has very little establishment of its own mythological rules, its action sequences are dull, the special effects are half-baked, and the flashy, frequently used editing trick of inserting quick B-roll shots for dramatic effect is annoying. It's too easy to make a slapdash spoof with the excuse that it's "supposed to be bad." Great send-ups know how to poke fun at the subject matter, but give you what you want out of the genre anyway - like what Spielberg did with adventure serials in"Raiders" or what Tarantino did with kung fu movies in "Kill Bill," etc. This film is just a contentedly bad one, with a few laughs scattered around the camp.
The problems don't end there, either. There seem to be whole expositional scenes missing, the cinematography is bland and the sound design consists of obnoxiously artificial stock effects. There is also some needless, jarringly dramatic material, like when Nico returns to the trailer she grew up in to confront her abusive father. While going along nicely with Bright's body of work, the heaviness is simply unwarranted. The movie is oddly unbalanced, and towards the middle it starts to feel like Elfman didn't have a clue about where to take it.
If one can accept "Modern Vampires," on its own terms, there is still plenty to enjoy. The cast is vibrant and clearly having a good time and there are some genuinely funny moments. The under-appreciated Natasha Gregson-Wagner is a great fit, even making lines like "You're a card that needs to be dealt with" seem purposefully funny. "Modern Vampires" is pure, straight-forward cheap thrills that still deserves a watch - even if you're not just watching it to kill time between Cinemax After Dark flicks.
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