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MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Violence, Brief Nudity, Nudity, Adult Situations, Not For Children, Adult Language, Sexual Situations Movie Release: 1986 DVD Release: 08/21/2001 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 34 mins Studio: Anchor Bay Members Wishing: 6 Genres: Horror, Horror Comedy

Predating the 1990s cycle of vampire-stripper films (From Dusk Till Dawn, Bordello of Blood, etc.) this cynical entry from director Richard Wenk concerns frat boys looking for a go-go girl to perform at their upcoming party. Wandering to the wrong side of town, the randy youths enter a seedy strip joint populated by vampires. Grace Jones is the nasty ringleader, Katrina, who acknowledges the film's debt to Hammer's Vampire Circus by performing an erotic dance painted in zebra-stripes. Among the heroes, co-star Robert Rusler is far more interesting than the bland lead (Chris Makepeace), while Gedde Watanabe manages to be both unfunny and offensive by turning in the most ridiculously stereotyped Asian performance since John Wayne assayed Genghis Khan in The Conqueror. This is the least of the comedic vampire films that came out in the mid-'80s, and although Billy Drago is menacing as the evil Snow and Greg Cannom's special effects are striking, Vamp remains unfunny and not frightening in the least. Famed female bodybuilder Lisa Lyon appears as a stripper named Cinnamon, and Dedee Pfeiffer, Hy Pyke, and Simmy Bow are among the recognizable supporting cast. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide

Chris Makepeace - Keith
Sandy Baron - Vic
Robert Rusler - A.J.
DeDee Pfeiffer - Amaretto
Gedde Watanabe - Duncan

Horror comedies were a dime a dozen in the 1980s. One movie that certainly took that term to extremes was the Grace Jones stripper/action/vampire comedy movie Vamp. Originally released by New World Pictures, Anchor Bay has gotten its hands on this film and released a very nice edition of the movie on DVD. Boasting a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, Vamp has been made to look almost good as new. The colors and flesh tones are all very bright and clean, with black levels especially solid. Also impressive is the lack of edge enhancement or digital artifacting spotted during the movie. Overall, Anchor Bay has done a fantastic job of taking this relatively obscure title and making it look clean and fresh. Audio is presented in Dolby Digital Mono 1.0, and while definitely not as impressive as the video portion of the disc, this track sounds clear and concise. Dialogue, gooey effects, and Jonathan Elias' eerie musical score are all free of distortion or hiss. No subtitles are included with this feature.
=Vamp also sports a very nice array of supplemental features. An audio commentary track by director Richard Wenk and stars Chris Makepeace, Gedde Watanabe, and DeDee Pfeiffer is both funny and informative. Much information about the production is discussed and shared by the participants, along with some fun jabs at the movie itself (almost in the style of Mystery Science Theater 3000). This track included on =Vamp is one of the better and lighter commentary tracks available on DVD. "Dracula Bites the Big Apple" is an early short by director Richard Wenk and a precursor to Vamp. This short film is a lot of fun to watch, if a bit dated and stale compared to its big sister Vamp. A "blooper reel" features some goofy outtakes by the stars and actors in the film, and some rough, video-quality "behind-the-scenes rehearsal footage" includes a bizarre look at Grace Jones practicing one of her attack scenes on an unwitting fraternity boy. Both the "blooper reel" and the "behind-the-scenes rehearsal footage" are very short features and very strange to watch. Finally there are two full-frame theatrical trailers, no less than seven TV spots, and a very large still gallery featuring promotional materials and concepts for the finished version of Vamp.
Fans of Vamp will be more than thrilled to learn that this edition of the movie is way above average, featuring a solid transfer, decent audio, and enough supplemental material to feed a roving band of blood suckers! ~ Patrick Naugle, All Movie Guide