No, "Twilight" doesn't count...
February 18, 2015 5:50 AM Subscribe
Inspired by the recent release of What We Do In The Shadows, the staff over at The Dissolve take a look at one of the more unusual movie sub-genres: Vampire comedies.
It's not necessarily a vampire comedy per se, but the horror comedy, Saturday the 14th, has a comedy vampire played by Jeffrey Tambor.
posted by jonp72 at 6:16 AM on February 18, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by jonp72 at 6:16 AM on February 18, 2015 [2 favorites]
Unfortunately this list does not include my favorite example (of one of my favorite genres!): Love Bites (1993) starring none other than Adam Ant. I guess that's more of a vampire romcom, though?
posted by Mizu at 6:19 AM on February 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Mizu at 6:19 AM on February 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
I guess maybe Fright Night is debatable but then again no it isn't.
posted by SharkParty at 6:21 AM on February 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by SharkParty at 6:21 AM on February 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
Where is the The Lost Boys. Do I have to do everything myself?
The Lost Boys is:
posted by AndrewStephens at 6:47 AM on February 18, 2015 [13 favorites]
The Lost Boys is:
- 8% "You're a vampire, Michael"
- 17% Fairgrounds
- 60% Corey (various)
- 15% Saxophone solos
posted by AndrewStephens at 6:47 AM on February 18, 2015 [13 favorites]
You're eating maggots.
posted by Artw at 6:53 AM on February 18, 2015 [6 favorites]
posted by Artw at 6:53 AM on February 18, 2015 [6 favorites]
The Lost Boys rewatches are an annual ritual for me. I don't know if I'll ever get tired of that movie.
posted by zombieflanders at 7:03 AM on February 18, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by zombieflanders at 7:03 AM on February 18, 2015 [2 favorites]
No discussion of vamp comedy is complete without Nic Cage's phenomenal turn in Vampire's Kiss. An incredibly black comedy, to be sure.. the trailer kinda plays it as a goofy spoof and it's actually muuuuuch darker. But still hilarious, and featuring one of Cage's most ludicrous accents ever committed to film. Also, WWDitS is hilarious, everyone needs to see that twice.
posted by FatherDagon at 7:09 AM on February 18, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by FatherDagon at 7:09 AM on February 18, 2015 [3 favorites]
Also fairly recent but one of the better entries would be Only Lovers Left Alive. Type O popsicles anybody?
posted by localroger at 7:13 AM on February 18, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by localroger at 7:13 AM on February 18, 2015 [3 favorites]
I am powerless to resist Lost Boys. It's easy enough to avoid at home, since we only have Netflix and Hulu so I can't randomly come across it, but if I'm in a hotel or something and flipping through channels and it's on, it's like, "Well, I guess this is what I'm doing now."
posted by amarynth at 7:20 AM on February 18, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by amarynth at 7:20 AM on February 18, 2015 [4 favorites]
Nic Cage's phenomenal turn in Vampire's Kiss
It's been at least twenty years since I have seen it, but the most memorable thing I remember was his ingenious idea of using an upside down couch as a makeshift coffin.
posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 7:24 AM on February 18, 2015
It's been at least twenty years since I have seen it, but the most memorable thing I remember was his ingenious idea of using an upside down couch as a makeshift coffin.
posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 7:24 AM on February 18, 2015
The Lost Boys was a must-watch at the weekly sleepovers in our neighborhood.
posted by pxe2000 at 7:35 AM on February 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by pxe2000 at 7:35 AM on February 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
Ah, Vampire's Kiss. Cage was horribly awesome - check this out, at about 1:51
posted by ashbury at 7:38 AM on February 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by ashbury at 7:38 AM on February 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
Poor Hotel Transylvania, released in 2012 and already forgotten. Probably because it's blah.
I haven't seen it, but surely Jesus Christ: Vampire Hunter is a comedy.
posted by nicebookrack at 7:38 AM on February 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
I haven't seen it, but surely Jesus Christ: Vampire Hunter is a comedy.
posted by nicebookrack at 7:38 AM on February 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
Jesus Christ: Vampire Hunter is definitely a comedy. Fun fact: An ex of mine scored the movie and also had a small role in it.
posted by orange swan at 7:44 AM on February 18, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by orange swan at 7:44 AM on February 18, 2015 [2 favorites]
No love for Billy the Kid and the Green Baize Vampire? Oh wait... that was complete rubbish. See also I Bought a Vampire Motorcycle. And Lesbian Vampire Killers might be the Citizen Kane of vampire comedies but I don't think I'm going to find out any time soon as it looks goddamn awful. Also that vampire bit with Jon Pertwee in The House That Dripped Blood was terrible too.
What is it with British vampire comedies? I can't think of anything even half decent.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 7:46 AM on February 18, 2015 [2 favorites]
What is it with British vampire comedies? I can't think of anything even half decent.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 7:46 AM on February 18, 2015 [2 favorites]
What?! No Shadow of the Vampire? This list is crap! Crap! I tell you crap!
posted by From Bklyn at 7:50 AM on February 18, 2015 [7 favorites]
posted by From Bklyn at 7:50 AM on February 18, 2015 [7 favorites]
Only Lovers Left Alive was gorgeous and one of my favorite films of the past year (Tilda Swinton! Tom Hiddleston! Detroit! A killer soundtrack!). But I don't know if I would call it in any way comedy? I mean, it has a few amusing moments but so does The Shining and I don't think anyone would would call that a comedy either.
posted by Windigo at 7:52 AM on February 18, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by Windigo at 7:52 AM on February 18, 2015 [2 favorites]
I really wanted to like Only Lovers Left Alive, and I guess I sort of did, but a lot of it just felt like a thin excuse to film Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston doing, reading and listening to things Jim Jarmusch likes.
posted by The Card Cheat at 7:55 AM on February 18, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by The Card Cheat at 7:55 AM on February 18, 2015 [3 favorites]
That said, I would totally watch a feature-length movie that consisted of nothing but Tilda Swinton listening to cool records.
posted by The Card Cheat at 7:56 AM on February 18, 2015 [6 favorites]
posted by The Card Cheat at 7:56 AM on February 18, 2015 [6 favorites]
And Lesbian Vampire Killers might be the Citizen Kane of vampire comedies but I don't think I'm going to find out any time soon as it looks goddamn awful.
All you need to know about that dreck is that the first two words of the title are grouped and not the last two.
posted by kmz at 8:00 AM on February 18, 2015 [4 favorites]
All you need to know about that dreck is that the first two words of the title are grouped and not the last two.
posted by kmz at 8:00 AM on February 18, 2015 [4 favorites]
Vampyros Lesbos isn't a comedy, but goddamn that's a funny movie. It just screams for the MST3K treatment.
posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide at 8:05 AM on February 18, 2015
posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide at 8:05 AM on February 18, 2015
No discussion of vamp comedy is complete without Nic Cage's phenomenal turn in Vampire's Kiss ... Still hilarious, and featuring one of Cage's most ludicrous accents ever committed to film.
I've been haunted for nearly 20 years by Nic Cage's pronunciation of 'It never just GOES AWAY' in that movie. (It's on Youtube!)
posted by Mocata at 8:12 AM on February 18, 2015 [3 favorites]
I've been haunted for nearly 20 years by Nic Cage's pronunciation of 'It never just GOES AWAY' in that movie. (It's on Youtube!)
posted by Mocata at 8:12 AM on February 18, 2015 [3 favorites]
Fanfare post for What We Do In The Shadows, which successfully completed its Kickstarter campaign for American distribution.
posted by filthy light thief at 8:19 AM on February 18, 2015
posted by filthy light thief at 8:19 AM on February 18, 2015
felt like a thin excuse to film Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston doing, reading and listening to things Jim Jarmusch likes.
You say that like it's a bad thing
posted by Windigo at 8:21 AM on February 18, 2015 [3 favorites]
You say that like it's a bad thing
posted by Windigo at 8:21 AM on February 18, 2015 [3 favorites]
Confess, Fletch: No Rockabilly Vampire?
And no I Bought a Vampire Motorcycle!
posted by filthy light thief at 8:23 AM on February 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
And no I Bought a Vampire Motorcycle!
posted by filthy light thief at 8:23 AM on February 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
kmz: "All you need to know about that dreck is that the first two words of the title are grouped and not the last two."
There can't be that many movies that can go from a concept I love to one I loathe just with the movement of an invisible hyphen.
posted by these are science wands at 8:26 AM on February 18, 2015 [7 favorites]
There can't be that many movies that can go from a concept I love to one I loathe just with the movement of an invisible hyphen.
posted by these are science wands at 8:26 AM on February 18, 2015 [7 favorites]
Now I must see Grace Jones in Vamps. From the description, it's a terrible movie but that makeup alone should make it worth seeing. The Abbott and Costello movie was really funny. That duo could almost do no wrong.
If you love Eddie Izzard, I urge you to forego Shadow of the Vampire.
posted by Ik ben afgesneden at 8:36 AM on February 18, 2015
If you love Eddie Izzard, I urge you to forego Shadow of the Vampire.
posted by Ik ben afgesneden at 8:36 AM on February 18, 2015
8% "You're a vampire, Michael"
17% Fairgrounds
60% Corey (various)
15% Saxophone solos
Actually, it's 15% shirtless saxophone solos.
posted by maxsparber at 8:36 AM on February 18, 2015 [5 favorites]
17% Fairgrounds
60% Corey (various)
15% Saxophone solos
Actually, it's 15% shirtless saxophone solos.
posted by maxsparber at 8:36 AM on February 18, 2015 [5 favorites]
The Card Cheat: "I really wanted to like Only Lovers Left Alive, and I guess I sort of did, but a lot of it just felt like a thin excuse to film Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston doing, reading and listening to things Jim Jarmusch likes."
Yyyyyyyes? A thin excuse is really all we need, right?
posted by boo_radley at 8:46 AM on February 18, 2015
Yyyyyyyes? A thin excuse is really all we need, right?
posted by boo_radley at 8:46 AM on February 18, 2015
Shocked that there's no mention of the "hopping vampire" genre, exemplified by sorta-classic horror-comedy Mr. Vampire.
posted by ThatFuzzyBastard at 8:49 AM on February 18, 2015 [6 favorites]
posted by ThatFuzzyBastard at 8:49 AM on February 18, 2015 [6 favorites]
I think the problem I had with it was the sense that Jarmusch would have preferred to film himself and his friends doing that stuff but knew nobody would want to watch it, so he reluctantly slapped together a screenplay and hired some actors stand-ins.
posted by The Card Cheat at 8:55 AM on February 18, 2015
posted by The Card Cheat at 8:55 AM on February 18, 2015
We watched Love at First Bite so many times when I was a kid (taped off of TV I think). Also: Hamilton's other hit, Zorro the Gay Blade. Which doesn't just have questionable jokes, it is one! I remember laughing a lot at both, and I kind of want to see them both again, even though I know I will cringe. In my defense, I always thought gay Zorro, in his multicolored costumes, was better than straight Zorro.
True Blood was often a comedy, sometimes intentionally, sometimes not.
posted by emjaybee at 8:58 AM on February 18, 2015 [2 favorites]
True Blood was often a comedy, sometimes intentionally, sometimes not.
posted by emjaybee at 8:58 AM on February 18, 2015 [2 favorites]
And then there's the Australian 10BA tax-dodge classic, Outback Vampires. Not sure if it counts as a comedy, or just something the producers didn't bother taking seriously, à la Uwe Boll/Donald G. Jackson.
posted by acb at 8:59 AM on February 18, 2015
posted by acb at 8:59 AM on February 18, 2015
Actually, it's 15% shirtless saxophone solos.
Some may quibble with his contributions as shirtless sax riffs and fills, but I Still Believe.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 9:12 AM on February 18, 2015 [3 favorites]
Some may quibble with his contributions as shirtless sax riffs and fills, but I Still Believe.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 9:12 AM on February 18, 2015 [3 favorites]
What We Do In The Shadows is the funniest movie of any genre that I've seen in the past decade. Seek it out.
posted by HumanComplex at 9:16 AM on February 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by HumanComplex at 9:16 AM on February 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
But ... no Transylvania 6-5000?!?!
posted by KatlaDragon at 9:18 AM on February 18, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by KatlaDragon at 9:18 AM on February 18, 2015 [2 favorites]
Twilight does too count if you're watching it with RiffTrax :D
posted by surazal at 9:25 AM on February 18, 2015
posted by surazal at 9:25 AM on February 18, 2015
Vampire movie/people-who-aren't-nuns-but-who-are-dressed-as-nuns-for-some-reason-comedy could be great. Very great.
posted by thelonius at 9:30 AM on February 18, 2015
posted by thelonius at 9:30 AM on February 18, 2015
Twilight is funnier without the RiffTrax. So funny, in fact, that when I initially saw it in the theater, I laughed so hard I literally fell out of my chair. Literally literally. "This .... is the skin of a killer!" Gold.
posted by webmutant at 9:33 AM on February 18, 2015
posted by webmutant at 9:33 AM on February 18, 2015
DEATH BY STEREO!
Yeah, The Lost Boys was surely an overlook unless they considered it too much of a "hybrid".
posted by ReeMonster at 9:40 AM on February 18, 2015
Yeah, The Lost Boys was surely an overlook unless they considered it too much of a "hybrid".
posted by ReeMonster at 9:40 AM on February 18, 2015
Le Frisson des Vampires (The Shiver of the Vampires) popped up on Bizarre TV on my Roku a while back, and I haven't laughed as hard at any other vampire film. It is a delightful piece of eurotrash that has to be seen to be believed. (Trigger warnings: gratuitous nudity, gratuitous sheer clothing, gratuitous opaque-but-still-questionable bourgeois vampire fashion choices, death by spiked nipple pasties, revenge rape, vampire suicide, lesbian vampires emerging from grandfather clocks, mysterious rituals, a vampire's coffin out in the middle of a courtyard in broad daylight, a violent library, dreamy cinematography, nipples everywhere and delightfully diabolical overacting.)
posted by delfin at 9:54 AM on February 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by delfin at 9:54 AM on February 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
I don't care too much for The Dissolve, but this is a fun topic and I'm glad they included Vamp. That movie's fun.
Overlooked: Lair of the White Worm. There's a real manic glee to Amanda Donohoe's performance that absolutely makes that movie.
Also, it's not a comedy except for Winona Ryder and Keanu Reeves' performances, but there's a real funny cut (no pun intended) in the Coppola Dracula movie right after Van Helsing chops off Lucy's head.
posted by cog_nate at 10:03 AM on February 18, 2015 [2 favorites]
Overlooked: Lair of the White Worm. There's a real manic glee to Amanda Donohoe's performance that absolutely makes that movie.
Also, it's not a comedy except for Winona Ryder and Keanu Reeves' performances, but there's a real funny cut (no pun intended) in the Coppola Dracula movie right after Van Helsing chops off Lucy's head.
posted by cog_nate at 10:03 AM on February 18, 2015 [2 favorites]
If you liked The Shiver of the Vampires, be sure to check out Jean Rollin's other films. Classics such as "Rape of the Vampire", "The Nude Vampire", "Requiem for a Vampire" and "Fascination". They are all cut from the same eurotrash cloth, but there is something oddly compelling about his style.
posted by bstreep at 10:18 AM on February 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by bstreep at 10:18 AM on February 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
The list definitely needs Shadow of the Vampire And True Blood is very funny.
posted by doctornemo at 10:26 AM on February 18, 2015
posted by doctornemo at 10:26 AM on February 18, 2015
I maintain that 2012's Vamps was one of the worst movies I've ever seen. (And I've seen a lot.) It's a movie that gets Sigourney Weaver in her Ghostbusters gatekeeper outfit (!) and even with something like that which sounds awesome, it falls flat at every opportunity. It's like watching the worst rejected sitcom sans laugh track. It's terrible.
posted by Catblack at 10:37 AM on February 18, 2015
posted by Catblack at 10:37 AM on February 18, 2015
Vamps was literally a failed sitcom pilot cobbled into a movie.
And yes a disastrous waste of Weaver.
posted by The Whelk at 11:27 AM on February 18, 2015
And yes a disastrous waste of Weaver.
posted by The Whelk at 11:27 AM on February 18, 2015
Ctrl + F : "Blood and Donuts"
Fail.
Blood and Donuts (IMDB)
Really well written vampire comedy.
posted by daq at 12:07 PM on February 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
Fail.
Blood and Donuts (IMDB)
Really well written vampire comedy.
posted by daq at 12:07 PM on February 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
In conclusion, SAIL ON INTO THE NIGHT lost in the shadowsThis was bugging me all day so I finally looked it up. Apparently the lyric is "Say hello to the night".
I have disgraced myself and my family.
posted by AndrewStephens at 12:21 PM on February 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
What, no Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter? I guess it's not actually a comedy, but every frame filled me with so much glee you should excuse me mistaking it for one.
Vampire's Kiss was a good film but it didn't seem at all funny to me, more like an extended metaphor about the horrors of sexual harrassment in the workplace, and one of Mr N. Cage's more effective roles. Still haven't quite recovered from that one.
posted by Coaticass at 1:43 PM on February 18, 2015 [2 favorites]
Vampire's Kiss was a good film but it didn't seem at all funny to me, more like an extended metaphor about the horrors of sexual harrassment in the workplace, and one of Mr N. Cage's more effective roles. Still haven't quite recovered from that one.
posted by Coaticass at 1:43 PM on February 18, 2015 [2 favorites]
Welcome to METAFILTER!
MURDER CAPITAL OF THE WORLD
posted by obiwanwasabi at 1:43 PM on February 18, 2015
MURDER CAPITAL OF THE WORLD
posted by obiwanwasabi at 1:43 PM on February 18, 2015
I didn't know anything about it before I watched it, but Summer of Blood was pretty funny, imo.
posted by stifford at 3:34 PM on February 18, 2015
posted by stifford at 3:34 PM on February 18, 2015
What We Do In Shadows is brilliant, and highly recommended for fans of things the team's previously worked on (Flight of the Conchords and Eagle vs Shark, in particular).
posted by Wataki at 4:23 PM on February 18, 2015
posted by Wataki at 4:23 PM on February 18, 2015
No Dusk til Dawn? Maybe not technically a comedy but it is hilarious.
posted by BungaDunga at 4:40 PM on February 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by BungaDunga at 4:40 PM on February 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
I'm super-jealous of my friend who saw From Dusk till Dawn in the theater without hearing anything about the plot ahead of time. He knew only that it was the new Tarantino/Rodriguez joint. Says he almost fell off his seat at the sudden U-turn after the first reel.
posted by mbrubeck at 5:20 PM on February 18, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by mbrubeck at 5:20 PM on February 18, 2015 [3 favorites]
I have a friend who went into it the same way, mbrubeck. I'm jealous of her, too.
posted by Mister Moofoo at 7:23 PM on February 18, 2015
posted by Mister Moofoo at 7:23 PM on February 18, 2015
No mention of "A Polish Vampire in Burbank". I am disappointed. My grandmother was delighted that the main vampire was named Dupah.
posted by charred husk at 9:48 PM on February 18, 2015
posted by charred husk at 9:48 PM on February 18, 2015
I've worked on quite a few films in my many years as a VFX artist but SUCK was definitely one of my favourite projects. It's a Rock and Roll vampire comedy with many great cameos including Moby as a singer named Beef in a meat themed band called the "Secretaries of Steak" (IRL he's a well known vegan).
It's also got Malcolm McDowell as a vampire killer named Eddie Van Helsing, Iggy Pop, Alice Cooper, Henry Rollins, Dave Foley, Jessica Paré & Carole Pope in various roles. It did quite well at TIFF but I think the distribution company just decided to sit on it with little effort to promote which saddens me to this day. The scene with Rush’s Alex Lifeson as an American border agent is perfect.
posted by No more Mr. Smartypants at 10:38 PM on February 18, 2015 [2 favorites]
It's also got Malcolm McDowell as a vampire killer named Eddie Van Helsing, Iggy Pop, Alice Cooper, Henry Rollins, Dave Foley, Jessica Paré & Carole Pope in various roles. It did quite well at TIFF but I think the distribution company just decided to sit on it with little effort to promote which saddens me to this day. The scene with Rush’s Alex Lifeson as an American border agent is perfect.
posted by No more Mr. Smartypants at 10:38 PM on February 18, 2015 [2 favorites]
And how did they miss Modern Vampires? Caspar Van Dien prepping a cigar by drilling into it with one fang? A group of gang bangers getting vampirism by tag teaming Kim Cattrall? Craig Ferguson snapping and going blood happy in a vampire club? And there's more. I wouldn't call it good per se, but it is entertaining....
posted by Samizdata at 2:31 AM on February 19, 2015
posted by Samizdata at 2:31 AM on February 19, 2015
Yeah, Suck is not to be mistaken for or substituted by Vampires Suck.
posted by sfenders at 3:46 AM on February 19, 2015
posted by sfenders at 3:46 AM on February 19, 2015
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posted by Mchelly at 6:09 AM on February 18, 2015