An overlooked and often misunderstood ’80s treat, Vamp stars Chris Makepeace and Robert Rusler as two college students who make the mistake of going cruising for strippers (in Gedde Watanabe’s sweet red convertible, at that) on the wrong side of town — a place inhabited by psycho albino gangland thugs and vampires lorded over by Queen Katrina (Grace Jones, perfectly cast as one of the most intimidating and bizarre-looking bloodsuckers ever). Vamp has something of an inaccurate reputation for being a camp classic when in reality it’s actually a rather nasty and disturbing little film (definitely more “horror” than “comedy,” though it does have a rich sense of humor throughout); the oh so ’80s aesthetic (and music score) has certainly watered it down somewhat over the years but it remains a formidable genre offering filled with some clever special effects and rather gruesome kill scenes — and, above all, Jones’ unhinged performance has to be seen to be believed. Think of this as the punk kid sister of Fright Night — watch them both on a double bill to get twice your ’80s vampire fix.
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New On Netflix: Vamp