Dick De Jong
November 21, 2012
HDTV Solutions

If Vamps hasn't crossed your radar perhaps it's because this film, starring Alicia Silverstone and Krysten Ritter as two undead girls who just wanna have fun, had a limited theatrical release and became available on Blu-ray only eleven days later.

The travails of distributing and promoting a movie in theaters is always a risk and these days the prevailing wisdom is unless you really have faith in the film, send it straight to DVD.

After watching Vamps, I can understand the distributor's decision to go the DVD route. Then again looking at the cast and director, I have no problem imagining why this reunion of Silverstone and her Clueless director, Amy Heckerling, was greenlit.

That combination alone has appeal and then the cast is stacked with well recognized and respected actors like Sigourney Weaver as the voracious sire (with a hairdo that often resembles Elsa Lanchester's in the Bride of Frankenstein) of the party-weary pair of Silverstone and Ritter.

Mix in Malcolm McDowell and Justin Kirk as two century old vampires and Wallace Shawn as a descendant of the famous vampire hunter Abraham Van Helsing and the plot thickens, especially when Shawn's son falls in love with Ritter. And yes, that is Dan Stevens (Matthew Crawley from Downton Abbey) as Joey Van Helsing popping out of Ritter's casket.

I like and respect all these actors and only wish that Vamps provided them more to sink their teeth into. The film has its moments and the story is diverting, but the talent could be better spent.

There are no Bonus Features on this Blu-ray.

The quality of the Blu-ray transfer is perfectly fine, but like the film itself it's nothing particular to write home about.

Studio: Anchor Bay Films

Director: Amy Heckerling

Cast: Alicia Silverstone, Krysten Ritter, Sigourney Weaver, Richard Lewis, Wallace Shawn, Dan Stevens, Malcolm McDowell, Justin Kirk, Marilu Henner, Kristen Johnston

Length: 93 minutes

Rated: PG-13

Video:
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1

Audio:
English:
  Dolby TrueHD 5.1

Subtitles:
English SDH and Spanish