6.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
This vampire spoof has Count Dracula moving to New York to find his Bride, after being forced to move out of his Transylvanian castle. There with the aid of assistant Renfield, he stumbles through typical New York city life situations while pursuing Cindy Soundheim. But her boyfriend, Doctor Jeff Rosenberg, realizes she is under the influence of a vampire, and tries his bumbling best to convince police Lt Ferguson of what is going on, and to help him stop Dracula.
Starring: George Hamilton, Susan Saint James, Richard Benjamin, Dick Shawn, Arte JohnsonHorror | 100% |
Comedy | 12% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Romance | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.84:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Note: This film is currently available in the double feature Love at First Bite / Once Bitten.
There’s probably little doubt that the overwhelming critical and box office success of Mel Brooks’ lunatic Young Frankenstein made bean counters in Hollywood sit up and take
notice. Hollywood is after all Ground Zero for imitation being the sincerest form of flattery, and so it’s no wonder that other creatives decided
to take a stab at satirizing various horror outings. What’s a bit surprising is how long it took. Brooks’ send up of the most iconic man
made “monster” of all time appeared in 1974, but it wasn’t until five years later in 1979 that another Universal horror legend got the same
treatment, with Dracula being played for (supposed) laughs in Love at First Bite. There’s a bit less of a through line to 1985’s
Once Bitten, a film that might be thought of as a quasi-parody of Dracula’s Daughter, since it revolves around a female
vampire. Unfortunately neither of these films had what made Young Frankenstein so memorable—namely, Mel Brooks and an
unparalleled cast of comedy heavyweights. Love at First Bite is the better of the two films in this Blu-ray double feature, but it hasn’t
aged particularly well (unlike its subject blood sucker), seeming a bit more pointlessly manic now in hindsight than it probably did upon its
original release, when it was unexpectedly popular with audiences and at least some critics. The less said about Once Bitten, the
better, for it’s a tired, unfunny enterprise that has gained whatever small cachet it ultimately achieved due largely to the fact that it offered
Jim Carrey one of the first major roles of his film career.
Love at First Bite is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Scream Factory, an imprint of Shout! Factory, with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. This is a solid if somewhat modest high definition presentation. The film's appropriately dark and dank ambience unfortunately doesn't always translate perfectly in this high definition rendering, with at times unnatural looking grain that exhibits a yellowish tint in some of the darkest scenes. Ironically the solid black levels only tend to exacerbate the situation, as grain is its splotchiest in these moments. The color space is just slightly variable, with some shots of Hamilton especially looking nicely saturated (could it have been that famous tan?), while other moments are surprisingly pallid. The elements have their fair share of age related wear and tear, with all of the "usual suspects" like dirt, scratches and minus density popping up with regularity, though never to any overly problematic degree. Things are rather soft throughout, and even some close-ups don't offer much in the way of detail or definition (see screenshot 3).
Love at First Bite features a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono mix that capably supports the dialogue and a music score firmly entrenched in its era. Alicia Bridges' disco anthem "I Love the Night Life," which was replaced in previous home video releases, is back intact here in the club scene. Fidelity is fine and there are no issues of any kind to report.
Love at First Bite simply doesn't have the snap of something like Young Frankenstein, but it coasts on the considerable charms of Hamilton as well as the incessant mugging of Arte Johnson. The humor is fairly juvenile and in fact kids and adults who have refused to grow up will probably enjoy this film best. Technical merits are acceptable if not mind blowing, and Love at First Bite comes Recommended.
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