Vamp Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		2.5

Vamp Blu-ray Movie Review

Bite me.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 9, 2017

Many younger readers of this review, and maybe even a few older curs, may never have heard of Theda Bara, one of the superstars of the silent film era and one who is often attributed as having created (or at least been the first to be labeled with) the nickname “The Vamp”, an allusion both to her sinewy, seductive ways but also evidently shorthand for vampire, though Bara never actually played a literal blood sucker. “Vamps” became a recognizable type in the nascent silent era, and while no one was more associated with these roles than Bara herself, one could make a convincing argument that other actresses, like, say, Louise Brooks in films like the early Howard Hawks effort A Girl in Every Port or one of Brooks’ signature roles, Lulu in G.W. Pabst’s iconic Pandora's Box, also were paradigms of the Circe like female who often led men to their doom. Vamp, a 1986 effort featuring the inimitable Grace Jones as both a vamp and a vampire, may or may not have intentionally played on the dual meaning of the nickname, but the film is apparently as deathless as its titular species, at least as evidenced by the fact that it has already had a previous domestic release issued by Image Entertainment and a British release put out by Arrow (as well as a couple of other international releases). The film is an attempt to blend horror and comedy elements, but it has a hard time really developing much energy in either direction, coming off ultimately as an affable but ultimately fairly forgettable entry in the comedy-horror hybrid genre.

Since this is one of the relatively few Blu-ray releases that has not one, but two, prior reviews giving plot recaps, I won’t repeat any of the film’s plot mechanics here. Instead, I refer to you both the Vamp Blu-ray review by Brian Orndorf (of the domestic Image Entertainment release), and the Vamp Blu-ray review by Svet Atanasov (of the Arrow UK release).

My only additional comment, and one which is alluded to by Brian in his assessment of the video component of the Image Entertainment release, is the film’s rather distinctive design ethos, one which plays out in hues of magenta and/or pink contrasting with a kind of weird lime green color. In One of Those Nights, the new supplement on this release, Director Richard Wenk commends cinematgrapher Eliot David for coming up with the idea, one which Wenk said really helped to elevate the look of what was a pretty low budget affair. David evidently had his hand in some other, more quasi- art direction ways, in terms of elements like the lit tables at the club. But the film’s really unusual palette is one of its most remarkable features and may in fact intrigue some viewers who are otherwise not overly awed by the rest of the production.

Vamp Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Vamp is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.77:1 (the packaging misstates the aspect ratio as 1.85:1). Arrow's typically informative insert booklet is a little less informative than usual with regard to this transfer, stating only:

Vamp was transferred in High Definition by Lakeshore Entertainment and delivered to Arrow Films as a high resolution digital file and the film is presented in the original 1.85:1 aspect ratio.

I highly recommend pulling up the screenshots accompanying the two reviews I've linked above in the main body of the review, for I've tried to replicate some from each so that those interested can do a side by side (by side) comparison. The first thing that may strike some is the very discrepancy in the stated aspect ratio and what's on the disc, since it's the Image Entertainment disc which has a 1.77:1 aspect ratio, while the Arrow UK disc features a 1.85:1 aspect ratio. This strikes me as at least a little odd, given that this release is coming from the domestic arm of Arrow, but the difference is of course slight (though OAR purists should obviously take note).

In terms of palette reproduction, detail levels and grain resolution, these three presentations look similar, if not identical. To my eyes, this new Arrow release is just a tad brighter than the Image release, while looking more generally in line with brightness levels on the Arrow UK release. Elements have some minor damage along the way; while I didn't notice the blotches Brian mentioned, there's what looks like a weird bluish emulsion anomaly at around 11:36 on this version that makes it look like the Cadillac is shooting a ray out of its headlight. There are later minor issues with a small black dot that doesn't look like a reel change marker, but which pops up very quickly and then disappears. None of this is overly problematic and is at worst a very brief distraction.

Grain is pretty chunky at various points during the presentation, pushing compression to its limits (and maybe beyond a time or two), as can be seen in several screenshots I've uploaded to this review. It's not necessarily dependent on darkness levels, either, with some relatively bright moments looking as gritty as any of the sewer scenes later in the film.

As both Brian and Svet mentioned in their reviews, the palette in this version is also very well rendered, with bright primaries looking very vivid and the almost hallucinogenic pastel tones resonating nicely as well. Brian graded the Image release at a 3.0 and Svet graded the Arrow UK release at 4.0, and I'm actually splitting the difference here.

Vamp Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

This release of Vamp features an LPCM Mono track, the same as the Arrow UK release (the Image Entertainment release offered an LPCM 2.0 mono track). While there's nothing wrong here, sonic energy is a little muted at times, especially considering what should be the raucous (and often musical) moments at the club. That said, all elements from dialogue to effects to score are presented cleanly and without any discernable damage. As with the video scores, I'm splitting the difference between Brian's 3.0 and Svet's 4.0.

Vamp Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Arrow release of Vamp repeats some of the supplements that the Arrow UK release of Vamp had, while omitting others (including the Commentary) and adding a new featurette.

• One of Those Nights: The Making of Vamp (1080p; 44:30) is the new supplement on this release, and is a typically excellent Arrow documentary, with a ton of background information, some of which is quite amusing. Writer-director Richard Wenk's interview contains some great nuggets about the genesis of the project, and both Chris Makepeace and Deedee Pfeiffer have some fun reminiscences as well. Grace Jones does not exactly emerge unscathed from their anecdotes.


• Rehearsal Footage (480i; 6:41) is sourced from archival video which isn't in the best shape (and which is awfully jiggly at times).


• Dracula Bites the Big Apple (480i*; 22:03) is a reasonably amusing short film from the early career of Richard Wenk. This is also sourced from problematic old video.


• Blooper Reel (480i*; 6:14) is similarly sourced from older video.


• TV Spots (480i; 3:44)


• Trailer 1 (480i*; 1:27)


• Trailer 2 (480i*; 1:58)


• Image Gallery (480p)

*These are listed at 1080p for the UK release.

Vamp Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Svet was evidently at least a little more favorably inclined toward Vamp than either Brian or I are, but though we may differ slightly in the details, we're probably all in agreement that this is an agreeable but hardly earth shaking treatment of vampire genre conventions. Some of the humor is goofily enjoyable, but (for me, anyway) the film never really works up much suspense or fright. Those interested in this film should probably do a comparison between the Arrow UK release (which is region free) and this one, since it will probably come down to a preferred aspect ratio and which supplements look more enticing.