VAMPIRE IN BROOKLYN
Directed by Wes Craven
Starring Eddie Murphy and Angela Bassett
USA, 1995
GRADE: C+
The trailers and posters for Vampire in Brooklyn really made the
picture look like a fairly cheesy Eddie Murphy vehicle. In fact, the film is a
grim horror comedy, and not at all an embarrassment for the unpredictable Wes Craven (A Nightmare on Elm Street).
Stylistically, it's fairly standard (the editing, especially, suggests a rush
job), although Craven's sensibility is good for a few disgusting visual jokes, and
the very charming Murphy outdoes himself in three roles, including two where he's
virtually unrecognizable. Angela Bassett is good, of course, though she was
much better in Strange Days. The big surprise
is that the dialogue and delivery are genuinely funny throughout -- it suggests that Craven, who got his start with Last House on the Left (which remains a terribly disturbing film),
is actually morphing into a servicable director of Hollywood standards.
The bottom line is that Vampire in Brooklyn is funny and gross,
but saddled with a pedestrian storyline (credited in part to Murphy's
brother!) that denies any real magic in its premise and sinks its potential as a dark fantasy. Worse, the film just goes on too long. At 80 minutes, it might have been a delicious dark chocolate candy of a horror picture. As it stands, it's a comedy that saps its own energy too
quickly, sinking into bloodless tedium. Recommended for even casual fans of Craven,
Murphy, or the genre, but otherwise inconsequential.
DEEP FOCUS: Movie Reviews by Bryant Frazer
http://www.deep-focus.com/flicker/
bryant@deep-focus.com