Once Bitten rating - 80's Teen Rating -
Right off the bat, no pun intended, the film screams 80's. So I knew I was going to like it to some degree. There is something about the 80's decade that just appeals to me. The clothes, the music, the vibe. Maybe I should have been a teen in the 80's.
The film has The Countess, a 400+ year old vampire who needs to suck the blood of a virgin to retain her youthful beauty. She picks Jim Carrey, a sexually frustrated teenager whose been trying to get it on with his girlfriend, but she isn't ready. A comical opening with them in a car surrounded by every other car rockin' had me chuckle. Well, he goes to the Vamp's place and she sucks his blood. Is it done yet? Nope, she has to do it two more times to complete the ritual. Is he doing okay? Nope, he's slowly becoming pale, wearing black, sensitive to light and he can't seem to find his reflection in the mirror. How can they stop the Countess and save the virgin at the same time?
Cue a lot of dated sexual humour. When Robin, his girlfriend, goes to a bookstore to get more information on vampires (something this guy knows way too much about) there are a few awkward jokes thrown around. She asks him "will a female vampire suck the blood of an 18 year old boy?" The man replies with a quick "No" and a smile. "How can you be so sure?" she asks. "The female vampire needs the blood of a virgin. If an 18 year old boy is a virgin, he has bigger problems than vampires on his hands". Oomph.
That pales in comparison to a bit in the shower. When his buddies try to see if they can spot the bite marks on his inner thighs, fellow students see this as a homosexual act and proceed to yell out FAG ALERT, FAGS IN THE SHOWER. Cringe-worthy. It all accumulates to Robin giving in to Mark (Carrey) in order to save his life. What a line eh? You need to have sex with me...my life depends on it. I'm not entirely sure how the sex stuff played out back in the mid 80's, but it's dated and awkward now.
The rest of the film is solid gold though. Jim Carrey's first leading role I think. He pulls his usual limber and comedic facial bits here and there. A standout scene is a dance off between Mark - Robin - The Countess. Who knew he had so many moves? I watched this film through the eyes of "This is an 80's teen comedy" and took it at that value. Is it a "good" film? That's debatable, but it's one that I enjoyed. I mean come on, this movie has a vampire pushing over an elderly woman in a department store for crying out loud. It's funny.
And I'm sorry, as attractive as Lauren Hutton is....Karen Kopins had this cute factor going on that I couldn't stop thinking about.