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Vampires vs the Bronx, 2020
Three friends living in the Bronx--Miguel (Jaden Michael), Bobby (Gerald Jones III), and Luis (Gregory Diaz IV)--are alarmed when a new real estate firm begins buying up buildings left and right in their neighborhood. Soon coming to suspect that the new interlopers have a lot more on their mind than gentrification, the boys set out to defend their territory from a vampire menace.
I won't lie--part of my interest in this film came out of the weird little downvote campaign on IMDb (5% give it a 1/10? Really?). The movie turns out to be exactly what you'd expect--a fun little romp with shades of Attack the Block and People Under the Stairs.
I read a few remarks about how comparing vampirism to gentrification was hateful toward white people. But I think that the film isn't even equating the two. It's more that gentrification provides a cover for the vampires to infiltrate the neighborhood. While it generates some good laughs ("White people holding canvas tote bags are always the first sign" one boy glumly notes, looking at an artist depiction of a renovated building), the film ends up with a bit of a muddled message. The vampires repeatedly state that they like living somewhere that people can disappear and no one really does anything about it . . . but if they start to move a richer, more powerful class of people into the neighborhood, they will lose their hunting ground.
Fortunately, the logic gaps don't make too big of a dent because the film is mostly after a fun time and it succeeds on that front. The three stars are charismatic, and they are well supported by an adult cast--especially The Kid Mero as Tony, the owner of the local bodega--that gives the neighborhood some texture and provides some strong line deliveries. ("Those little sh*ts stole my Sprite!" gripes Method Man as the local preacher, after the boys take soda bottles to steal holy water).
And while I felt that some of the gentrification stuff was a bit muddled, I did appreciate the way that the film drew parallels between the strategies used by the vampires and the strategies used by the local drug dealers--both use a mix of bribery and intimidation to get the residents to do what they want. There's also interesting to note that the police shown in the film, also used by the real estate firm, are both Black. There are some interesting observations about race and power and systems, and I wish that they came together in a more coherent way instead of more isolated moments of insight.
The film is littered with visual gags and other references to vampire films and mythology. (The real estate firm is Murnau Enterprises; Luis reads Salem's Lot in an early scene, and there is a direct Nosferatu homage as a shadow advances on a character). These are fun, but at times they have the effect of reminding you of better vampire movies. The final showdown is okay (and there's a great visual gag as two girls obliviously walk through the confrontation with their eyes firmly on their cell phones), but it lacks a bit of heft. The vampires are taken down way too easily.
Overall a fun little horror-comedy and the kind of movie that might be good especially for someone who is like 8-10 years old and wanting to watch "horror" that isn't too intense.
Vampires vs the Bronx, 2020
Three friends living in the Bronx--Miguel (Jaden Michael), Bobby (Gerald Jones III), and Luis (Gregory Diaz IV)--are alarmed when a new real estate firm begins buying up buildings left and right in their neighborhood. Soon coming to suspect that the new interlopers have a lot more on their mind than gentrification, the boys set out to defend their territory from a vampire menace.
I won't lie--part of my interest in this film came out of the weird little downvote campaign on IMDb (5% give it a 1/10? Really?). The movie turns out to be exactly what you'd expect--a fun little romp with shades of Attack the Block and People Under the Stairs.
I read a few remarks about how comparing vampirism to gentrification was hateful toward white people. But I think that the film isn't even equating the two. It's more that gentrification provides a cover for the vampires to infiltrate the neighborhood. While it generates some good laughs ("White people holding canvas tote bags are always the first sign" one boy glumly notes, looking at an artist depiction of a renovated building), the film ends up with a bit of a muddled message. The vampires repeatedly state that they like living somewhere that people can disappear and no one really does anything about it . . . but if they start to move a richer, more powerful class of people into the neighborhood, they will lose their hunting ground.
Fortunately, the logic gaps don't make too big of a dent because the film is mostly after a fun time and it succeeds on that front. The three stars are charismatic, and they are well supported by an adult cast--especially The Kid Mero as Tony, the owner of the local bodega--that gives the neighborhood some texture and provides some strong line deliveries. ("Those little sh*ts stole my Sprite!" gripes Method Man as the local preacher, after the boys take soda bottles to steal holy water).
And while I felt that some of the gentrification stuff was a bit muddled, I did appreciate the way that the film drew parallels between the strategies used by the vampires and the strategies used by the local drug dealers--both use a mix of bribery and intimidation to get the residents to do what they want. There's also interesting to note that the police shown in the film, also used by the real estate firm, are both Black. There are some interesting observations about race and power and systems, and I wish that they came together in a more coherent way instead of more isolated moments of insight.
The film is littered with visual gags and other references to vampire films and mythology. (The real estate firm is Murnau Enterprises; Luis reads Salem's Lot in an early scene, and there is a direct Nosferatu homage as a shadow advances on a character). These are fun, but at times they have the effect of reminding you of better vampire movies. The final showdown is okay (and there's a great visual gag as two girls obliviously walk through the confrontation with their eyes firmly on their cell phones), but it lacks a bit of heft. The vampires are taken down way too easily.
Overall a fun little horror-comedy and the kind of movie that might be good especially for someone who is like 8-10 years old and wanting to watch "horror" that isn't too intense.