VAMPIRES SUCK: EXTENDED BITE ME EDITION
(PG-13)
MOVIE: *** (out of 5)
BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: ** (out of 5)
BY KEVIN CARR
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
The current mavens of the spoof movie, Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer, take a little more focus and aim a stake at the heart of the current wash of vampire romances. In this film, Becca moves to the new town of Sporks, Washington, and falls in love with the local vampire. But when the Chihuahua werewolf takes a shine to her, it ignites an inter-species battle for her love and her soul.
WHAT I LIKED
Like many of the critics out there, I have lamented the existence of Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer for years. Just because they worked on “Scary Movie” doesn’t mean they really know how to make a good spoof flick. However, “Vampires Suck” represents a step up from their usual fare of scatter-shot randomness of pop culture references.
What makes “Vampires Suck” work to a degree (making it the best film that Friedberg and Seltzer have done) is that it focuses on the “Twilight” vampire craze. Sure, there are some random pop culture references like Lady Gaga, but they have more focus. For the most part, the jokes are mildly relevant at least, and this puts this movie closer to what this spoof pair aspires to be (that being the ZAZ team and the Wayans).
Of course, what also works in this film is some good talent. Jenn Proske plays the character of Becca, and she does a spot-on Kristen Stewart impression. Her and Diedrich Bader had me laughing quite a few times in this film.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Well, it is a Friedberg and Seltzer movie, after all. The special effects are laughable. It’s not a pooping penguin from “Meet the Spartans,” but it’s also not anything that even holds up to the first “Twilight” movie… and those effects were utter crap.
They do tend to overtell a joke now and then, like when Jacob turns into a Chihuahua and Becca exclaims, “A Chihuahua?” But at least they took the tell-the-audience-the-joke-after-they-see-it Lady Gaga moment out of the trailer.
There will always be things to complain about with Friedberg and Seltzer, but at least in this film they have grown, even if it is just a bit.
BLU-RAY FEATURES
For this being a nice step-up from the Friedberg and Seltzer sewer that normally comes out in the theaters, the “Bite Me” edition was pretty skimpy on the features. But it’s not completely dead. (chuckle, chuckle)
Both the theatrical and the unrated version are available on the DVD and Blu-ray, and that unrated version adds a handful of minutes to the original release. It’s not too raw or anything, but rather just plays out some jokes a little more.
There’s also several deleted scenes and a somewhat humorous, if not under-edited, gag reel to round out the disc.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Fans of the “Twilight” movies… and those who don’t really like them either.