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Vamps 2: Blood Sisters cast: Paul Morris, Glori-Anne Gilbert, Amber Newman, Rob Calvert, and Randy Rupp director: Mark Burchett 90 minutes (R) 2002 eIndependent Cinema NTSC DVD Region 1 retail RATING: 7/10 reviewed by Emma French |
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This movie is the sequel to Vamps: Deadly Dreamgirls, which achieved a cult
following after its release a decade ago, and which also features as one of the extras
on this collector's edition disc. The inclusion of both movies on the disc offers the
chance of direct comparison, and indicates that Vamps 2: Blood Sisters is the
better film, with better-looking strippers and a more coherent and compelling narrative.
Vamps has the distinction of one of the greatest celebrity endorsements of all
time in Alice Cooper's description of it as "the Gone With The Wind of vampire
stripper movies" - perhaps he will praise its sequel even more highly. The plot revolves around the Vamps club, a sleazy nightspot unsurprisingly populated by sexy vampire strippers. Heather (played by the fantastically-named Glori-Anne Gilbert) is a dancer who has only recently joined the realms of the undead, and who appears to be quite charming and affable by vampire standards. She is pitted against the more frightening, dominatrice-style vampire Elizabeth (Amber Newman), and assisted in her efforts by the saintly former priest Seamus. It's schlocky but largely enjoyable stuff. Snakes On A Plane appears to have proved that there is a market for movies with relatively low production values that don't take themselves too seriously, but Vamps 2, blending the genres of soft porn and horror, does not always compare well to the increasingly high quality production that has marked both those genres recently. The acting and dialogue are very clunky but the costumes and soundtrack are both great, and contribute well to the dreamlike, erotic ambience. The extras on the first disc are tailored to the film's place as part of the stable of Shock-O-Rama pictures. The web-link extras feature provides a useful and amusing set of links to other vampire fetish movie sites, and there are other Shock-O-Rama shorts and trailers for movies to watch. The trailers indicate that other movies from the production house do not reach the same standard as Vamps, and often appear to be pretty unappealing exploitation slasher films involving extreme violence against young women. The Vamps franchise, fortunately, seems to have a bit more heart and less cynicism. The second disc contains many further DVD extras for both Vamps: Deadly Dreamgirls (the Vamps trailer, Jenny Wallace Sexy Extra, interviews and a message from Lorissa) and Vamps 2: Blood Sisters (Vamps 2 trailer, behind-the scenes, Babes & Horror: Making Vamps 2, interviews, bloopers, Glori-Anne and Leslie Culton extended dances, Glori-Anne impromptu interview, and trailers for other releases). Amongst this extraordinarily comprehensive extras collection, the most worthwhile pieces to watch are the bloopers, the extended dances and the behind-the scenes material. This film does not claim to be any more than it is; despite the inclusion of quite interesting vampire backstory and the ambitious DVD extras it is never pretentious and wisely focuses on the foxy, fanged girls.
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