Hallowatch 2026 No. 14: Vamps (2012)
Wikipedia for the Synopsis. I'm not going to pay attention if I spoil something or not. Proceed with the knowledge of that in mind.
This movie ruled. This wasn't originally on the docket for my hallowatch — Tulpa was, but the version I had came with zero subtitles, so we pivot. And what a movie to pivot into! This isn't going to deliver spooky scary thrills or anything, it's very much on the Comedy side of Horror Comedy. Almost more like a scooby doo, where it's using the trappings of horror to do literally anything other than horror. Note that basically all of sci-fi is that for science fiction now. Weird to think about.
I think this almost certainly going to be the most sentimental movie we watch for Hallowatch 2026; as a Movie Enjoyer, the way Goody tracked time by remembering old movies and when they happened was such a punch to the tear ducts for me. Even her makeup is a clear allusion to Brigitte Helm's (in Metropolis), it was really touching. I loved how much they leaned on the intentionally bad effects in this — all the Harryhausen and Ghostbusters effects are so fun, especially on Sigourney Weaver.
I think it's really weird when comedy-vampires get brought up that the conversation basically immediately turns to What We Do In The Shadows first; this predates it by a couple years (and yeah it isn't the first thing to explore the concept) but I found the earnestness this approached the topic with very sweet, and the performances all solid, including a late-period Malcolm McDowell, who has been in an Eric Roberts/"Cash the Checks" mode since, oh, Star Trek Generations? Also an early Dan Stevens performance.
Rewatch? Hell yeah. Sequel? God No. Remake? Let's give it a couple years to breathe but yeah, I'd be interested in how other people do this. ■
