As any movie buff knows, very few monsters have been featured in as many films over the years as vampires have. As someone who has loved tales of the undead since childhood, I've seen quite a few flicks in my time that deal with the subject, from Bela Lugosi's "Dracula" to 1987's "Lost Boys". So imagine my surprise when I came across one that I had never heard of. It's a little horror, comedy called "Nightlife" and it's one that very few others have probably heard of as well. That's a shame because unlike many low budget horror pictures, this one is widely entertaining!
The film starts in beautiful Mexico City, where a group of grave diggers are digging up old remains for one reason or another and they come across the perfectly preserved body of a beautiful woman. Their awe of her turns to horror, however, when she opens her eyes and as a result, they run away in typically fashion. Her name is Angelique (played by the charming and former Bond girl Maryam d'Abo) and of course she is a vampire. But as it turns out she is one with a conscious, since she allowed herself to be buried in order to avoid her evil boyfriend, vampire lord Vlad (the always enjoyable Ben Cross). Needless to say, a lot has changed since she went into the ground and it doesn't take long before hilarious situations ensue, such as the scene where she thinks a blood bank is a place to pick up blood rather than giving it! Luckily she ends up meeting a young, American doctor named David (Keith Szarabajka, in an especially effective performance) who quickly takes a liking to her. But Angelique has a lot more to worry about than trying to explain her condition to her human lover. Vlad turns up in town and he's dead set on reuniting with his lost love and turning her into a killer. Can Angelique and David defeat Vlad or are they doomed to fail?
Looking at the film, you can tell it was probably made on a low budget, although I must say the overall production looks good. With that said, what makes the film stand out is the quality of acting. Maryam d'Abo is nothing short of lovely as the innocent Angelique and you just can't help but fall in love with her. Her co-star, Keith Szarabajka, is equally likable in his role of David and together, he and Maryam have wonderful chemistry together throughout the film. And of course, what good would a vampire movie be if it didn't have a villain. Ben Cross shines in the role of Vlad, as he manages to be both menacing and yet comedic when the occasion calls for it (Not long after this, Ben Cross would go on to play the immortal Barnabas Collins in the splendid but sadly short lived 1990 revival of "Dark Shadows". Curiously, as any "Shadows" fan may know, that series also featured a character named Angelique). All the actors here demonstrate great comedic timing, whether it's Angelique's extreme fear of bugs, David's zany behavior whenever he makes a scientific breakthrough, or Vlad's punch line at the end: "Angelique, you broke my heart". There were a number of instances where I simply couldn't help but burst out laughing because the comedic timing was just so spot on. But the film also has a well crafted story that you can just tell someone put a lot into to it. Also it's worthy to note that Mexico City is filmed beautifully, particularly in regards to the ancient Cathedrals that dominate the city. Yet despite all this though, as I mentioned earlier, the film is virtually unknown ( I only learned about the existence of the movie when looking at Ben Cross's bio). As to why that is, I haven't the slightest idea. There's absolutely no info about this film on IMDb or anywhere else (the film doesn't even have a Wikipedia page). I can't even tell for sure if the film was made for TV or a studio. Whatever the case is, it slipped through the cracks for God knows why. The good news is that movie is available on you tube and it's probably the only place you can view it. So until this film is released on DVD, which I desperately hope it will be one day, I recommend "Nightlife" to those who enjoy a smart, funny, and entertaining film of any type.
