“This blood’s for you.”
Sometimes all you need is a lighthearted horror comedy to put you in a good mood. 1987’s My Best Friend Is A Vampire is the perfect film to do just that. Rated PG, it’s a fairly family-friendly comedy that has a little bit of action, a little bit of romance, and a few light scares. The raciest moment in the film takes place near the beginning when our hero/vampire, Jeremy (Robert Sean Leonard) is seduced by the slightly older and very beautiful Nora (Cecilia Peck), who is wearing lingerie. She bites him on the neck and is then promptly dispatched by a crazed vampire hunter named Leopold McCarthy (David Warner) and his inept assistant, Grimsdyke (Paul Willson). The duo then set out to kill Jeremy, but misidentify him as his best friend, Ralph (Evan Mirand). While all of this is going on, Jeremy is falling for the nerdy and lovely Darla (Cheryl Pollak), and being trained for his new afterlife by Modoc (Rene Auberjonois), his vampire counselor.
The film is pretty funny and, to be quite honest, I didn’t know that it even existed until just a few days ago despite the fact that I’m a fan of Auberjonois, Pollak, and Warner. Leonard would go on to have a very solid career in film and on television. Auberjonois was already on a successful series, Benson, and would go on to appear in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Pollak, despite being a very good actress and having good looks to boot, continuously works but hasn’t become a major star. Kathy Bates has a small role as Pollak’s mother in the film as well.
The film has a pretty straightforward message of accepting people as they are, but some people also see it as having a deeper message of accepting homosexuals. In fact, Jeremy’s parents believe that he may be homosexual and try their best to support him and his new, weird behaviors. The movie plays fast and loose with the rules of vampirism. For instance, Jeremy and Modoc are sensitive to light, but can move about in daylight freely. Garlic burns them, they have no reflection, and their hunger for blood can be quenched with animal blood. They do not have to feast on humans.
Give My Best Friend Is A Vampire a chance. It’s a really well done film that has a decent soundtrack, a really likeable cast, and a fun plot. It’s the perfect introductory film for new vampire fans. I highly recommend it.
Ken's Alternate Universe! 