Love at First Bite (1979) User Reviews

Hilariously goofy

[jhaggardjr · 7/10 · 27 May 2000]

"Love at First Bite" is one of the goofiest movies ever made. That doesn't make it a bad movie though. I have to admit that I did laugh alot while watching this. George Hamilton is bloody good as a comedic Count Dracula who goes to New York City to find his true love, fashion model Susan Saint James. Richard Benjamin plays James' shrink who just happens to be related to the great vampire killer Dr. Van Helsing, and goes out of his way to try to stop her from seeing Count Dracula. These three actors generate laughs, but the funniest scenes are provided by Arte Johnson as Count Dracula's assistant Renfield. His obnoxious laugh throughout the film is hilarious. And wouldn't ya know, it features separate cameo appearances by The Jeffersons! "Love at First Bite" isn't the best comedy ever made, but if you want to watch some good dumb fun, this is it.

*** (out of four)

Great spoof, with some great lines.

[KevinBeckett · 6/10 · 1 November 1999]

A great comedic version of the story, with a tanned vampire Hamilton looking for his lost love to give her the bite. Several very funny moments, especially once Dracula and Renfield reach New York. Slightly dated with several 70's era references, but still a very funny movie. Can't get over the tan.

Pretty funny.

[rmax304823 · 7/10 · 4 December 2005]

I guess I won't go on about this. Count Dracula (Hamilton) is ejected from his castle by a bunch of commies who will turn it into a collective Zheloy Dom. He winds up opening his coffin at a black funeral by mistake. And so forth.

This is a funny movie. At times it is a very funny movie.

The humor has a kind of haimische tint to it. Renfield tells Dracula that if it hadn't been for him, Renfield, Dracula would have had a stake driven through his heart, and so on. "So vot do you vant -- a MEDAL?" asks the Count.

Some fun is poked at African-Americans but it doesn't seem offensive. It seems amusing. A young man in New York attacks Dracula and is thrown into a store window and runs off with a TV set. Well, it could be worse. 1972 was kind of a bad year for New York, as I know all to well.

Catch this one. You'll be tickled.

A rarity...a film with nary a distasteful moment!

[uds3 · 26 October 2003]

Quite incredible this was made the same year as ALIEN. Seems a couple of generations earlier - a real throwback to 50's and 60's "family" movies.

Totally watchable and entertaining flick (which is somewhat MORE than can be said for Hamilton's follow-up, ZORRO THE GAY BLADE). The strength of the film lies in its principals. Hamilton as suave and out-of-the-20th-century-loop Count Vladimir Dracula, Susan St James in what was inarguably her best screen role as NY super model Cindy Sondheim, and ever-funny Richard Benjamin as Dr Jeffrey Rosenberg..a distant relation of Dr Van Helsing no less!

Both are in love with Cindy who is torn every which way emotionally, even allowing for her understandable concern as to the restrictive life of a bat in general. The interplay between Hamilton and Benjamin is often priceless. The film never really aims to be anything more than what it is - a lightweight romantic comedy with bite, and this becomes it well. Particularly cheerful little ending which adds pep!

Always to be remembered for the disco sequence and I LOVE THE NIGHTLIFE which still conjures up for me so vividly those dance-floor scenes. No way a masterpiece - simply a film which holds very pleasant memories for many people I imagine!

Fresh, funny Dracula update to the '70s: "Children of the night, shut up."

[moonspinner55 · 7/10 · 3 June 2016]

Forced out of his Transylvanian castle by government officials, Count Vladimir Dracula and his bug-eating man-servant, Renfield, pull up stakes and land in New York City, where the bloodsucker begins his search for the fashion model he believes is his soulmate. "Love at First Bite" is a sassy, snorting romp, but it isn't crude; it has too big of a heart to be just another vampire spoof. Bram Stoker's infamous Count has been modernized (via the 1970s) as a die-hard romantic with a ticklish side (he amuses himself), and George Hamilton could not be better in the role. Whether seducing flaky sexpot Susan Saint James with some fancy moves on the dance-floor, matching wits with Richard Benjamin as a nutty psychiatrist (and Van Helsing relative!) or robbing a blood bank with Arte Johnson's Renfield in tow, Hamilton never gets pushy with his Dracula incarnation; he's working in a surprising, charming lower key and doesn't resort to hamming for laughs. The movie isn't especially well-produced--the color is gloppy, the continuity is spotty and the third act business is squashed together--but it has a sense of naughty (though not vulgar) playfulness that audiences responded to. Hamilton's obvious delight with this comic-book approach to Dracula is infectious, as well. His Count may not be street-smart or completely self-assured, but he's a flexible vampire, willing to adapt to the times. He's also loyal to the people he loves, and this gives the romance a groovy kick (when this vampire says "I love you," you knows he means it; he swoons a little himself when he says it). Hamilton revels in the fun, and he looks great in the cape. *** from ****

Good, Humorous late 70's Horror Comedy!

[gwnightscream · 6/10 · 10 November 2019]

This 1979 horror comedy stars George Hamilton, Susan Saint James, Richard Benjamin and Arte Johnson. This is a send-up of "Dracula" and the very tan, Hamilton plays the Count who is kicked out of his castle in Transylvania and heads to New York where he searches for his future bride, Cindy (Saint James), a model. Dracula starts seducing her, but also blends in with the city and even dances in a nightclub. Benjamin plays psychiatrist, Rosenberg who is a Van Helsing descendant and Johnson (Laugh-In) plays Dracula's insect-eating servant, Renfield. This is a good, humorous flick, Hamilton is great in it, the rest of the cast is good as well as Charles Bernstein's score. I recommend this if you're into horror or comedy.

Dracula in Disco era!!!

[elo-equipamentos · 7/10 · 13 March 2018]

Spook but highly enjoyable black comedy, indeed a little alike Roman Polanski's The Fearless Vampire Killers, at least Arte Johnson as Renfield, in New York disco era this is my guilty pleasure movie neither, good humor, forbidden romance and the Master the Vampire and the right hand Renfield has a amazing chemistry of priceless funny scenes, Susan Saint James is great shape of glorious days, by the way has a Van Helsing's jewish descendent, yes sir Jewish!!!

Resume:

First watch: 1985 / How many: 4 / Source: TV-VHS-DVD / Rating: 7

"Without me Transylvania will be as exciting as Bucharest, on a Monday night!" OK spoofy horror.

[poolandrews · 4/10 · 18 March 2005]

Love at First Bite starts in Transylvania at Count Vladimir Dracula's (George Hamilton) castle. A female Government official (Lidia Kristen) informs Dracula that they are going to take possession of his castle and turn it into 'a training camp for our young athlete's' & that 'we will be back in 48 hours with trampolines', unfortunately this is about as 'funny' as Love at First Bite gets. Dracula feels he has no choice but to leave. So along with his very annoying servant Renfield (Arte Johnson) Dracula decides to head for New York to find a woman he has become convinced is the reincarnation of his lost love, a successful fashion model named Cindy Sondheim (Susan Saint James). Once safely in New York and checked into the Plaza, Dracula goes about trying to find Cindy by first sending Renfield to Cindy's agent (Susan Tolsky). Eventually Dracula discovers Cindy will be at a disco and makes sure he is there too. Dracula introduces himself to Cindy at the disco and with his strange quirky charms working their magic Cindy falls for him. They end up at Cindy's apartment where Dracula bites Cindy on the neck, and they have sex two and a half times apparently. While discussing her feelings the next day with her Psychiatrist Dr. Jeffery Rosenberg (Richard Benjamin) he finds out about the bite and says that she has been bitten by a Vampire & also that he is a descendant of infamous Vampire hunter Van Helsing. Rosenberg, along with NYPD Lieutenant Ferguson (Dick Shawn) sets out to stop Dracula before he permanently turns Cindy into a blood-sucking immortal Vampire! Meanwhile Dracula & Cindy fall in love with each other and decide to escape New York, but will this unusual love story have a happy ending? Directed by Stan Dragoti I must admit that I personally didn't find much to laugh at in this comedy/horror spoof. The script by Robert Kaufman tires hard with one-liners coming thick and fast but they just aren't that funny. The physical slapstick doesn't work either, someone being hit by a broom and then pulling a silly face before they fall over just isn't amusing as far as I'm concerned. Love at First Bite is the sort of film that thinks Dracula drinking the blood of a drunk and then becoming drunk himself and singing & a woman being shown a mouse who then runs away screaming is funny. It isn't. Having said that I did smile on occasion and the film definitely has a certain innocent charm, although the film does contain some bad language. George Hamilton as Dracula is great & extremely likable, I really wanted it to end happily for the guy! On the other hand I hated Arte Johnson as Renfield and Richard Benjamin as Jeffery Rosenberg who both play it so over-the-top it's embarrassing. Susan Saint James as Cindy the love interest is OK. On a technical level the film has a nice look throughout and obviously had a fairly handsome budget, I've no complaints about this side of things. Dracula's trials and tribulations while trying to survive a late 70's New York are mildly amusing but again nothing that really made me laugh out loud. There is a fairly fun taxi/police motorbike chase towards the end as well. Some of it is far too silly for it's own good too. Overall I don't regret watching Love at First Bite but maybe it's just not my type of film. I can't in good heart call it a bad film but at the same time I can't really say I enjoyed it when I didn't. I'll leave the decision up to you.

Got the Dracula thing right!

[marykateanswer42 · 8/10 · 30 October 2004]

I'm big on the older vampire films--Bela Lugosi, Frank Langella (although Gary Oldman was darned sexy). "Love at First Bite" was a brilliant spoof of the original Dracula. The update of Dracula in New York has been redone many times but not as well as this. Okay, it's a little dated with the disco vibe and the clothing, but George Hamilton's campy accent and deep Dracula gaze were perfect. The writer and George Hamilton had obviously studied the Bela Lugosi version carefully, and there are many references to famous lines, e.g., "I never drink...wine." Reviewers who knock this movie don't know the source material very well. Richard Benjamin, Artie Johnson, and Susan St. James were a great supporting cast.

Cheeky spoof of Bela Lugosi's Dracula

[Leofwine_draca · 7/10 · 19 August 2016]

Affectionate spoof of the classic vampire story and most notably the Bela Lugosi film version, which benefits from a witty, intelligent script and some fine casting choices for the leads. However, the best thing about this film is the sense of harmless fun, and its extremely refreshing to see a modern movie with no swearing, violence, or sex scenes to ruin it for a family audience. Instead, what we get are plenty of one-liners which spoof those uttered by Lugosi (the best remembered being "Children of the night... shut up!") and excellent caricatured turns from the actors who really put themselves into the roles. In fact the only person who falls foul is the uninteresting Susan Saint James, whose boring character sits at odds with the rest of the film making you wonder why Dracula would go to all of the trouble bothering with her.

George Hamilton effortlessly slips into the role of the suave, sophisticated Count with his tongue-in-cheek portrayal, and he isn't afraid to gently mock the character's idiosyncrasies while doing it either. Easily acting opposite him is an over-the-top Richard Benjamin, playing a slightly mad and frenetic descendant of Van Helsing, whose various encounters and battles with Dracula prove to be the highlights of the movie. Lower down in the cast we have a nice performance from Dick Shawn as the world-weary cop caught up in the case, and a scene-stealing appearance by Arte Johnson as Renfield, who cracks me up every time with his Dwight Frye-inspired manic laughing. With a very light plot, amusing humour, and emphasis on fun and action over slow-paced romance, LOVE AT FIRST BITE is a fine watch for vampire lovers everywhere.

When Did Vampires Get Funny?

[Hitchcoc · 5/10 · 28 December 2016]

I'm prejudiced. As soon as I see George Hamilton is in a film, I avoid it. My interest in a Dracula story, even a spoof, did cause me to watch this. Count Dracula has to vacate Transylvania and move to New York. There's a woman there he needs to hook up with. With all the people around, he has trouble finding her. Once he does, handsome and tanned as he is (how does a vampire get a tan?) she is resistant to a relationship (being a New York gal). She is also very aggressive sexually and this kind of turns him off (even the living dead like to have a girl play hard to get). Anyway, he is mistreated by rude New Yorkers and shoved aside along the way. When psychiatrist Richard Benjamin realizes he is a vampire, he tries to put a stop to things with this young woman. I guess if this movie has a strength, it allows people to come up with puns about blood and biting and other vampires stuff.

Grungy-But-Very Funny Dracula Spoof

[ccthemovieman-1 · 9/10 · 20 April 2006]

Despite the '70s sleaze and feel to it, this is still a classic comedy with many laugh-out-loud scenes, similar to the Dracula spoof Mel Brooks put out in the '90s (Dracula: Dead And Loving It). Brooks must have been inspired watching this film.

Susan St. James is okay in the female lead role here but almost all the laughs are produced by three guys: George Hamilton IV, Arte Johnson and Richard Benjamin. This has to be Hamilton's best role by far. He excels with his deadpan humor and restrained style as the famous "Count Dracula." Johnson, as "Renfield," still makes me laugh with his stupid laugh in here and Benjamin added a lot of spark to the film the moment he entered, playing the ultra-liberal psychiatrist who knows who Dracula right off and tries in vain to stop him.

Speaking of "liberal," this film is like something discovered out of a time capsule, if you want to see the most Liberal period in American history - the '60s and '70s - with the too-casual attitude toward sex, drugs and anything of moral value. St. James, as model "Cindy Sonheim," gives us Exhibit A of that, with Benjamin close behind.

Since all four of the major characters in here provide tons of entertainment in this hour-and-a-half, this movie always is fun to watch, no matter what era.

"Come Back...Black Chicken!"

[Uriah43 · 6/10 · 23 June 2023]

Having escaped from certain death in England, "Count Dracula" (George Hamilton) has returned to Transylvania and he has continued to exist there until the modern age. To that effect, while he remains secluded in his castle, he doesn't notice how the world around him has changed. So much so that, to his surprise, he is visited by some Romanian officials who, not only seize his castle in the name of the communist party, but also evict him from it as well. So, with nowhere else to go, he decides to travel to New York to meet a fashion model named "Cindy Sondheim" (Susan Saint James) who he believes to be his long lost love from centuries earlier. What he doesn't count on, however, is that she has a boyfriend named "Dr. Jeff Rosenberg" (Richard Benjamin) who knows exactly who he is--and he has no intention of allowing Count Dracula to steal her away. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that I really liked this movie when it first came out. I especially liked the scene where Count Dracula turned into a bat and was mistaken for a "black chicken." Likewise, I enjoyed the performance of Arte Johnson (as "Renfield") as well. In any case, although this film has aged a bit since the last time I saw it, I still got some enjoyment out of it and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.

A pretty cheesy vampire spoof...

[SinjinSB · 5/10 · 8 November 2002]

A pretty cheesy vampire spoof, starring George Hamilton and Susan Saint James. It's definitely a bit dated, set in the end of the disco era. As many faults as this movie has, it does have some fairly amusing scenes...like when the bat flies into the poor families apartment and they try to catch the black chicken for food. If you keep your expectations low and you go into it in the mood for a late 70s vampire spoof, you might not be too disappointed. I actually found myself mildly entertained laughing at this movie. Granted most of the laughs may have been unintentional, but there are few honest chuckles in there.

** (Out of 4)

Love at First Bite

[Coxer99 · 26 May 1999]

Clever romantic comedy with the always charming Hamilton as a more hoaky and fun Count Dracula. There are plenty of wonderful gags and a witty supporting performance from "Laugh In" alum, Arte Johnson, as Dracula's sidekick.

Dracula-in-the-modern-day parody with George Hamilton

[Wuchakk · 6/10 · 26 September 2021]

The Communist regime in Romania forces Dracula from his castle (George Hamilton), so he and Renfield (Arte Johnson) fly to New York City to meet a model who has caught the Count's eye (Susan Saint James). Richard Benjamin plays her therapist and Dick Shawn an officer that tries to help solve the vampire happenings.

"Love at First Bite" (1979) spoofs Dracula flicks and was AIP's most successful film up to that point (an honor that would only last three months, after which "The Amityville Horror" took the crown). It surged Hamilton's career and remains his most profitable movie.

If you like other classic monster satires, such as "The Vampire Happening" (1971) and "Young Frankenstein" (1974), you should appreciate this one. It puts Dracula in the modern day Big City and milks it for fun. While it's rarely laugh-out-loud funny, it's consistently amusing (or eye-rolling) in a quiet smirks kind of way. There are several cameos of celebs that were popular at the time.

Although it has been accused of being "racist," it pokes fun of people across the board, whatever their skin color or socioeconomic status. For instance, the beginning makes fun of Romanian Communists followed by superstitious rural villagers (all white people).

The film runs 1 hour, 36 minutes, and was shot in Manhattan and The Langham Apartments, Los Angeles.

GRADE: B-

The Best of Three 1979 Dracula Films

[Cineanalyst · 7/10 · 26 June 2018]

Before viewing this Dracula spoof, "Love at First Bite," I watched two other 1979 film adaptations of Bram Stoker's novel: Universal's update and Werner Herzog's "Nosferatu" remake. I've been watching a bunch of Dracula movies since reading the novel, and I was especially disappointed by those two versions, as well as by Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 production. All three of those films turned the gothic horror story into romances. Klaus Kinski played Dracula as a lovesick clown; Coppola expanded on the historical Vlad the Impaler connection to make a silly-Hollywood reincarnation love story; and Universal's "Dracula" is entirely dime-romance-novel trash. "Love at First Bite" manages not only to successfully parody such adaptations; it also has a better romance. It doesn't play to juvenile emotionality of the lowest common denominator for the genre; it's just fun, and the woman chooses whether to be turned into a vampire. It's not the damsel-in-distress or sacrificial-lamb treatments of rape fantasies passed off as romantic, as in other Dracula movies (which are often far more misogynistic than the 19th-Century source). And George Hamilton's tanned burlesque on the suave vamp almost makes it worth having watched the travesty with Frank Langella in the role.

Another thing I like about this parody is its twist on the "invasion" genre, of which Stoker's novel was part of. The book is a rather xenophobic tale of a foreign Easterner sneaking into the West to steal women. In "Love at First Bite," however, Dracula's Transylvanian castle is seized by the communist Romanian government, and he's evicted. Booed out of town by the villagers, he flies, with his servant Renfield, to New York. This is such a hilarious twist on the novel that I didn't mind that the rest of the jokes are hit and miss. Plus, the one-liners and gags keep coming, so a failed bit here and there is soon passed over. For instance, some of the politically-incorrect humor, including at the expense of African Americans and much of the plot with Van Helsing's Jewish-Freudian-shrink descendant isn't so much offensive as it's just dated and not funny. On the other hand, the opening line of Dracula yelling, "Children of the Night, shut up!," in addition to the invasion twist, is a great start to a comedy that makes fun of the novel, and with the main narrative of a suave-Dracula romance, makes fun of other Dracula movies.

pretty amusing spoof of the Dracula legend

[disdressed12 · 7/10 · 15 July 2007]

this is a pretty good send up of the Dracula lore. the basic premise is that Dracula ends up being evicted from his castle in Transylvania and decides to relocate to New York to be with his true love,even if she doesn't know it.the most amusing aspect of this movie is George Hamilton as the count.George Hamilton is a perpetually tanned person and in the movie,he is also tanned.picture Count Dracula,who is supposed to be deathly pale with a dark tan.that's a pretty funny picture.then,we have the count in New York who is like a fish out of water.there are some some very funny lines in this movie,mainly owing to the count not being familiar with the language and customs of a modern city.Susan Saint James plays the love interest Cindy Sondheim and is quite funny in her role.the character of Renfield is also very funny,but it is Richard Benjamin as the count's rival for Cindy's affections and adversary who steals the show with his scenes.the humour in this movie is not the tears streaming down your face kind.it's more droll and wry,but it works.the movie moves at good clip and maintains interest throughout.i especially liked how the actors manage to have a deadpan delivery for their silly lines.basically,i liked this movie quite a bit.it's certainly worth 90 minutes to 2 hours of time.i give "Love at First Bite" a 7/10

Disco Drac.

[BA_Harrison · 4/10 · 18 April 2021]

George Hamilton makes for a superb spoof Count Dracula: his hilarious cape-swishing imitation of Bela Lugosi is spot on, with a wonderful Transylvanian accent and well-observed mannerisms. Likewise, Arte Johnson is terrific as the Count's snickering, bug-eating acolyte Renfield. It's a great shame, then, that Love At First Bite doesn't do either performance justice, the script a weak mish-mash of predictable gags, only a handful of which will raise a laugh.

The plot sees Dracula and Renfield evicted from their Transylvanian castle, the pair travelling to New York where the Count romances super-model Cindy Sondheim (Susan Saint James), who the vampire believes to be the reincarnation of his one true love. Trying to stop the bloodsucker is Cindy's previous suitor Dr. Jeff Rosenberg (Richard Benjamin), a descendant of vampire slayer Van Helsing. Mired in the disco-era, the film features dated dance scenes and horrible fashion, with the occasional stereotypical depiction of minorities: a black petty thief, an enthusiastic Evangelical preacher, a poor hungry family who mistake a bat for a black chicken, and a honky-hating black court judge, plus a couple of gay jokes.

The film does give us the classic "Children of the night, shut up!" gag, and Dracula learning American slang from an out-dated book made me snigger (Hotsy-totsy. Boop-boop-a-doo.), but for me, the funniest line was "I had her, but he took her up the elevator shaft" - however, I'm not even sure whether that was actually an intentional joke or just my smutty mind working over-time.

Dracula's tanned, in New York, in the 70's, in the disco...after all he loves the night life, he likes to boogie!

[Smells_Like_Cheese · 10/10 · 15 November 2003]

Sad to think of vampire movies that get over looked, one of the big ones' that is in my opinion one of the funniest movies you'll ever see is called Love at first Bite. The first time we wonder what would life be like for Dracula if he came into the present world and to take on one of the toughest cities: New York City. Sure, he's big time in Transylvania, but when it comes to America, he sure does loose his fang. George Hamilton does a terrific job playing a tan Dracula and you can tell he had so much fun getting into the role. He had such great comedic timing and really created this movie. Love at first Bite is something very special to me and I promise that you'll love it too. My boyfriend makes fun of me all time on my love for vampire movies, but when I showed him this movie, he nearly died laughing and loves it now. Before Dracula: Dead and Loving it, there was Love at first Bite and it is one of the funniest movies you'll ever see.

Count Dracula is expelled from his castle by the Communist government of Romania, which plans to convert the structure into a training facility for gymnasts. The world-weary Count travels to New York City with his bug-eating assistant Renfield and establishes himself in a hotel, but only after a mix-up at the airport causes his coffin to be accidentally sent to be the centerpiece in a funeral at a church in Harlem. While Dracula learns that America contains such wonders as blood banks, he also proceeds to suffer the general ego-crushing that comes from modern life in the Big Apple as he romantically pursues fashion model Cindy Sondheim, whom he has admired from afar and believes to be the current reincarnation of his true love. Dracula is ineptly pursued in turn by Sondheim's psychiatrist and on and off boyfriend Jeffrey Rosenberg. Jeffrey is the grandson of Dracula's old nemesis Fritz van Helsing but changed his name to Rosenberg "for professional reasons". Rosenberg's numerous methods to combat Dracula: mirrors, garlic, a Star of David, silver bullets, fire and hypnosis which are easily averted by the Count. After all, he doesn't want the Count to have Cindy on the good chance that he might be in love with her.

Where to begin on the laughter? "Children of the night…Shut up!" is very possibly one of the best lines of all time. Or the scene that will have you in stitches when Dracula's coffin is misplaced and put in the middle of Harlem during a funeral, Reverend Mike says "Cuz when you is gone, you is gone! And there ain't no way, no how no one is ever gonna bring you back here once you is dead!" and Dracula rises out of the coffin and sends everyone screaming hysterically out of the funeral home, you don't get great comedic timing like that any more! Dracula's first night trying to get victims and of course in New York, no one takes a bat seriously… a starving family even mistakes him for a "black chicken", God, that scene nearly kills me! Then of course you have to love the outrageous antics of Dr. Jeffery Rosenberg, who is so over the top in trying to kill Dracula he ends up going crazy. Every character in this film is great and the actors looked like they had so much fun making Love at first Bite. That is what makes a film so special is when you can tell the cast and crew put love into the film. Love at first Bite flows very well and while dated, I promise there is no way you'll watch this movie without getting at least one good laugh. I love showing this film to people who have never seen it before, they always get a good kick out of it. It's just a great movie, please watch it, you won't regret it.

10/10

"I'm a doctor and I know what I'm doing"

[Bored_Dragon · 6/10 · 7 August 2019]

"Love at First Bite" is a parody of films about Dracula, set in the disco environment of the 1970s. It relies mostly on "Dracula" from 1931, most notably in the performances of George Hamilton and Arte Johnson, who apparently mimic Lugosi and Dwight Frye. There are also references to the "Dance of the Vampires" (1967) and "Scream Blacula Scream" (1973). The story basically follows the original, but is constantly twisted into a parody and filled with gags and jokes. The movie is clever and humorous, but we for some reason, except in a few scenes, it didn't make me laugh. Probably because I'm not a fan of the seventies in general, the film simply did not leave a strong impression. I had some fun, but I wouldn't rewatch it.

6/10

Watchable, though rather mundane...

[paul_haakonsen · 4/10 · 11 December 2021]

I had the chance to revisit the 1979 horror comedy "Love at First Bite" here in 2021. And truth be told, I saw this movie back in my childhood, but I only remember George Hamilton was in it, and I didn't recall the storyline at all. So yeah, a refreshing visit to director Stan Dragoti's 1979 was in due order.

If you enjoy Dracula movies, then this 1979 from writers Robert Kaufman and Mark Gindes isn't really the best of choices, truth be told. In fact, I was having problems staying awake throughout the course of the movie. The storyline just didn't have much appeal to me, and thus it was progressing becoming harder and harder to stay attentive to the movie.

Visually then "Love at First Bite" doesn't really impress. Sure, the movie was from 1979, and I will say that the effects - aside from the toy bat - were actually fair enough. But they just weren't impressive.

If you enjoy comedic approached on the Bram Stoker's "Dracula" story, then there are far better choices out there.

What did work for "Love at First Bite", though, was the cast ensemble. I mean, with the likes of George Hamilton, Susan Saint James and Sherman Hemsley on the cast list.

While "Love at First Bite" is watchable, it just isn't an outstanding horror comedy.

My rating of this 1979 movie lands on a four out of ten stars.

Sink your teeth into this!

[domino1003 · 10/10 · 13 October 2003]

*****Possible Spoilers*****

This film still holds up after nearly 25 years (Plans for a sequel were announced recently).George Hamilton, in his best Lugosi accent, plays Dracula with humor and biting (pun intended) wit. One of those rare Dracula films where you do feel sorry for him and hope that he gets the girl. Richard Benjamin practically steals the film as Dr. Rosenberg, a Van Helsing descendant that doesn't get his info right. For example, after attempting to shoot Dracula with silver bullets and he finds out that it only works with werewolves, Rosenberg asks him, "Really? Are you sure?"

Susan St. James as the object of affection of both men(Although Rosenberg is a commitment-phobe)and does a pretty good job as a woman that wants to be taken care of, but wants her independence, too. Artie Johnson as Renfield is hilarious.

Sure, some of the scenes may make you cringe (The disco scene still bugs me, especially since "I Love The Night Life" is replaced on later versions of the VHS), but it can still make you laugh.

Spoilers follow ...

[parry_na · 7/10 · 20 June 2016]

Strains of disco/organ music accompany the first glimpse we see of Castle Dracula, with lightening and plenty of dry ice; the children of the night providing harmonies to Dracula's organ playing is dismissed with a curt 'Shut up!' Dracula's slave Renfield chuckles a very Dwight Frye-sounding chuckle. It is clear from the outset, this is a light-hearted homage by a production team clearly in love with vampiric cinema.

The mighty George Hamilton, perma-tanned and pearly of tooth is perfect in the role of The Count. His delivery is more reminiscent of Bela Lugosi's accent even than Martin Landau's award winning performance. Hamilton is more talented than he is often given credit for, I think.

One of those words that doesn't really mean anything, 'schmaltzy', seems to describe the worst excesses of this; the greatest crime is its dated-ness. Comedy is notoriously difficult because it is so subjective, but at its heart 'Love at First Bite' is a well observed (even Hamilton sauntering down a street in downtown New York is reminiscent of Bela Lugosi's sojourn down the streets of Universal's 'London' from the 1931 classic), surprisingly well-played comedy, in which Count Dracula's long lost love is Cindy Sondheim (Susan Saint James), a famous fashion model. The Count's journey to find her takes him through various modern day nightmares; his bewilderment when encountering disco music for the first time is entirely understandable. Equally, his crumpled expression when Sondheim sees him initially and assumes he is a waiter is a highlight. Sondheim's psychiatrist Jeffrey Rosenberg (Richard Benjamin) is The Count's protagonist, and it is telling he is viewed as the befuddled 'bad guy.' Rosenberg is a distant relative of Van Helsing. Michael Pataki, who fleetingly played Dracula in 'Zoltan, Hound of Dracula' the year before, appears in a brief scene in a lift.

As the film goes on, the various homages to earlier Dracula projects give way to more knockabout comedy fare. Just when the joke is in danger of wearing thin with a car chase, Sondheim finally decides to become a vampire and the two bats are last seen wobbling towards Jamaica, where The Count's coffin has mistakenly been taken.

Terribly unfunny and soporific

[Coventry · 2/10 · 4 May 2004]

Many words come to mind when describing this film but, unfortunately, `funny' isn't one of them. Even though the cast is great and the potential is obviously there, the screenplay is overall tame and uninspired. Count Vladimir Dracula (George Hamilton with a sleazy accent) is forced to leave his Transylvanian castle and ships for New York. Along with his loyal slave Renfield, he tracks down the girl of his dreams, Cindy. Her boyfriend slash schrink happens to be an ancestor of Dracula's old nemesis Van Helsing. The few successful jokes in this lame spoof are limited to a couple of classic references and a goofy portrayal of Arte Johnson as Renfield. He constantly eats insects and his laugh is unvarnished but that's about it. The attempt to give a disco swing to Dracula's personality is embarrassing. The scenery and settings look way too cheap (not even charmingly cheap) and inexperienced director Dragoti clearly can't handle the material. It looks like the actors had a lot of fun while shooting this film…too bad they can't convey it to the audience. Good horror spoofs are very rare and hard to make. For a minute, I actually hoped this could be a reasonable effort but I was wrong. Better luck next time….