Vampire in Brooklyn (1995)

Maximillian is the only survivor from a race of vampires on a Caribbean Island, and as a vampire, he must find a mate to keep the line from ending. He knows that a child had been born to a ... See full summary »

Director:

Wes Craven

Writers:

Eddie Murphy (story), Vernon Lynch (story),

Stars:

Eddie Murphy, Angela Bassett, Allen Payne

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Eddie Murphy	...	Maximillian / Preacher Pauly / Guido
Angela Bassett	...	Det. Rita Veder
Allen Payne	...	Detective Justice
Kadeem Hardison	...	Julius Jones
John Witherspoon	...	Silas Green
Zakes Mokae	...	Dr. Zeko
Joanna Cassidy	...	Capt. Dewey
Simbi Khali	...	Nikki, Rita's Roomate
Messiri Freeman	...	Eva, Julius' Girl
Kelly Cinnante	...	Policewoman Photographer
Jsu Garcia	...	Anthony (as Nick Corri)
W. Earl Brown	...	Thrasher
Ayo Adeyemi	...	Bartender
Troy Curvey Jr.	...	Choir Leader
Vickilyn Reynolds	...	Mrs. Brown

Storyline

Maximillian is the only survivor from a race of vampires on a Caribbean Island, and as a vampire, he must find a mate to keep the line from ending. He knows that a child had been born to a woman who had a vampire father, and he searches for her in Brooklyn. Rita's mother, who has died in an asylum, was that woman and Rita has nightmares that she does not understand. Not knowing that she is part vampire, Max woos her and attempts to bring her to her blood sucking destiny. Even though Rita has strange dreams and actions, Justice, her partner, has feelings for her and does not want her involved with this stranger Max. But it is Rita who must decide her destiny.

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Plot Keywords:

vampire | destiny | partner | blood | brooklyn bridge | 

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Taglines:

A comic tale of horror and seduction.

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Genres:

Comedy | Horror | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong language and vampire violence

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 October 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Wes Craven's Vampire In Brooklyn

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$19,900,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Eddie Murphy Productions, Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Eddie Murphy's last Paramount film.

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Goofs

After Julius the Ghoul loses his hand, you can see it several times while he's driving the limo, encased in a latex glove. This is before he acquires the mannequin hand that he shows Maximillian.

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Quotes

Maximillian: [after being shot] Interesting. I've been stabbed, and I've been hanged, and I've been burned. Even broken on the rack once, but I've never been shot before. Kind of itches a little!

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Connections

References Shaft (1971)

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Soundtracks

"Superstition"
By Stevie Wonder
Performed by Clive Ross, Derrick 'Debo' Brown, Carlton 'Santa' Davis & Michael 'Mickey' Hyde
Produced by J. Peter Robinson
Additional rap lyrics by Clive Ross

User Reviews

A comedy/horror that fails to deliver much of either.

Wes Craven is one of the most inconsistent directors in horror cinema: when on top form, he is a genius, taking risks with unpredictable projects and as a result, often giving the genre a much needed shot in the arm, as proved by groundbreaking movies like Last House On The Left, A Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream; at his least inspired, he is a hack, delivering predictably dumb (but still surprisingly enjoyable) trash like Shocker, Deadly Friend and Cursed.

Vampire in Brooklyn is something of an oddity in Craven's erratic career: it's definitely not a predictable project for the director—a comedy/horror featuring a predominantly black cast—but it certainly is dumb. Written by Eddie Murphy (obviously having a bit of an off day), the script fails to deliver consistent laughs, and even some inspired imagery from Craven cannot prevent this one from being a somewhat disappointing title in the canon of both star and director.

It's a shame, because Murphy can be hilarious and makes for a cool vampire, whilst we all know that Craven is capable of creating iconic scary moments; on this particular occasion, however, the magic just isn't there, and although the film cannot ever be accused of being dull, it is ultimately a forgettable flick that rabid Murphy fans might find enjoyable (the star hams it up to the max), but will probably only be of passing interest to horror fans.

5.5 out of 10, rounded up to 6 for IMDb.