'Vampires vs. the Bronx' Movie Review

In this horror-comedy from SNL's Oz Rodriguez, three inner-city kids, Miguel (Jaden Michael), Bobby (Gerald W. Jones III), and Luis (Gregory Diaz IV), find out that a beloved bodega in their neighborhood is being forced to close, thanks to increasing gentrification. In order to save it, they organize a block party to raise money. But it turns out that the development company that's been "infecting" their neighborhood is run by vampires, and it's up to them to save it.

Right off the bat, the movie conjures up memories of The Monster Squad and The Lost Boys, and this is certainly intentional. It’s very much a throwback to movies about ragtag teams of monster hunters. And it’s a really good one! While it’s not quite as quotable as the former example, or as edgy as the latter, it’s a fun, breezy little vampire flick. Like The Monster Squad, it’s very clearly aimed at slightly younger audiences, hence the PG-13 rating. This does lead to a few moments that I wished were a little more gruesome, but that’s not the movie’s fault, nor its intent. It’s a great movie to show kids who like scary stories and monsters, but aren’t quite ready for more intense or R-rated horror flicks. Occasionally, one of the effects might look a little fake, but this was probably just the result of its slightly lower budget. It definitely looks like it was made for TV, but that doesn’t really detract from the entertainment value.

The cast is pretty top-notch, even though the leads are relative unknowns. They never really feel like kids written by adults. There’s an admirable sincerity to them, and the actors are great. The main villain, Vivian, the head vampire, is played by Sarah Gadon (who, oddly enough, was in an episode of YA horror staple “Are You Afraid of the Dark?”), and she manages to be equally sexy and sinister. The other primary villain is her familiar, Frank, played by Shea Whigham. Whigham is one of those actors who pops up in just about everything, and he always does a great job. It also has to be mentioned that rapper Method Man plays a local priest. Obviously, this was a fun little addition, and his acting isn’t half bad, either.

The social commentary is fairly obvious, but again, it’s aimed at much broader audiences than other, similar horror films that address topical issues (like Get Out or The Invisible Man). The white elites are gentrifying the Bronx, while literally feeding off of its residents (who are mostly people of color). They even point out an additional detail about why they chose said target(s), and it’s really clever. The film also takes the opportunity to comment on trickledown economics by using the vampires and their familiar as an allegory for upper class and middle class. I thought this was a smart way of addressing the culture of idolizing the wealthy, and the way the elite often pray on the fears of others. Again, it’s not particularly subtle, but it’s effective. One additional refreshing detail was, given that the main protagonists are both zoomers and minorities, their from of reference for vampires isn’t Dracula, but Blade. I loved that they acknowledged the cultural and generational difference there.

Oz Rodriguez’s Vampires vs. The Bronx is a breezy, entertaining horror-comedy that blends monster fun with potent, if on-the-nose, social commentary. It gives some great younger actors a chance to shine, and it offers some creative twists on classic vampire tropes.

SCORE: 4/5