How the Heckerling Didn’t I Know About This Vampire Movie?
I blame my move from Texas to Ohio for what I consider one of the biggest mistakes in my movie-watching life.
Vamps, written and directed by Amy Heckerling, stars Alicia Silverstone, Goody, and Krysten Ritter, Stacy, as party-girl vampires living in New York City in the 2010s. These vamp BFFs, sired by the same stem Cisserus played by Sigourney Weaver, are most concerned with hitting the clubs and being home before sunrise. As vegan vampires, Goody and Stacy attend ‘Sanguines Anonymous’ with other ELF’s, extended life-form, who choose not to feed off of humans.
The movie has that classic Heckerling humor and her signature ditzy, vapid seeming main characters with a heart of gold and a brain no one sees coming. Her wordplay and banter beg for a rewatching of Clueless and Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
Casting Alicia Silverstone in the film is not the only nod and wink at Heckerling's previous movies. Her Clueless callbacks include alumni Wallace Shawn as Dr. Van Helsing and naming Goody’s former boyfriend Danny Horrowitz. The pizza guy in Vamps is Taylor Negron who stars as the same character in Heckerling’s first movie. She doesn’t stop with only her movies. She pays homage to the original vamp, Dracula, with her character Renfield.
Even though I didn’t see this in 2012, I’m glad I’ve stumbled upon it for #Spooktober2021 Day 12.