EL CLUB DE LOS VAMPIROS

Over-the-top black comedy/horror with Dennis Miller

A devout woman (Erika Eleniak) hires a droll private investigator (Dennis Miller) to find her little brother (Corey Feldman) after he mysteriously goes missing. The trail leads to a gothic funeral home that’s a cover for a wild bordello. Unfortunately, it’s run by Lilith, the queen of all vampires (Angie Everhart).

"Bordello of Blood" (1996) is similar to the contemporaneous “From Dusk Till Dawn,” but it lacks the slow build-up to overblown horror in the last act, opting instead for unrestrained campy horror right out of the gate. It also lacks the ambition and class of “From Dusk” with its focus on R-rated female nudity and sleaze, which is thankfully counterbalanced by Eleniak’s winsome heroine and Dennis’ likable gruff protagonist. The flick’s worth watching just for Miller’s amusing one-liners throughout.

People complain about Everhart’s “bad acting,” but she’s very effective in the role. Meanwhile Feldman is entertaining as the madly diabolical undead punk. Also, the rockin’ soundtrack features bands like Anthrax, Cinderella, Sweet, Humble Pie and so forth. Then there are myriad gorgeous women, including the likes of Kiara Hunter, Leslie Ann Phillips (not the musician) and Juliet Reagh.

Unfortunately, the producers never heard of the phrase “less is more.” So the flick’s an assault on the senses with too much wallowing in trashiness which, like I said, is somewhat offset by Eleniak and Miller, just not enough.

For those not in the know, this was the second of three Tales from the Crypt movies. As such, the story is bracketed by the host character, the Cryptkeeper, but you don’t have to know anything about Tales from the Crypt in order to appreciate the flick.

The film runs 1 hour, 27 minutes, and was shot in Vancouver, British Columbia.

GRADE: C