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Happy Halloween! As is customary in podcast culture, Reel Ripe & Reel Rotten are covering something horror-themed: the “Master of Horror” himself, Wes Craven, and his critical low-point, “Vampire in Brooklyn”.
Starting off with Craven’s lowest-rated film, Wes, Clay and Amanda watched “Vampire in Brooklyn”. Released in 1995, “Vampire in Brooklyn” stars Eddie Murphy with a script written by Murphy and his brothers Charlie and Verne. Murphy stars as Maximillian, a vampire who comes to New York seeking a half-vampire bride (Angela Bassett). Along the way, he recruits a fast-talking ghoul to help him complete his objective.
“Vampire in Brooklyn” is a film made by committee. According to interviews, the film was different things to different people. Craven wanted to have some comedy, Murphy thought the film was his chance to play serious drama, and the studio simply wanted another version of “Beverly Hills Cop”. The end result is a messy story that is not funny, not scary, and not focused.
It is also notable for being another example of Murphy playing multiple characters. In addition to the bland Maximillan, Murphy also dons a fat suit to play a corrupt preacher (Al Sharpton knock-off) and powders his face to play a slimy Italian gangster. These scenes are some of the most electric in the entire film, so why did Murphy try to avoid what he does best?
The film is currently at 10% on Rotten Tomatoes. the critical consensus reads, “Neither scary nor very funny, this misguided effort never lives up to its premise.”
In this podcast, Wes, Amanda and Clay try to understand what the movie is saying on purpose and what it is saying by accident. They also discuss the changing tone in comedy, what defines a film as a “Wes Craven film”, and how Pearl Jam and Eddie Murphy can be more similar than you’d think!