Vampire Obsession

Rating:
Summary: JOHN BACCHUS STRIKES BACK!
Review: after the mind-boggling disappointment that was EROTIC SURVIVOR 2, seduction cinema auteur john bacchus gets back on track with VAMPIRE OBSESSION. first off, if you're the kind of person that likes to watch naked women romp around making out (read: soft porn), you'll dig just about ANY of seduction cinema's movies. but if you're a fan of independent filmmaking, as i am, you want a little something more. and baccus is one of the few that delivers on a fairly regular basis (his recent PLAYMATE OF THE APES is incredible). VAMPIRE OBSESSION concerns a prostitute named wendy who falls under the deadly spell of a vampire, becoming her love slave. meanwhile, wendy's girlfriend (played by the legendary darian caine, one of the most intense & dynamic actors in independent film) is left to wonder what the hell is happening to her lover. the story is good, and jade duboir is excellent as the vampire. however, the movie itself is an empty affair overall. in the past, bacchus has given us films like THE EROTIC GHOST, where the story really moves, the humor is solid, and the performances are full of energy. i know he is capable of better because he's done it many many times. the script to VAMPIRE OBSESSION is almost like a porn script, each scene serving only as a setup for the lesbian lovemaking (as opposed to moving the plot along). and while lead actor anoushka was great in her role as a dimwitted astronaut in PLAYMATE OF THE APES, she isn't yet capable of carrying the lead role in a serious film like VAMPIRE OBSESSION. i laughed when i wasn't supposed to be laughing, and that's not good. thankfully she was supported by jade, darian, and a.j. khan, all proven veterans and great performers. i don't want john to keep making the same movie over and over, that's not what i'm asking for here. perhaps he's under pressure from somebody to make his movies more serious, to "hurry up & get to the boobie" if you will. i hope not. i highly recommend EROTIC GHOST, GLADIATOR EROTICUS, VAMPIRE'S SEDUCTION, EROTIC WITCH PROJECT 1 and 2, EROTIC SURVIVOR, and MISTRESS FRANKENSTEIN as prime examples of how great bacchus's movies can be. when they're serious, it works. when they're funny, you laugh hard. and when they're sexy...look out!

Rating:
Summary: Naked Obsession
Review: Sure it's got nudity, but after a while it's so boring if there's no plot; and this film's got hardly any - what sort of prostitute tries to pick up in a cemetary?

Jim Bacchus treats us to the same old re-hash, even using some of the stars from previous films, such as Erotic Ghost - is he obsessed by women who've had cosmetic surgery.

Even the cover art is misleading. If you watch the film there's not a fang in sight.

Embrace the Darkness II is a much better film. If you already own a Jim Bacchus film, why not just watch it again - that way you get to save money, & you've essentially watched this movie as well.

Rating:
Summary: not BAD, but not the best
Review: Vampire Obsession is different, to say the least. John Bacchus has made a name for himself doing hilarious erotic parodies (Erotic Survivor, Playmate of the Apes, Who Wants to be an Erotic Billionaire, etc.). Now comes a foray into the vampire world, with Vampire Obsession.

This isn't Bacchus's first vampire film. He also directed 1998's Vampire's Seduction starring B-movie babe Tina Krause. Vampire's Seduction wasn't a parody, so to speak, but it was a comedy...numerous wacky characters, inspired dialogue (the opening and closing scene in the restaraunt especially), and good acting made that film great.

Vampire Obsession is completely different. Anoushka (from Playmate of the Apes) stars as Wendy, a prostitute who for some reason picks up in a cemetery. One night, she leaves her girlfriend (Darian Caine) bored and alone at home to "go to work." While standing amidst the tombstones, a mysterious woman (Jade DuBoir) strolls up to her and introduces herself as Alexis. Alexis decides to buy Wendy's services for the evening and then decides she likes her so much, she gives her enough cash for the whole week. Unfortunately, all Wendy seems to care about is the money she is getting. She doesn't seem to notice that not only is her girlfriend getting a bit upset that she is not at home, but also Alexis seems to be into some really freaky stuff, such as blood-drinking, etc. Will Wendy discover the dark path she is taking before it's too late???

Ahh...what can I say. This is a hard movie for me to review, as I am a huge fan of Bacchus's work. Let's start with the movie's good points:

Darian Caine is a beautiful woman and a great actress. She has a small role in this film, but she shines in it. She plays a woman who is being mentally tortured and feels she has lost control over her relationship and life, and she plays it well. She's only in the film for a total of a few minutes, however, and that is unfortunate. Another somewhat positive point is the presence of Jade DuBoir as the evil vamp Alexis. What she does, she does well. She's very exotic looking and is always a welcome sight in these films. Unfortunately her character is never explored past the point of the obvious and that's too bad since I saw an interview with Jade a while back where she was so excited she would be getting to play a vampire in an upcoming flick. It's pretty sad they couldn't even spring for her to have fangs...or explain why she could be in the sunlight(??)

Which brings us to the bad. Anoushka...let's just say that this Polish beauty's acting style worked well in Playmate of the Apes. As a wacky sidekick, she was more of a caricature than a character and she played the part humourously and well. In Vampire Obsession, humor has been thrown out the window and drama has been forced to rear it's ugly head. Anoushka just doesn't pull off a dramatic role well, and as she is the main character in this film, it REALLY brings down the proceedings.

Another negative aspect is the icky misuse of blood in scenes that are supposed to be erotic. I mean, tapioca pudding in Erotic Survivor is one thing, but blood? What were they thinking. Yuck! Add to this the fact that the film looks like it was shot in two days in a hotel room (where the sun shines annoyingly through the large window CONSTANTLY distorting and blocking what's going on)...so the bad tends to outweigh the good.

But whatever trips your trigger I guess. On to the tech specs:

Vampire Obsession is presented in it's original 1.33:1 aspect ratio. The DVD features a behind-the-scenes segment (which is by far the least interesting BTS of any Seduction Cinema so far), and lots of trailers.

To sum it up, I'd say skip this one. Why waste your time when there are much more entertaining films out there with the same stars and by the same director. I would recommend checking out Erotic Survivor and Playmate of the Apes instead.

Rating:
Summary: not BAD, but not the best
Review: Vampire Obsession is different, to say the least. John Bacchus has made a name for himself doing hilarious erotic parodies (Erotic Survivor, Playmate of the Apes, Who Wants to be an Erotic Billionaire, etc.). Now comes a foray into the vampire world, with Vampire Obsession.

This isn't Bacchus's first vampire film. He also directed 1998's Vampire's Seduction starring B-movie babe Tina Krause. Vampire's Seduction wasn't a parody, so to speak, but it was a comedy...numerous wacky characters, inspired dialogue (the opening and closing scene in the restaraunt especially), and good acting made that film great.

Vampire Obsession is completely different. Anoushka (from Playmate of the Apes) stars as Wendy, a prostitute who for some reason picks up in a cemetery. One night, she leaves her girlfriend (Darian Caine) bored and alone at home to "go to work." While standing amidst the tombstones, a mysterious woman (Jade DuBoir) strolls up to her and introduces herself as Alexis. Alexis decides to buy Wendy's services for the evening and then decides she likes her so much, she gives her enough cash for the whole week. Unfortunately, all Wendy seems to care about is the money she is getting. She doesn't seem to notice that not only is her girlfriend getting a bit upset that she is not at home, but also Alexis seems to be into some really freaky stuff, such as blood-drinking, etc. Will Wendy discover the dark path she is taking before it's too late???

Ahh...what can I say. This is a hard movie for me to review, as I am a huge fan of Bacchus's work. Let's start with the movie's good points:

Darian Caine is a beautiful woman and a great actress. She has a small role in this film, but she shines in it. She plays a woman who is being mentally tortured and feels she has lost control over her relationship and life, and she plays it well. She's only in the film for a total of a few minutes, however, and that is unfortunate. Another somewhat positive point is the presence of Jade DuBoir as the evil vamp Alexis. What she does, she does well. She's very exotic looking and is always a welcome sight in these films. Unfortunately her character is never explored past the point of the obvious and that's too bad since I saw an interview with Jade a while back where she was so excited she would be getting to play a vampire in an upcoming flick. It's pretty sad they couldn't even spring for her to have fangs...or explain why she could be in the sunlight(??)

Which brings us to the bad. Anoushka...let's just say that this Polish beauty's acting style worked well in Playmate of the Apes. As a wacky sidekick, she was more of a caricature than a character and she played the part humourously and well. In Vampire Obsession, humor has been thrown out the window and drama has been forced to rear it's ugly head. Anoushka just doesn't pull off a dramatic role well, and as she is the main character in this film, it REALLY brings down the proceedings.

Another negative aspect is the icky misuse of blood in scenes that are supposed to be erotic. I mean, tapioca pudding in Erotic Survivor is one thing, but blood? What were they thinking. Yuck! Add to this the fact that the film looks like it was shot in two days in a hotel room (where the sun shines annoyingly through the large window CONSTANTLY distorting and blocking what's going on)...so the bad tends to outweigh the good.

But whatever trips your trigger I guess. On to the tech specs:

Vampire Obsession is presented in it's original 1.33:1 aspect ratio. The DVD features a behind-the-scenes segment (which is by far the least interesting BTS of any Seduction Cinema so far), and lots of trailers.

To sum it up, I'd say skip this one. Why waste your time when there are much more entertaining films out there with the same stars and by the same director. I would recommend checking out Erotic Survivor and Playmate of the Apes instead.