Once Bitten is a 1985 American horror comedy film directed by Howard Storm from a screenplay by Jonathan Roberts, David Hines, Jeffrey Hause and Terence Marsh. It stars Lauren Hutton, Jim Carrey, and Karen Kopins. The film was Carrey’s seventh film and his first main role.
Plot:
Being 400 years old, the Countess (Lauren Hutton) has collected a stable of young men and women who accompany her on her centuries-old journey through eternal night-and youth.
While she is immortal, she is required to drink the blood of a young male virgin three times by Halloween each year to keep her immortality and youthful appearance – a task she finds increasingly and extremely hard, since attractive young male virgins are almost impossible to find in the 1980s, particularly in hedonistic cities, in this case, Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, high school student Mark Kendall (Jim Carrey) wants to have sex, but is being put off by his girlfriend Robin Pierce (Karen Kopins).
One night, Mark and his best friends Jamie and Russ go into a singles bar in Hollywood. Mark meets the Countess and he goes back to her mansion, and after she seduces him, he passes out when she bites his thigh. When he wakes up, she pretends they have had sex and tells him that he is now hers…
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Reviews:
“ …Once Bitten is just spectacularly unfunny most of the time, trading on supposed double entendres to work up fitful humor. The film finally devolves into what is more or less a teenaged sex farce, and it’s notable that the film pretty much jettisons the vampire angle in its closing moments…” Jeffrey Kauffman, Blu-ray.com
“Released by The Samuel Goldwyn Company in the wake of other light horror comedies such as Teen Wolf and Transylvania 6-5000, Once Bitten is a mildly amusing affair which doesn’t have much style or horror elements for that matter, but it seems to embrace more 1980s teen comedy movie clichés than Hot Tub Time Machine.” George R. Reis, DVD Drive-In
” …affects a glossy, sophisticated look that does little to upgrade the film’s adolescent humor. As directed by Howard Storm, it has a lot more stylishness than wit. Miss Hutton looks great in black, but her predatory vampire grows tiresome very quickly, as do all the Bloody Mary jokes.” Janet Maslin, The New York Times
“Lauren Hutton has a space between her fangs as the vapid vampiress of Once Bitten, a sappy, sophomoric sex farce in which the supernatural’s answer to Mrs. Robinson sucks the blood virgin boys.” Rita Kempley, The Washington Post
“Teenage sex comedy with supernatural overtones, not as dumb as some but still kind of dumb.” John Stanley, Creature Features
Choice dialogue:
Mark: “I don’t wanna be a vampire. I’m a day person!”
Robin: “He doesn’t want you cause you’re mean and evil. He wants me because I’m sweet and pure. So, f*ck off!”
Cast and characters:
- Lauren Hutton as the Countess
- Jim Carrey as Mark Kendall
- Karen Kopins as Robin Pierce
- Cleavon Little as Sebastian, the Countess’s assistant
- Thomas Ballatore as Jamie
- Skip Lackey as Russ
- Richard Schaal as Mr. Kendall, Mark’s father
- Peggy Pope as Mrs. Kendall, Mark’s mother
- Megan Mullally as Suzette
- Jeb Stuart Adams as World War I Ace Vampire
- Joseph Brutsman as Confederate Vampire
- Stuart Charno as Cabin Boy Vampire
- Robin Klein as 1960s Flower Child Vampire
- Carey More as Moll Flanders Vampire
- Glen Mauro as Twin Vampire #1
- Gary Mauro as Twin Vampire #2
