Once Bitten (1985 film)

Last updated
Once Bitten
Oncebittenposter.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Howard Storm
Screenplay by
Story byDimitri Villard
Produced by
  • Frank Hildebrand
  • Dimitri Villard
  • Robert Wald
Starring
Cinematography Adam Greenberg
Music by John Du Prez
Distributed by The Samuel Goldwyn Company
Release date
  • November 15, 1985 (1985-11-15)
Running time
94 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$3.2 million [1]
Box office$10 million (United States and Canada) [2]

Once Bitten is a 1985 American teen horror comedy film, starring Lauren Hutton, Jim Carrey, and Karen Kopins. [3] Carrey has his first major lead role playing Mark Kendall, an innocent and naive high school student who is seduced in a Hollywood nightclub by a sultry blonde countess (Hutton), who unknown to him is a centuries-old vampire. [4] While the film underperformed at the box office, it has since become a cult classic.

Contents

Plot

Being 400 years old, the Countess has collected a stable of young men and women who accompany her on her centuries-old journey through eternal life and youth. Though 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 her youthful appearance. She finds this task increasingly difficult, since attractive young male virgins are almost impossible to find in the 1980s, particularly in hedonistic cities, in this case, Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, virgin high school student Mark Kendall wants to have sex, but is being put off by his girlfriend Robin Pierce. One night, Mark and his best friends Jamie and Russ go into a singles bar in Hollywood. Mark meets the Countess, goes back to her mansion and after she seduces him, 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. Mark does not know what she means and, over the next few days, begins showing strange behaviors: having strange dreams, avoiding direct sunlight, and even drinking blood (from raw meat). After the Countess gets a second bite, Robin notices Mark's odd behavior and confronts the Countess during a dance-off at the high school's Halloween dance.

While it appears that Robin has won back Mark, this is only temporary. The Countess kidnaps Robin to lure Mark to her mansion for a final bite before her deadline expires, and it is up to Robin, Jamie, and Russ to stop her. Eventually, to save Mark from the Countess's clutches, Robin and Mark have sex in a coffin while being chased by the Countess's minions, thereby taking Mark's virginity, bringing him back to normal. This renders him useless to the Countess as she has to drink virgin blood. Defeated, the Countess then begins to grow old and decrepit before their eyes. The Countess's assistant, Sebastian, tells her not to worry as there are other virgins in the world despite the fact that the Countess doubts she will find another virgin. The movie ends with Mark and Robin continuing to have sex in the coffin.

Cast

The Countess's Vampires

Production

Once Bitten is the directorial debut of Howard Storm [1] The movie was filmed over the course of 45 days in and around Los Angeles. [1]

Release

The film was released on November 15, 1985 on 1,095 screens, and opened at number one at the U.S. box office, grossing $4,025,657 for the weekend. [5] [2] It eventually earned around $10 million in the United States and Canada. [2]

Critical reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 10% based on 10 reviews, with an average score of 3.3/10. [6] On Metacritic, the film received a score of 64 out of 100 based on 4 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [7]

Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote that it "has a lot more stylishness than wit." [8] Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times called it an "extreme rarity" for its subtle and hilarious sexual humor in a teen film. [9] Rita Kempley of The Washington Post described it as "a sappy, sophomoric sex farce" that uses dated humor. [10]

Home media

The film was first released on VHS in 1986 and on DVD on August 26, 2003. Scream Factory released the film on Blu-Ray on February 10, 2015. [11]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Nell</i> (film) 1994 American film

Nell is a 1994 American drama film directed by Michael Apted from a screenplay written by William Nicholson. The film stars Jodie Foster as Nell Kellty, a young woman who has to face other people for the first time after being raised by her mother in an isolated cabin. Liam Neeson, Natasha Richardson, Richard Libertini, and Nick Searcy are featured in supporting roles. Based on Mark Handley's play Idioglossia, the script for Nell was developed by co-producer Renée Missel and was inspired by Handley's time living in the Cascade Mountains in the 1970s, and the story of Poto and Cabengo, twins who created their own language.

<i>From Dusk till Dawn</i> 1996 horror film

From Dusk till Dawn is a 1996 American action horror film directed by Robert Rodriguez and written by Quentin Tarantino from a concept and story by Robert Kurtzman. Starring Harvey Keitel, George Clooney, Quentin Tarantino, Ernest Liu, and Juliette Lewis, the plot follows a pair of American criminal brothers who take a family as hostages in order to cross into Mexico, but ultimately find themselves trapped in a saloon frequented by vampires.

<i>Dracula: Dead and Loving It</i> 1995 film

Dracula: Dead and Loving It is a 1995 gothic comedy horror film directed by Mel Brooks and starring Leslie Nielsen. It is a spoof of Bram Stoker's novel Dracula and of some of the story's well-known adaptations.

<i>Bachelor Party</i> (1984 film) 1984 American sex comedy film by Neal Israel

Bachelor Party is a 1984 American sex comedy film directed by Neal Israel, written by Israel and Pat Proft, and starring Tom Hanks, Adrian Zmed, William Tepper, and Tawny Kitaen. The film revolves around a bachelor party that a group of men throws for their friend Rick Gassko (Hanks) on the eve of his wedding and whether he can remain faithful to his fiancée Debbie (Kitaen).

<i>Love at First Bite</i> 1979 American comedy horror film by Stan Dragoti

Love at First Bite is a 1979 American comedy horror film directed by Stan Dragoti and written by Robert Kaufman, using characters originally created by Bram Stoker. It stars George Hamilton, Susan Saint James, Richard Benjamin, and Arte Johnson.

<i>Valmont</i> (film) 1989 film by Miloš Forman

Valmont is a 1989 romantic drama film directed by Miloš Forman and starring Colin Firth, Annette Bening, and Meg Tilly. Based on the 1782 French novel Les Liaisons dangereuses by Choderlos de Laclos, and adapted for the screen by Jean-Claude Carrière, the film is about a scheming widow (Merteuil) who bets her ex-lover (Valmont) that he cannot corrupt a recently married honorable woman (Tourvel). During the process of seducing the married woman, Valmont ends up falling in love with her. Earlier, Merteuil learns her secret lover (Gercourt) has discarded her and is about to marry her cousin's daughter- the virginal 15 year old Cécile. As revenge, the jilted Merteuil employs Valmont to seduce Cécile before her marriage to Gercourt.

<i>The Generals Daughter</i> (film) 1999 film by Simon West

The General's Daughter is a 1999 American mystery thriller film directed by Simon West from a screenplay co-written by Christopher Bertolini and William Goldman, based on the novel of the same name by Nelson DeMille. It stars John Travolta, Madeleine Stowe, James Cromwell, Timothy Hutton, Clarence Williams III, and James Woods. The plot concerns the mysterious death of the daughter of a prominent Army general. The General's Daughter received negative reviews from critics, but was a box-office success, grossing $149.7 million worldwide against an estimated budget of $60 to $95 million.

<i>To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday</i> 1996 film by Michael Pressman

To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday is a 1996 American romantic drama film directed by Michael Pressman and adapted by David E. Kelley from the play of the same name by Michael Brady. It stars Peter Gallagher and Claire Danes as a father and daughter struggling to come to terms with the tragic death of wife and mother, Gillian. The original score was composed by James Horner.

Jonathan Roberts is an American screenwriter, television producer and author. He is known for having co-written Disney's The Lion King.

<i>Tightrope</i> (film) 1984 film by Clint Eastwood, Richard Tuggle

Tightrope is a 1984 American neo-noir psychological mystery crime thriller film directed and written by Richard Tuggle and produced by and starring Clint Eastwood.

<i>Feds</i> 1988 American comedy film by Daniel Goldberg

Feds is a 1988 American comedy film written and directed by Dan Goldberg, and starring Rebecca De Mornay and Mary Gross. The plot follows two women, the ex-Marine Ellie and Bryn Mawr graduate Janis, who aim to become FBI agents and enroll at the training center in Quantico. The ending credits stated the real FBI did not support the film or assist the production in any way.

<i>The Muse</i> (film) 1999 comedy film by Albert Brooks

The Muse is a 1999 comedy film starring Albert Brooks, Sharon Stone, Andie MacDowell and Jeff Bridges. It is the sixth film to be directed by Brooks, from a screenplay co-written with Monica Johnson. Stone portrays the titular muse who is tasked with reviving the career of a once-celebrated Hollywood screenwriter, played by Brooks. The film also features numerous cameos from well-known filmmakers, including Martin Scorsese and James Cameron.

Fathers & Sons is a 1992 American crime drama film written and directed by Paul Mones and starring Jeff Goldblum, Rory Cochrane, Rosanna Arquette, Natasha Gregson Wagner and Famke Janssen. The film is about the connection between a father and son complicated by the foibles of a serial killer and the interactions of a psychic.

<i>Prêt-à-Porter</i> (film) 1994 film by Robert Altman

Prêt-à-Porter, released in the United States as Ready to Wear (Prêt-à-Porter), is a 1994 American satirical comedy-drama film co-written, directed, and produced by Robert Altman and shot on location during the Paris Fashion Week with a host of international stars, models, and designers.

<i>Heartbreak Hotel</i> (film) 1988 film by Chris Columbus

Heartbreak Hotel is a 1988 American comedy film written and directed by Chris Columbus, and stars David Keith and Tuesday Weld. Set in 1972, the story deals with one of the many "legends" involving Elvis Presley (Keith) about his fictional kidnapping, and his subsequent redemption from decadence.

Karen Kopins Shaw is an American beauty pageant winner, former actress and former model.

<i>18 Again!</i> 1988 film by Paul Flaherty

18 Again! is a 1988 American fantasy-comedy film directed by Paul Flaherty and starring George Burns and Charlie Schlatter. The plot involves a college student switching souls with his grandfather by means of an accident. The film is based on the song "I Wish I Was Eighteen Again" written by Sonny Throckmorton and recorded by Burns in 1980.

Howard Storm is an American film director, television director, and actor.

David Hines is an English writer, author and screenwriter. He is the author of the screenplay of the film Whore, directed by Ken Russell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Carrey filmography</span> Actor filmography

Jim Carrey is a Canadian actor and comedian who has appeared in various feature films, television films/series, along with one video game appearance. He is one of the top-50 highest-grossing actors of all time at the North American box office, with over $2.5 billion total gross and an average of $94.3 million per film. He has been involved with thirteen films that grossed over $250 million at the worldwide box office; the highest-grossing film being Bruce Almighty. Carrey gained his first lead role on the short-lived television series The Duck Factory in 1984, playing a young cartoonist. His first starring role in film was the 1985 comedy horror Once Bitten, with Lauren Hutton as a vampire countess and Carrey playing her victim. He landed supporting roles in films, such as Peggy Sue Got Married (1986), The Dead Pool (1988) and Earth Girls Are Easy. In 1990, Carrey received his commercial breakthrough on Fox's In Living Color (1990–1994), where he displayed his character work.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Shapiro, Marc (January 1989). "Once Bitten". Cinemafantastique. Fourth Castle Micromedia. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 "Once Bitten". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved 2016-04-27.
  3. ↑ Maslin, Janet (November 15, 1985). "Once Bitten (1985) FILM: 'ONCE BITTEN,' VAMPIRE HUMOR". The New York Times.
  4. ↑ "B-Sides: Hands Off Jim Carrey, He Belongs to Me". Dread Central . 10 July 2014.
  5. ↑ Greenberg, James (November 20, 1985). "B.O. Starves; 'Once' Bows In 1st Place". Variety . p. 3.
  6. ↑ "Once Bitten (1985)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  7. ↑ "Once Bitten Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved August 18, 2023.
  8. ↑ Maslin, Janet (1985-11-15). "FILM: 'ONCE BITTEN,' VAMPIRE HUMOR". The New York Times . Retrieved 2016-04-27.
  9. ↑ Thomas, Kevin (1985-11-15). "Movie Review : 'Once Bitten': Vampire Puts On Vamp". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 2016-04-27.
  10. ↑ Kempley, Rita (1985-11-15). "'Once Bitten'? No Fangs". The Washington Post . Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  11. ↑ Scream Factory: Spirits, Vamps and New Year’s Classics On Blu-ray!
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.