Gentrification is the worst…except…

It only makes sense that one of the biggest problems facing so many city centers today would turn into a horror movie.  What is surprising though, that in spite of a basic and fairly terrible title, Vampires vs. The Bronx is a fun horror romp reminiscent of some of the classics churned out in the 80’s that delighted audiences of all ages.

A group of young friends from the Bronx fight to save their neighborhood from a band of vampires.

As Vampires vs. The Bronx so deftly proves, sometimes the simple pleasures are the better ones as this is a lean and highly entertaining little film that executes the well worn formula of a plucky young group of kids leading the masses against an invading force.

To say that Vampires vs. The Bronx is a light affair would probably be doing a disservice to anything else “light” that’s out there but this film co-written and directed by Osmany Rodriguez works because it isn’t trying to be anything more then what it is.  This film is more Goonies or Monster Squad then say The Lost Boys and it knows its tone to a tee. The action is solid and it keeps a steady comedic tone with a bunch of young teenagers navigating life in the Bronx.

While the script is hardly treading into any real new territory, borrowing from a myriad of films that have come before it, it’s at least borrowing all the right elements and really plays like an homage to the kid friendly horror movies of the 1980’s that so many of us grew up on.  The pacing is to say the least…brisk, but it all works in its favor as we see this plucky young trio try to stop the invasion of Vampires into their neighbourhood that they love so much.

Jaden Michael, Gerald Jones III, Gregory Diaz and Coco Jones all carry the action incredibly well as our plucky young protagonists.  There’s no real stand out or star making turns but they have a keen sense of the material and play it all exceptionally well.  Meanwhile actors like Sarah Gadon, Method Man and Shea Whigham give to proceedings some credibility and there’s a handful of fun smaller cameos that you just won’t want to miss.  No one on this shoot thought they were making the second coming for Bram Stoker’s Dracula and that’s a good thing because it kept the energy high and light through most of the film, which is where it needed to be.

Ultimately, Vampires vs. The Bronx will never be mistaken for high cinematic art.  Instead it’s a loving and effective tribute to the Young Adult Horror Comedy genre that formed so many cinephiles out there in the world today…even this one.