Where to watch Vampire in Brooklyn
1 Star
Maximillian is the only survivor from a race of vampires on a Caribbean Island, and, as a vampire, he must find a mate to keep the line from ending. He knows that a child had been born to a woman who had a vampire father, and he searches for her in Brooklyn. Rita’s mother, who has died in an asylum, was that woman and Rita has nightmares that she does not understand. Not knowing that she is part-vampire, Max woos her and attempts to bring her to her bloodsucking destiny. Even though Rita has strange dreams and actions, Justice, her partner, has feelings for her and does not want her involved with this stranger Max. But it is Rita who must decide her destiny.
The merging of talents from Eddie Murphy, who served as star, producer, co-writer, and director Wes Craven, doesn’t add up to much in the dreary horror-comedy Vampire in Brooklyn. The film’s most obvious inspiration is from the Hammer films and Blackula. Still, it is also as if Murphy and his screenwriters tried to rework Coming to America and Innocent Blood (both from frequent Eddie Murphy collaborator John Landis) into a moody modern hybrid, and the result is as predictably bad as that description. One scene midway through, when Eddie plays an alcoholic pastor, this movie accomplishes its tone.
Craven and his lead actor were both at the low points of their respective careers; both would rebound the following year with franchise-starting box office hits The Nutty Professor and Scream, and neither man is on their game with Vampire in Brooklyn. Oscar nominee Angela Bassett wildly overacts, while Allen Payne appears as disinterested in the story as the audience. Kadeem Hardison is the only cast member who proves to be memorable and provides a the movie’s few chuckles.
Directed by: Wes Craven
Written by: Eddie Murphy, Vernon Lynch, Charlie Murphy
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Angela Bassett, Allen Payne