"Revamped" is a curio in the comedy-vampire subgenre, and like many of its brethren it has its faults and its highlights.
The biggest flaw for "Revamped" could have been its biggest highlight - the comedy element (or dissolving of). Much of the best comedy of the film is derived in the intro, which is a condensed version of Rector's "Fatal Kiss" (you could say that "Revamped" is a pun in title as a re-make or extended version of the motiffs and themes in "Fatal Kiss"). The original material is just that: really original and completely hilarious. After the intro, the movie takes a turn, which is doesn't quite recover from. Rector holds the best comedic lines, but he is gradually phased out of the movie to allow its many subplots and characters to take over. This is a bad move as Rector carried the original "Fatal Kiss" quite well, and I think he could have done the some in this one as well.
The best comedic dynamics belong to the cop duo of Reeger and Peters, who definitely carry the movie in the second half, which unfortunately becomes quite convoluted. A vampire SWAT task force, a legion of evil vampires that want to block out the sun, reference to vampire wars that just occurred, an asylum that is a haven for half-breed vampires, etc. The movie takes on the weight of too much, and cannot carry the load - it instead dumps the comedy for action/adventure: kung fu vampires, police shoot outs, fisticuffs, etc.
I think to truly have been successful would to have dropped a few of these subplots, focused on the themes in "Fatal Kiss" (vengeful husband who wants to become a vampire-?), and really maintained the parodies and humour that "Fatal Kiss" did so well.
The movie does look higher quality than its budget would suggest, and I would say this is impart from the hard work Rector put into it - it really shows. Taking on the many roles and behind the camera hats (producer, caster, writer, etc.) definitely shows his dedication to his project, recalling perhaps the dedication showed by Don Coscarelli. of "Phantasm".
The biggest highlight of "Revamped" would be its endless stream of genre faces. Reggie Bannister, Billy Drago, Fred Williamson, Tane McClure - the movie is an endless parade of great stars that have all paid their dues to the genre in the years prior. Such implied homages by these stars' presence is quite welcome - if this was combined with a tighter emphases on comedy, I believe "Revamped" would've been a quintessential vampire movie.
The biggest flaw for "Revamped" could have been its biggest highlight - the comedy element (or dissolving of). Much of the best comedy of the film is derived in the intro, which is a condensed version of Rector's "Fatal Kiss" (you could say that "Revamped" is a pun in title as a re-make or extended version of the motiffs and themes in "Fatal Kiss"). The original material is just that: really original and completely hilarious. After the intro, the movie takes a turn, which is doesn't quite recover from. Rector holds the best comedic lines, but he is gradually phased out of the movie to allow its many subplots and characters to take over. This is a bad move as Rector carried the original "Fatal Kiss" quite well, and I think he could have done the some in this one as well.
The best comedic dynamics belong to the cop duo of Reeger and Peters, who definitely carry the movie in the second half, which unfortunately becomes quite convoluted. A vampire SWAT task force, a legion of evil vampires that want to block out the sun, reference to vampire wars that just occurred, an asylum that is a haven for half-breed vampires, etc. The movie takes on the weight of too much, and cannot carry the load - it instead dumps the comedy for action/adventure: kung fu vampires, police shoot outs, fisticuffs, etc.
I think to truly have been successful would to have dropped a few of these subplots, focused on the themes in "Fatal Kiss" (vengeful husband who wants to become a vampire-?), and really maintained the parodies and humour that "Fatal Kiss" did so well.
The movie does look higher quality than its budget would suggest, and I would say this is impart from the hard work Rector put into it - it really shows. Taking on the many roles and behind the camera hats (producer, caster, writer, etc.) definitely shows his dedication to his project, recalling perhaps the dedication showed by Don Coscarelli. of "Phantasm".
The biggest highlight of "Revamped" would be its endless stream of genre faces. Reggie Bannister, Billy Drago, Fred Williamson, Tane McClure - the movie is an endless parade of great stars that have all paid their dues to the genre in the years prior. Such implied homages by these stars' presence is quite welcome - if this was combined with a tighter emphases on comedy, I believe "Revamped" would've been a quintessential vampire movie.