Embrace of the Vampire (Unrated and R-rated versions of the feature) [DVD]

Entertaining movie. Great addition to the collection.

Both the positive reviews & the negative reviews of the film are absolutely right! This movie is terrible. But the soft-core Alyssa Milano/Charlotte Lewis scenes are some of the best ever put into a mass-market film. This movie belongs right alongside other great soft-core classics of the 1990s like "Bound," "Cruel Intentions," "Wild Side," & "Wild Things." I'd also recommend you check out the opening sequence from Brian De Palma's 2002 thriller "Femme Fatale."There was also a 2013 remake of "Embrace of the Vampire," which features its own version of the Charlotte/Sarah scenes. Paradoxically, the remake is much more sexually explicit than the original but also not as erotic. (The remake also apparently has a much broader definition of "virgin.")ADDITIONAL: I recently upgraded from a DVD to a Blu-Ray copy. I'd say that was a waste of money. I was expecting to see a bit more detail in some of the darker scenes, especially the Sarah by Starlight scene. I really didn't. The Blu-Ray does help pick up more of the actresses' micro-expressions, which make the sex scenes that much steamier as you can see every little quiver of desire. But it's a fairly minor improvement and not worth the $18 if you already have the DVD. (Also, for what it's worth, the DVD has more chapter breaks, which I prefer over the longer chapters of the Blu-Ray version.)

The 1995 film "Embrace of the Vampire" finds college freshman Charlotte Wells (Alyssa Milano) being stalked by a vampire (Martin Kemp) with three days to avoid eternal rest.Embrace (whose title screen officially calls it The Nosferatu Diaries: Embrace of the Vampire) casts Milano as a good girl - she's a terrific Bad Girl in Fear(96?), the underrated thriller with Marky Mark and Reese Witherspoon. College freshman Charlotte Wells was raised by nuns and only allowed to visit her mother one weekend a month. That Catholic boarding school upbringing is reflected in the crucifix on her dorm wall, the cross she wears around her neck, and her reluctance to have sex with Chris (the late Harold Pruett), her mildly impatient boyfriend of fourteen months.Before meeting Charlotte, we are introduced to an unnamed British-accented vampire (Martin Kemp, of Spandau Ballet, and the star of the underrated The Krays - superior to the Tom Hardy version) who explains via absurd narration that he is lonely, having lost the love of his life (to silicone-enhanced nymphs). Somehow, he's found her soul inside Charlotte and he has just three days to make her desire him or else he will fall into eternal sleep. Charlotte is turning 18 in three days, though the two events are not explicitly linked.Not much of anything is made very clear in the screenplay attributed to three novice writers. Of them, only Rick Bitzelberger continued his career beyond a couple of movies. His résumé, which begins with producing credits on early '90s Penthouse videos and proceeds to include episodes of the Cinemax series "Erotic Confessions", gives you a good idea of what to expect from this film. It's softcore, late-night cable fodder with only the slightest semblance of a plot.1990s college girls, Alyssa Milano, Rachel True (The Craft), and Jordan Ladd watch and comment upon the mating habits of their dormmate. Jennifer Tilly (Bound) appears briefly as Martika, a vampiress who tempts and delays Charlotte's boyfriend Chris (Harold Pruett).Milano is game for the ride, which finds her posing topless for a promiscuous English hobby photographer in her dorm (the long-retired Charlotte Lewis, The Golden Child) and then being drugged with "X" by a catty rival (Jordan Ladd, later of Cabin Fever and Death Proof), prompting a vision of a random vampiric orgy. Such sequences are decidedly lacking titillation in the hands of first-time feature director Anne Goursaud, a longtime editor for Francis Ford Coppola who soon returned to that profession, but not for Coppola.Still, they seem of greater importance to the film than whatever is going on with the creepy, dramatic vampire/stalker who snatches one of Charlotte's crosses, burns it into oblivion in his hand and replaces it with an ankh that sometimes glows. He also makes her look crazy during an art history lecture.With modest production value and limited genre appeal, Embrace lends itself to "Mystery Science Theater 3000" treatment, only its content prevents it from translating to basic cable standards and practices.VIDEO and AUDIOThe picture quality on Embrace of the Vampire's Blu-ray is better than expected for a low-budget, straight-to-video '90s movie. The 1.85:1 presentation does not compare to those of modern films, lacking the sharpness and definition. But the element stays clean and consistently fine. Likewise, the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack is fairly solid. You can tell it's a little limited and, for some reason, much of the dialogue seems to have been looped in post-production. Nonetheless, the dialogue is mostly intelligible, crisp, and complemented by competently distributed score (which mostly sounds like the generic accompaniment to cheesy syndicated action fantasy television). English SDH and Spanish subtitles are kindly included.BONUS FEATURES, PACKAGING, DESIGN:The disc opens with trailers for the 2010 I Spit on Your Grave remake and Lovelace. That's right, counterintuitively, the platter avoids any mention of the remake concurrently released to DVD and Blu-ray combo pack.And that's it in the way of bonus features. Not that Embrace '95 loses anything of note from New Line's DVD (which was still enough of a novelty to tout "Interactive Menus!" as a selling point), just the abbreviated R-rated cut and cast & crew biographies and filmographies.Speaking of interactive menus, Embrace surprisingly gets a creative animated one on Blu-ray, which plays clips in a pool that shimmers with moonlight. I'm not sure what it has to do with the movie, but it took effort. Per Anchor Bay's standard authoring, though the disc supports bookmarks (a useful feature for those wanting to skip straight to the nude scenes), it sadly does not resume unfinished playback.The eco-friendly keepcase is not joined by any slipcover or insert, but the disc at least features a label adapted from the recycled cover art.I'm getting nostalgic for the 1990s and admiring of its cinema that I figured the original Embrace of the Vampire would hold some appeal simply as a product of its time. But, although this strikes me as one of the few feature films to center on '90s college life, it's pedestrian as a piece of storytelling. While not camp enough to enjoy ridiculing, it's near satisfaction to appreciate in whatever way intended. That the movie has endured at all, enough to hit Blu-ray before many a classic (including the hilarious The Vampire's Kiss) and with an impressive Amazon sales rank far better than the remake, seems purely a testament to its oft-cited nudity. It's that content that seems to inspire the rear cover's two amusing endorsements, from MrSkin (which dubs it "the #1 sexiest horror film of all time!") and the more respectable Entertainment Weekly (which claims it "packs a substantial erotic punch!" in a C- review).I know this doesn't read like a four star review - it is thoroughly enjoyable on its own terms.Now, if they'd just release Little Witches (ASIN# 6305090599) bluray - now there's a movie! Alas, it'll run you $475 for the DVD. Sexy and cheesy stuff.

Naughty and clever.

Overall this was an OK campy 90s Vampire flick. Good amount of skin, a few sexy, hot moments. The story does not always make sense but Alyssa Milano holds the film together. Not as bad as some people claim. The blu ray image quality is decent at best and this has no special features.

N/A

Ok

Quick shipping, arrived in good shape