If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

As any movie buff knows, very few monsters have been featured in as many films over the years as vampires have. As someone who has loved tales of the undead since childhood, I've seen quite a few flicks in my time that deal with the subject, from Bela Lugosi's "Dracula" to 1987's "Lost Boys". So imagine my surprise when I came across one that I had never heard of. It's a little horror, comedy called "Nightlife" and it's one that very few others have probably heard of as well. That's a shame because unlike many low budget horror pictures, this one is widely entertaining! The film starts in beautiful Mexico City, where a group of grave diggers are digging up old remains for one reason or another and they come across the perfectly preserved body of a beautiful woman. Their awe of her turns to horror, however, when she opens her eyes and as a result, they run away in typically fashion. Her name is Angelique (played by the charming and former Bond girl Maryam d'Abo) and of course she is a vampire. But as it turns out she is one with a conscious, since she allowed herself to be buried in order to avoid her evil boyfriend, vampire lord Vlad (the always enjoyable Ben Cross). Needless to say, a lot has changed since she went into the ground and it doesn't take long before hilarious situations ensue, such as the scene where she thinks a blood bank is a place to pick up blood rather than giving it! Luckily she ends up meeting a young, American doctor named David (Keith Szarabajka, in an especially effective performance) who quickly takes a liking to her. But Angelique has a lot more to worry about than trying to explain her condition to her human lover. Vlad turns up in town and he's dead set on reuniting with his lost love and turning her into a killer. Can Angelique and David defeat Vlad or are they doomed to fail?Looking at the film, you can tell it was probably made on a low budget, although I must say the overall production looks good. With that said, what makes the film stand out is the quality of acting. Maryam d'Abo is nothing short of lovely as the innocent Angelique and you just can't help but fall in love with her. Her co-star, Keith Szarabajka, is equally likable in his role of David and together, he and Maryam have wonderful chemistry together throughout the film. And of course, what good would a vampire movie be if it didn't have a villain. Ben Cross shines in the role of Vlad, as he manages to be both menacing and yet comedic when the occasion calls for it (Not long after this, Ben Cross would go on to play the immortal Barnabas Collins in the splendid but sadly short lived 1990 revival of "Dark Shadows". Curiously, as any "Shadows" fan may know, that series also featured a character named Angelique). All the actors here demonstrate great comedic timing, whether it's Angelique's extreme fear of bugs, David's zany behavior whenever he makes a scientific breakthrough, or Vlad's punch line at the end: "Angelique, you broke my heart". There were a number of instances where I simply couldn't help but burst out laughing because the comedic timing was just so spot on. But the film also has a well crafted story that you can just tell someone put a lot into to it. Also it's worthy to note that Mexico City is filmed beautifully, particularly in regards to the ancient Cathedrals that dominate the city. Yet despite all this though, as I mentioned earlier, the film is virtually unknown ( I only learned about the existence of the movie when looking at Ben Cross's bio). As to why that is, I haven't the slightest idea. There's absolutely no info about this film on IMDb or anywhere else (the film doesn't even have a Wikipedia page). I can't even tell for sure if the film was made for TV or a studio. Whatever the case is, it slipped through the cracks for God knows why. The good news is that movie is available on you tube and it's probably the only place you can view it. So until this film is released on DVD, which I desperately hope it will be one day, I recommend "Nightlife" to those who enjoy a smart, funny, and entertaining film of any type.

Maryam d'Abo plays a female vampire name "Angelique" who is buried in a casket on the outskirts of Mexico City 100 years ago. When her coffin is opened she finds herself in a new age in which she is unaccustomed. "Vlad" (played by Ben Cross) is another vampire who has been looking for her during this entire time and (much to her dismay) finds her within a day or two of her awakening. Meanwhile, desperately needing blood, Angelique goes to a blood bank to make a withdrawal. While waiting, she faints from anemic shock and is taken to a local hospital. There she is given 4 pints of blood by "Dr. David Zuckerman" (Keith Szarbajka) who is fascinated by what he believes is a newly-discovered "virus" that is responsible for her condition. Somewhat recovered, she begins to fall in love with Dr. Zuckerman which angers "Vlad" when he finds out. As the film progresses Dr. Zuckerman grudgingly becomes aware of her vampire nature and has to deal with "Vlad" as well. At any rate, this movie had the potential to be a very good horror film. Unfortunately, rather than having a horror film with some isolated humor it was decided to make this a comedy with sporadic horror. And in my opinion it doesn't work out too well. For example, Ben Cross fit the role of an evil vampire almost perfectly--for a horror film. But rather than play to that strength he was painfully miscast in a comedy. Same thing with Maryam d'Abo. Now, that is not to say that there was no humor at all in this movie. Camille Saviola was exceptionally funny as the housemaid, "Rosa Mercedes". Likewise, Keith Szarbajka had his moments too. But it just wasn't enough. In short, this could have been an excellent vampire film. Or at least an average one. Instead the producers decided to make a low-level spoof. What a pity.

This movie is truly a delight! It has an almost charming quality. The story line is interesting and well paced...no boring lulls and no gratuitous slashing and splattering of blood for pointless effect (a big pet peeve of mine). There's enough scientific rational to hold up the main premise, Vampirism as a viral infection (well, enough for me anyway ;) ). I found every single character to be interesting and entertaining. The setting is perfect; old & Gothic buildings, sort ethereal with lots of mist and fog when needed, as well as shots that included urban city streets, a hospital and lab, and of course one or two cemeteries. I enjoyed the timing and the way the film moved from one to the other, scary to funny and back to scary (great fun!). One of the best things about this movie is it's comic value, I think. Many laugh-out-loud moments (at least for me)...too many to recount here. There's also a nice light romantic subplot, but not too much (I'm not a big fan of a lot of all that mushy stuff--interferes with the movie). Another thing that I found really wonderful is the music, some really great pieces! Other movies that I consider to have great music choices are 'I Married an Axe Murderer' and 'Lost Boys' just to name the first two off the top of my head, but not because the music is similar, but because of what the music brings to the movie and how perfectly it helps mold the feelings and atmosphere of the scenes they're backing up. The music in Nightlife is like that: quirky, upbeat, and truly adds to the movie.Overall, I simply love this movie and pull it out to watch whenever I want a smile. I just don't get tired of this great little flick.

Nightlife has some of the most literate dialogue I've encountered in a movie in a long time. From beginning to end, the scenes are clever and funny. The writers have a very droll sense of humour and do a great job of spoofing the vampire genre. The casting was excellent, and Maryam d'Abo and Ben Cross with their British accents in a movie set in Mexico only adds to the funny quality of the film; Camille Saviola as Rosa the maid is hilarious.