Once Bitten (1985)

All I have to say is that Jim Carrey is an amazing actor. I've recently decided that he is one of my favorite actors and I would like to own ALL of his movies that I can get ahold of. So the other day I saw "Once Bitten" at "the Wherehouse" and decided to purchase it without even having seen it (also it was only $5, you can't go wrong with a movie for $5). So anyway, I watched it the other day for the first time and let me tell you, it was well worth buying. I admit it's not as superb as "Ace Ventura" through "Me, Myself and Irene", but it's actually quite funny in it's own right. I can't say that everyone is going to enjoy this film, but if you like Jim Carrey, I'm sure you'll find it's redeeming values. The story is kind of silly, but as long as you can deal with that, I'm sure you'll like the movie. I hope you enjoy the film as much as I did. Later,

-Cortex

Fmovies: This is one of Jim Carrey's first films and definitely his first starring role. This movie was super underrated as I found it VERY funny! Especially his 2 friends in the movie, what nerds! The plot is simple-Lauren Hutton plays a youthful beautiful vampire who will turn in into a haggard old lady if she doesnt get the blood of a virgin 3 times before Halloween. And of course guess who the virgin is?? Mark Kendall( Jim Carrey). The part in the shower where they yell "Fags in the Shower" was hilarious. I laughed so hard I cried. Definitely a very good movie for people who like comedy.

Once Bitten, a comedy/vampire adventure that would later provide the grounds for Buffy, is little more than a field for Carrey to display his talents. I bought the video at a music store for two dollars, and it was worth that amount. Anymore, and I might have been ripped off. The movie, based on the 80's coming-of-age theme, sex, had very trite writing. Most of the acting, with the exceptions of Carrey and Little, seemed forced and scripted. The most pleasure I derived from watching this flick, however, was the chance to see Carrey before all the money and fame got to him.

Once Bitten fmovies. This is a pretty bad 80's teen sex comedy with a vampire slant. It ‘s main attraction is an early appearance by Jim Carrey before he became a big star. Unfortunately the filmmakers seem unwilling to take advantage of his comic talents, forcing him to play it straight most of the time… What makes this even worse are the rich opportunities for him to exploit his particular brand of silliness in a movie with this premise… I mean, Jim Carrey turning into a vampire… that has potential., but for the most part, that potential is untapped.

However there are a few places where Carrey is allowed to showcase his comic abilities, and his talent is apparentÂ… Particularly in a VERY ridiculous dance scene that has to rank right up there as one of the silliest (or stupidest) dance scenes I have ever encountered. This sequence is so crazy that I would almost recommend the movie based purely on the dance scene.

The rest of the movie is mostly bland and not so enjoyableÂ… Lauren Hutton is a looker, but her part is pretty weak here. Carrey's two nerdy friends are supposed to provide most of the comic relief, but they aren't very funny. The story moves along very predictably and there is little or no urgency. It's not the kind of movie that makes you want to turn off the TV, but it's pretty forgettable.

StillÂ…. It does have the dance scene, and there is a certain 80's nostalgia factor. It's worth watching if you catch it on TV and you have some time to kill.

Strangely enough, I read a review of one IMDb user who asserted that Once Bitten is one of Jim Carrey's best performances since going mainstream. I'm curious as to what this user means by that statement, because Once Bitten was YEARS before Carrey went mainstream. Is this person saying that Carrey's performance here is better than his performances years later, when he did, in fact, get into mainstream films?

If so, I beg to differ. And if not, I still beg to differ.

The first thing that struck me about Once Bitten is that it is a teen sex comedy, which is not something that I ever associated with Jim Carrey (not the least reason for which is because most of his better know movies are not only above such childish comedy but were made long after his teenage years were over). Even in Once Bitten he was about 23 years old, but the movie focuses on his inability to communicate very effectively with women, much less pull off any successful sexual encounters. Enter a vampire, surprisingly sexy for her 400 years, who must feed on three virgins or cease to exist. All desperate high school guy in the 80s should have been so lucky.

The premise is ridiculous, comparable to those bad movies that feature things like strippers that turn into aliens, or other monsters that feed on humans by taking on the form of sexy naked women in order to seduce men. Where the movie goes right is in the two main characters, Lauren Hutton as the vampiress trying to feed on Mark Kendall, to whom Jim Carrey brings a surprisingly effective level of insecurity and awkward appeal. Carrey obviously remembers similar developmental difficulties in his own youth.

Mark's two friends, the obligatory sex-starved geeks who bounce crude humor off of each other, are negligible, put into the movie for no other reason than for some vampire snacks and to have someone for Mark to complain to about his nervousness about sex, while they confidently give him all kinds of advice, momentarily forgetting that they share in at least his same level of cluelessness on the subject.

While earlier, and dumber, sex comedies like Porky's made no attempt to be more than they are, dumb sex comedies, Once Bitten successfully tries to present a sort of lesson about the dangers of promiscuity, while at the same time failing ultimately because it tries to be too much than its material allows. Rather than seeking the old jugular, this vampiress prefers to drink from a more southerly location, providing a pretty ham-handed allegory of sexually transmitted diseases. Carrey has been prowling dingy bars in search of an easy first time (in response to his lack of success with an un-promiscuous girlfriend), and ends up placing in grave danger the very parts that he is trying to get some much needed attention.

There is a sad story behind the writing of the screenplay. David Hines, a college student desperately avoiding real life, took endless art classes to postpone graduation, and ultimately dropped out when it seemed that his screenplay for Once Bitten, at the time titled Nightlife, seemed to be taking off. The movie was put into production, produced, released, and then six months later sat on the shelves at Sam Goody, where Hines worked as a lowly entry level employee, constantly teased by his coworkers over the spectacular failure of his movie. I really can't say that I found it to be THAT bad, but again, this could be just because I'm a huge fan of Jim Carrey. Maybe the movie was just overshadowed by Fright Night (also not gr

starring: Lauren Hutton, Jim Carrey, Karen Kopins, Thomas Ballatore, and Skip Lackey.

plot: The sexy vampire, Countess (Lauren Hutton) needs to drink the blood of a virgin three times before Halloween. Mark (Jim Carrey) is bored in his relationship with his girlfriend Robin (Karen Kopins) because she doesn't want to have sex. So Mark takes his two buddies Jamie (Thomas Ballatore) and Russ (Skip Lackey) to Hollywood to find some chicks to have a one night stand with. Mark meets Countess and she gets him drunk, he thinks he's having a one night stand but she drinks his blood once. When Mark, Jamie, and Russ go back to town Countess follows them. She finds Mark and drinks his blood a second time, then she starts following him to get a third. Soon, Robin, Jamie, and Russ find out that he is slowly turning into a vampire. Then, Mark is captured on the night before Halloween. Will Robin, Jamie, and Russ save Mark in time?

This comedy/horror about a sexy vampire searching for a virgin is fun to watch! This movie is hilarious and well written, and has lots of fun cheesy 80's music.