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Dance of the Damned

  • 1989
  • R
  • 1h 22m
IMDb RATING
5.2/10
671
YOUR RATING
Starr Andreeff and Cyril O'Reilly in Dance of the Damned (1989)
DramaHorrorRomanceThriller

A vampire selects a suicidal stripper as his prey, but spends the night getting to know her. As they discuss life, she reconsiders her desire to die as the pivotal moment nears.A vampire selects a suicidal stripper as his prey, but spends the night getting to know her. As they discuss life, she reconsiders her desire to die as the pivotal moment nears.A vampire selects a suicidal stripper as his prey, but spends the night getting to know her. As they discuss life, she reconsiders her desire to die as the pivotal moment nears.

  • Director
    • Katt Shea
  • Writers
    • Andy Ruben
    • Katt Shea
  • Stars
    • Starr Andreeff
    • Cyril O'Reilly
    • Debbie Nassar
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.2/10
    671
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Katt Shea
    • Writers
      • Andy Ruben
      • Katt Shea
    • Stars
      • Starr Andreeff
      • Cyril O'Reilly
      • Debbie Nassar
    • 22User reviews
    • 10Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos24

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    Top cast11

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    Starr Andreeff
    • Jodi Hurtz
    Cyril O'Reilly
    Cyril O'Reilly
    • The Vampire
    Debbie Nassar
    • La Donna
    Maria Ford
    Maria Ford
    • Teacher
    Athena Worthy
    • Ray Gun Girl
    Tom Ruben
    • Cabby
    Chuck Rhee
    • Daniel
    J Bartell
    • Driver
    • (as J. Bartell)
    Paisley Yankolovich
    • Skinhead
    • (as Paisley)
    Eric Coplin
    • Punk
    Dov Rudnick
    • Paperboy
    • Director
      • Katt Shea
    • Writers
      • Andy Ruben
      • Katt Shea
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews22

    5.2671
    1
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    10

    Featured reviews

    10Doom

    OUTSTANDING low budget Vampire film!

    Dance Of The Damned is one of those rare films that comes along once in a GREAT while. Filmed on an EXTREMELY low budget with a VERY small cast, it manages to succeed where other movies (with 10 times the star power and 50 times the budget) have failed miserably.

    A man sits in a low-grade strip club and takes notice of one of the women on stage. He senses her mood is dark and later overhears a phone conversation where she pleads (in vain) with her ex-husband to allow her to see her child. He meets her outside and, after a brief introduction (she first mistakes him as someone out to attack her), convinces her to tell him more about herself. Most of his questions concern, strangely enough, the sun and daylight in general (he asks her what it feels like on her face, how the warmth is, etc.).

    It's not until later during their conversation that she realizes he is a vampire. The film does an incredible job (via a great script and subtle but strong performances from the two leads) of dealing with issues surrounding anger, fear and love, and eventually leads to a final, sad, dramatic conclusion.

    It would appear this film was released directly to video, and it may be difficult to find these days, even as a rental. But if you manage to locate it out there somewhere, I highly recommended spending an hour and a half of your time taking it in - You won't be disappointed.

    -FTM
    7claudio_carvalho

    Existential Crisis

    A vampire (Cyril O'Reilly) goes to a strip-club and overhears that the dancer Jodi Hurtz (Starr Andreeff) is thinking of committing suicide since her ex-husband did not let her see her son on his birthday. When she is leaving the club late night, the vampire says that he is lonely and offers one-thousand dollars to Jodi to talk to him sharing her life experience. They go to his house and soon she learns that she is trapped inside, and he is a vampire that will kill her drinking her blood at 6:00 AM. Along the night, the vampire discloses his existential crisis and Jodi discloses her unfortunate life but concludes she does not want to die. Their inner feelings unleash a strange sentiment between them that are different creatures of the night.

    "Dance of the Damned" is a different vampire movie, with a touching romance. Despite the low budget, the storyline and the screenplay are very well written in few locations. Therefore, the plot is theatrical and supported by magnificent performances of the lead cast. Unfortunately, this film was only released on VHS. My vote is seven.

    Title (Brazil): "Dança Macabra" ("Macabre Dance")
    justnate

    My favorite vampire movie

    The first thing that struck me about this movie and is often true of well done, low budget films is that it feels like a stage play. The movie is character and dialog driven with an economy of changing scenes. Like insects trapped in a magnifying jar, the claustrophobic space brings the characters into raw detail.

    When I first saw this film, I thought it was foreign - maybe British, Canadian, or Italian. None of the actors have been in a lot of movies that I am aware of, although Starr has been in a few other B grade vampire movies (none near this good). Surprisingly it used to be easy to find for rent. Since it never came out on DVD though, it is tougher to find now (apparently it was released on laser disk but the second half/side was badly engineered so it would have to be remastered before being transferred).

    There was however an uncredited remake in 1993: To Sleep With a Vampire (directed by Adam Friedman) that is available on DVD (for real cheap). It features almost the exact same script including portions of word for word dialog. Besides the fact that it is not as well acted, the main differences are that the stripper has bigger breasts and that both of the main characters had a small following before they took the rolls. Watching that remake is like watching your favorite play performed at a local High School: it reminds you pleasantly of the better performances you have seen.
    6JakeGiddes

    Superb meditation on death, despair and the supernatural.

    A rare little gem that transcends its genre to portray some interesting angles on suffering, the nature of good and evil and death. The fatalistic stripper who believes her life isn't worth living until death looms, the remorseful vampire who needs to feed but feels compassion for his victims are both convincingly played. For my money this film is worth fifty of the pretentious, self-important overblown vampire-chic films like 'Interview with the Vampire'. For a "horror" film this movie is quiet and even a little plodding at times but the understated performances, taut scripting and interesting story (with nice twists on the myths of vampirism) make a worthwhile viewing.

    A needless remake "To Sleep with a Vampire" made by Roger Corman in 1992 doesn't nearly live up to this movie's quirky originality.
    6BA_Harrison

    Intercourse with the vampire.

    Jodi (Starr Andreeff), a stripper contemplating suicide, is held captive by a vampire (Cyril O'Reilly) who wants to know what it is like to sunbathe.

    Yes, the vampire in Dance of the Damned gets to boff the stripper. I think. Well, it's implied. However, the film is mostly intercourse of the verbal kind, as the bloodsucker chin-wags with his next meal until daybreak.

    Not so long ago, I watched To Sleep With A Vampire (1992) by director Adam Friedman, which is a remake of this film by Katt Shea. The two movies are almost identical in every way, with many scenes and much of the dialogue from the original used verbatim in the remake. The biggest differences between the two films are that the vampire in this one has a mullet that would shame Michael Bolton, and that Charlie Spradling, who plays the stripper in the remake, is a damn sight hotter than Andreef.

    However, even though I much prefer Spradling to Andreef in terms of visual appeal, I do slightly prefer the original movie overall: Andreef is a better actress and Katt Shea is a better director than Friedman, plus this one has more style, even if it is late-80s style (lots of blue lighting and plenty of widdly guitar, sax solos, and synths). I also liked how, by the end of the film, the roles have reversed, with Jodi desperately wanting to live and the vampire developing a death wish; this might also have been the case with the remake, but that film was ultimately so forgettable I can't say for sure.

    5.5/10, rounded up to 6 for the vampire's plasma ball and his bubbly water ornament. Man, that vampire has good taste in furnishings!

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    Related interests

    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby (1968)
    Horror
    Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca (1942)
    Romance
    Cho Yeo-jeong in Parasite (2019)
    Thriller

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Film debut of Maria Ford.
    • Quotes

      The Vampire: Tell me about the daylight... and how the sun feels on your skin.

    • Connections
      Featured in Joe Bob's Drive-In Theater: Episode dated 11 June 1994 (1994)
    • Soundtracks
      The Dance
      Music and Lyrics by Gary Stockdale and Tim Daly

      Performed by Gary Stockdale

      Saxophone solos by Sam Riley

      Guitar solos by Pat Kelley

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    FAQ14

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 19, 1989 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Танец проклятых
    • Filming locations
      • Venice, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 22m(82 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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