Once Bitten
1985 · Directed by Howard Storm
- comedy
- horror
- fantasy
The story
Mark wants to lose his virginity, but his girlfriend wants to wait. Unfortunately for both of them, a 400-year-old vampire Countess needs to turn a virgin into a vampire before Halloween in order to preserve her own youthful appearance, and when she finds Mark, she turns his life upside-down.
What it’s like
Bright, saturated 1980s teen-comedy lighting: pastel bedrooms and sodium-orange autumn streets give way to lurid pinks and blues in the Countess's mansion, with glossy studio polish and rich, chunky makeup effects. The camera stays fairly conventional, medium shots and quick cuts pushing the sitcom rhythm, and the score leans on synth stingers and jaunty pop cues that tip every gag toward giddy. Vampire fangs, a bat transformation and a few cartoonish fright beats give the horror a playful edge, while blood and violence stay mild and rarely menacing. Sexual humor is frequent and bawdy, all innuendo and awkward teenage fumbling rather than explicit content. Think of it as a silly Halloween-night romp: a comfort watch for a rainy evening, a lighthearted costume-season pick, or something to put on for a laugh with friends. Best for people who want goofy, low-stakes horror-comedy with a sprinkle of 80s excess, not genuine scares.