Murphy gets laughs in `Vampire'

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RATING: * * * *

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by Dan McDermon

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So it seemed that Murphy's new film, Vampire in Brooklyn , which he co-produced and gets partial story credit for, was his last chance to snag a hit.

Fortunately for Murphy, Vampire succeeds marvelously. Enlisting the help of horror icon Wes Craven (director of the first and last of the Nightmare on Elm Street series) was a smart move, and it pays dividends throughout the film.

Craven doesn't waste any time. The film starts out as the ship bearing Murphy's coffin drifts into New York without a crew. We learn through Murphy's voice-over that he is the last of a race of Caribbean vampires and that he has come to seek out the last remaining female vampire for his bride. She is a half-breed, the child of a human and a vampire, and she doesn't know about her toothy heritage.

Craven drags us through a search of Brooklyn. We meet the female vampire immediately, and luckily for us (and Murphy), she looks like Angela Bassett. We learn a bit about her past: Her mother died insane, and she never knew her father.

When Rita (Bassett) goes on board the ghost ship to investigate the deaths of the crew, she encounters Maximillian (Murphy) for the first time. From here out, the movie focuses on Max trying to lead Rita into the life of a vampire.

Murphy relies on the assistance of Kadeem Hardison (best known as Dwayne Wayne from "A Different World") to get him around the town. Instead of killing him, Max makes him into a "ghoul," like Renfield in the original Dracula movie, Nosferatu , to which Craven makes several references.

Although he looks a lot like Rick James, Murphy gives a sterling performance, managing to be alternately horrifying and hilarious. He does a couple of character impersonations the likes of which you haven't seen since his finest hours on Saturday Night Live.

Bassett gives a great performance as Rita; she flirts with Murphy's dark side but maintains a steady face throughout. Allen Payne, stuck with the boring hero role, does as well as he can, but embodies what Dark Helmet said in Spaceballs : "Evil will always triumph over good, because good is dumb."

Vampire in Brooklyn is the funniest film out this fall; it hearkens back to the days of prime Eddie Murphy vehicles. It's got some neat gore, thrilling terror scenes, and a lot of very funny stuff. It gives you the great feeling of rooting for the "bad guy" because he's so damn cool, and it doesn't let you down. This flick is worth a trip to the movies, with a date or with a friend.

This item appeared in the Arts & Entertainment section of the November 3, 1995 issue.

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