Rockula
Rockula
PG-13 | 23 February 1990 (USA)
Rockula Trailers

Ralph is a sexually frustrated vampire who suffers from a peculiar curse. He's condemned for eternity to watch his one true love, Mona be murdered by a pirate wielding a ham bone. But now? Now it's 1990, and Ralph is determined to break Mona's cycle of reincarnation. His first order of business is winning her affections-- He does that by starting Rockula: a rock band that's sure to stake a claim on her heart.

Reviews
Scott LeBrun

In what has to be one of the dopiest vampire comedies of them all, Dean Cameron of "Summer School" fame stars as Ralph, a centuries old vampire who doesn't suck blood or shun the daylight or anything like that. He just doesn't die. But he's living with an additional curse: every 22 years, he loses the love of his life, Mona (the adorable Tawny Fere) to a pirate sporting a rhinestone-encrusted peg leg and wielding a hambone. Seriously. This time, he's determined to break the cycle instead of being idle. He has the help of people like Chuck (cult icon Susan Tyrrell, "Forbidden Zone"), the Axman (Bo Diddley), and a barfly (Kevin Hunter), while the death-obsessed creep Stanley (a priceless Thomas Dolby) tries to play Van Helsing.You know with a cast like that - with another music star, Toni Basil, playing Ralphs' mom Phoebe - that this merits a viewing on that basis alone. The material is often unbelievably lame and stupid, yet at the same time it's so utterly goofy that it's hard to resist. It's often styled just like a musical, with people like Cameron, Basil, and Fere belting out numbers; and the songs can be dumb, but like the movie itself, they can be catchy and still inspire some amused chuckles. As a plot point, Ralph and his friends form a band that doesn't adhere to one style - first, they're "Rockula", then they're "Rapula". A recurring gag is to have Ralph play off a mirror image of himself (another cliche of vampire lore is dispensed with here) that regularly goads and mocks him.Co-written and directed by Luca Bercovici ("Ghoulies"), whose brother Hilary composed the score, this does generate some good vibes, punched across by an enthusiastic cast. Cameron is a likeable hero, Fere a sexy and endearing leading lady, and Basil is a hoot as the mom. Other familiar faces like Tony Cox ("Bad Santa"), Rick Zumwalt ("Over the Top"), and Bill Brochtrup ('NYPD Blue') turn up, but it's a crying shame that Diddley doesn't get more interesting things to do.All things considered, "Rockula" has enough quirks to qualify it for some sort of cult status.Six out of 10.

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marianne-81

This movie was hysterical and the music really wasn't half bad. The concept was a spoof on Dracula movies and it worked. Dean Cameron is funny, Toni Basil nearly steals the movie. Good one to watch with the kids for a Halloween laugh. If you like movies like: Clue, Naked Gun, Scary Movie, etc. You'll like this flick. How can you go wrong with Thomas Dolby as a reinvented Pirate who's destiny is to kill his love with a ham bone. Favorite scene is when they debut the music video. Not bad for a 'fake' video. Wonder why we never saw it on MTV? Phoebe must stop Mona and Ralphie from reuniting,thus spell, and keeping her son home with her forever. Not your typical vampire, Ralphie would rather drink milk than blood and he sure doesn't know much about turning into a bat. Ever seen a bat wearing boxer shorts? Search no more.a HAMBONE? LMAO!!!!! He's the DJ-I'm the Vampire.

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feXis

If you've enjoyed other movies with Dean Cameron (the Ski Schools', Summer School, Men at Work), then this one will have you in stitches. You've got to love Thomas Dolby ("She Blinded Me With Science" singer) AND Tony Basil (of "Hey Mickey you're so fine..." fame) dating the movie and giving it an awesomely hilarious 80's tone. In short, Rockula is thoroughly entertaining if you are a fan of 80's cheese.This movie was made knowing it'd be cheesy, which is why it bugs me when people give it bad reviews. That's like giving a science fiction movie bad ratings because it stunk as a comedy. As a 'B' movie--what this movie was meant to be--there is no question this movie ranks up there with the best of 'em.

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deadbees

This movie made my face hurt. I don't understand it...things just happened, inexplicably, and they usually resulted in someone bursting into a song and dance number. I don't understand how people can laud this film with praise. There are B-movies, and then there are B-musicals, and then there is Rockula.The songs made me want to run headlong into a wall. The only saving grace is that one of the musical explosions turns out to be a musical video, which eases the pain, yet still fails to justify why it needed to exist. The most frightening section of the film is Toni Basil's creep-dance that accompanies her weird song. But on the bright side, she can manages to find the notes that she is looking for, unlike pop music sensations Rockula (aka Rapula) and Mona...wow, can we say tone deaf. So if you want to question life for about 90 minutes, see this film. If you hate your life, then buy it.

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