The Daily Dig: Vampire Hookers (1978)

This sleazy slapstick comedy horror centers around some navy boys in the Pacific getting their kicks hanging with vampiric hookers.

A vampire runs a brothel to lure victims over for dinner, and they’re the meal. Let’s dig into 1978’s VAMPIRE HOOKERS, directed by Cirio Santiago!

As I See It

It plays out like a sexually charged seventies comedy for the first fifteen minutes or so, a la Porky’s if it had been transplanted in the setting of the Vietnam War, a la Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket.

Texas Chainsaw may have changed the face of horror to a grimace of true terror. The Last House of the Left may have proven how grotesque humanity could be. Vampire Hookers was evidence that there was still slapstick comedy going hand in hand with scenes of blood and murder. It was an era that only moonlighted in variation as far as this genre goes.

Featured early in the film is some Filipino street food: balut. I had this as a kid, thanks to my best friend, who was born in the Philippines. A chicken embryo in a delicious broth. It was shocking, but I ate it and don’t remember being revolted by the crunch of the beak.

Famous Faces

Known as “The Voice”, John Carradine (Richmond Reed) was the father of a “bevy” of successful actors as well, including David Carradine, Keith Carradine, and Robert Carradine.

Of Gratuitous Nature

Breasts, trans hookers, straight hookers, an obnoxiously long sex scene, and sexuality galore don’t seem as gratuitous as including the likes of Shakespeare and Walt Whitman in the dialogue, though coming from John Carradine may be the only acceptable delivery of such words.

Heartthrob

Taking home the title this week will be the cadre of “vampire hookers” running the show.

Ripe for a Remake

The premise could be fun if it is completely tongue-in-cheek. There’s nothing of substance here, but hiding some allegory could work.

Spawns

No progeny to report.

Where to Watch

Vinegar Syndrome released it as a double feature alongside the exploitation action film Death Force on DVD and on Blu-Ray as part of their “5 films in 5 years” collection. You can stream it on Tubi, Mubi, and Cultpix.