By Geno McGahee
There aren’t a lot of films about talking animals that I like. I went into the film VAMPIRE DOG with very low expectations, but it actually turned out to be quite funny at times. Written by Tracy McMenemy and directed by Geoff Anderson, this film adopted a formula that is used quite often in films of this nature. This is the HOME ALONE formula where stupid adults are outwitted by children and it’s done fairly well.
Fang the vampire dog is voiced by Norm MacDonald and it’s not the first time that he has been the voice of a canine. He was the voice of Lucky in the 1998 comedy (I think it was a comedy) “DR. DOOLITTLE” as well. MacDonald has a very distinct voice and delivery and was a good choice for the dog in this but I always wondered why he never took off as a comedic star. DIRTY WORK and especially SCREWED were great comedies and far better than the entries from other SNL stars.
Susan (Jodi Sadowsky) is a music teacher and she moves to a new school with her son, Ace (Collin MacKechnie). The new school doesn’t work out well and Ace is quickly laughed out of class after an incident when he played the drums. He fell and launched one of his drumsticks into the crotch of Principal Hickman (Mark D. Claxton). It’s a cheap laugh but a laugh nonetheless. Even though the majority of students think Ace is a geek, Skylar (Julia Sarah Stone), does not feel the same and the two begin to become friends, despite Skylar’s friends having issue with it.
Fang is dropped off at Ace’s house and it becomes evident quickly that this is a different sort of dog. Fang can talk and informs Ace that he is a vampire dog handed down from his relative that recently died. Skylar is let in on the secret and the three team up as a threat looms. Dr. Warhol (Amy Matysio) wants to market her beauty products and believes a vampire dog is the key to the fountain of youth. If she can incorporate Fang’s DNA into her products, she will be rich. Her partner, Frank (Ron Pederson), isn’t the brightest star in the sky but happily does the bidding of Warhol. These two are comedic gold and play the roles in a very cartoonish way. The first scene where Frank wears the beauty products is hilarious.
The two villains keep trying different plans to get the dog but continue to come up short. They are not the only problem that Ace is facing though. Principal Hickman is in cahoots with the two bad guys and is trying to get the school closed so Warhol can turn it into a beauty facility. Claxton is very funny in this role as well. The actors understood what they wanted to do and credit should be given to Geoff Anderson for his direction here. A contest between music acts decides the fate of the school and there’s one final big showdown between the kids and the bad guys.
VAMPIRE DOG was a pleasant surprise. Matysio and Pederson were very funny in this. This reminded me of HOME ALONE 3 a bit and that’s not a bad thing. That movie wasn’t bad. I don’t know why it gets such bad reviews. VAMPIRE DOG focused on physical comedy and gags to keep the film moving and doesn’t rely on just entertaining the kids which is the target audience. There is enough absurdity to keep the adults laughing. I recommend this flick. I laughed a lot more than I thought I would.
Rating: 7/10
