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Once Bitten

  • 19851985
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 1h 34m
IMDb RATING
5.5/10
15K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,442
1,350
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Once Bitten (1985)
Trailer for Once Bitten
Play trailer1:00
1 Video
79 Photos
  • Comedy
  • Drama
  • Fantasy
A vampire Countess needs to drink the blood of a virgin in order to keep her eternal beauty. It seems that all is hopeless, until she bumps into Mark Kendall.A vampire Countess needs to drink the blood of a virgin in order to keep her eternal beauty. It seems that all is hopeless, until she bumps into Mark Kendall.A vampire Countess needs to drink the blood of a virgin in order to keep her eternal beauty. It seems that all is hopeless, until she bumps into Mark Kendall.
IMDb RATING
5.5/10
15K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,442
1,350
  • Director
    • Howard Storm
  • Writers
    • Dimitri Villard(story)
    • David Hines(screenplay)
    • Jeffrey Hause(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Lauren Hutton
    • Jim Carrey
    • Karen Kopins
Top credits
  • Director
    • Howard Storm
  • Writers
    • Dimitri Villard(story)
    • David Hines(screenplay)
    • Jeffrey Hause(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Lauren Hutton
    • Jim Carrey
    • Karen Kopins
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 67User reviews
    • 48Critic reviews
    • 64Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Once Bitten
    Trailer 1:00
    Once Bitten

    Photos79

    Lauren Hutton in Once Bitten (1985)
    Jim Carrey in Once Bitten (1985)
    Jim Carrey and Karen Kopins in Once Bitten (1985)
    Jim Carrey, Lauren Hutton, Cleavon Little, Jeb Stuart Adams, Joseph Brutsman, and Karen Kopins in Once Bitten (1985)
    Jim Carrey in Once Bitten (1985)
    Samuel Goldwyn Jr. in Once Bitten (1985)
    Howard Storm in Once Bitten (1985)
    Jim Carrey and Karen Kopins in Once Bitten (1985)
    Karen Kopins in Once Bitten (1985)
    Jim Carrey and Lauren Hutton in Once Bitten (1985)
    Lauren Hutton in Once Bitten (1985)
    Lauren Hutton and Cleavon Little in Once Bitten (1985)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Lauren Hutton
    Lauren Hutton
    • Countessas Countess
    Jim Carrey
    Jim Carrey
    • Mark Kendallas Mark Kendall
    Karen Kopins
    Karen Kopins
    • Robin Pierceas Robin Pierce
    Cleavon Little
    Cleavon Little
    • Sebastianas Sebastian
    Thomas Ballatore
    Thomas Ballatore
    • Jamieas Jamie
    Skip Lackey
    • Russas Russ
    Jeb Stuart Adams
    Jeb Stuart Adams
    • World War I Ace Vampireas World War I Ace Vampire
    • (as Jeb Adams)
    Joseph Brutsman
    Joseph Brutsman
    • Confederate Vampireas Confederate Vampire
    Stuart Charno
    Stuart Charno
    • Cabin Boy Vampireas Cabin Boy Vampire
    Robin Klein
    • Flowerchild Vampireas Flowerchild Vampire
    Glen Mauro
    Glen Mauro
    • Twin Vampire #1as Twin Vampire #1
    Gary Mauro
    Gary Mauro
    • Twin Vampire #2as Twin Vampire #2
    Carey More
    Carey More
    • Moll Flanders Vampireas Moll Flanders Vampire
    Peter Elbling
    Peter Elbling
    • Bookselleras Bookseller
    Richard Schaal
    Richard Schaal
    • Mr. Kendallas Mr. Kendall
    Peggy Pope
    Peggy Pope
    • Mrs. Kendallas Mrs. Kendall
    Anna Mathias
    Anna Mathias
    • Daphneas Daphne
    Kate Zentall
    • Tanyaas Tanya
    • Director
      • Howard Storm
    • Writers
      • Dimitri Villard(story)
      • David Hines(screenplay)
      • Jeffrey Hause(screenplay)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      By the time the film was released, writer Jeffrey Hause had blown through his initial earnings and had to take a job as a video store clerk. One day an oblivious customer remarked of the film, "Whoever wrote this shouldn't be working in Hollywood," and an incensed Hause retorted, "YOU GOT YOUR WISH!"
    • Goofs
      Mark's reflection in the dressing-room mirror does not match when the Countess's reflection is missing (the lighting and movements are wrong). Also, outside the dance, Robin faces one way while backing away from a reflectionless Mark but her reflection faces differently.
    • Quotes

      Robin Pierce: I'm the owner of the pants you've been trying to get into for the past four years.

    • Connections
      Featured in Retrosexual: The 80's (2004)
    • Soundtracks
      Once Bitten
      Performed by 3-Speed

      Written by Billy Steinberg / Tom Kelly and 3-Speed

    User reviews67

    Review
    Top review
    5/10
    Mainstream?
    Strangely enough, I read a review of one IMDb user who asserted that Once Bitten is one of Jim Carrey's best performances since going mainstream. I'm curious as to what this user means by that statement, because Once Bitten was YEARS before Carrey went mainstream. Is this person saying that Carrey's performance here is better than his performances years later, when he did, in fact, get into mainstream films?

    If so, I beg to differ. And if not, I still beg to differ.

    The first thing that struck me about Once Bitten is that it is a teen sex comedy, which is not something that I ever associated with Jim Carrey (not the least reason for which is because most of his better know movies are not only above such childish comedy but were made long after his teenage years were over). Even in Once Bitten he was about 23 years old, but the movie focuses on his inability to communicate very effectively with women, much less pull off any successful sexual encounters. Enter a vampire, surprisingly sexy for her 400 years, who must feed on three virgins or cease to exist. All desperate high school guy in the 80s should have been so lucky.

    The premise is ridiculous, comparable to those bad movies that feature things like strippers that turn into aliens, or other monsters that feed on humans by taking on the form of sexy naked women in order to seduce men. Where the movie goes right is in the two main characters, Lauren Hutton as the vampiress trying to feed on Mark Kendall, to whom Jim Carrey brings a surprisingly effective level of insecurity and awkward appeal. Carrey obviously remembers similar developmental difficulties in his own youth.

    Mark's two friends, the obligatory sex-starved geeks who bounce crude humor off of each other, are negligible, put into the movie for no other reason than for some vampire snacks and to have someone for Mark to complain to about his nervousness about sex, while they confidently give him all kinds of advice, momentarily forgetting that they share in at least his same level of cluelessness on the subject.

    While earlier, and dumber, sex comedies like Porky's made no attempt to be more than they are, dumb sex comedies, Once Bitten successfully tries to present a sort of lesson about the dangers of promiscuity, while at the same time failing ultimately because it tries to be too much than its material allows. Rather than seeking the old jugular, this vampiress prefers to drink from a more southerly location, providing a pretty ham-handed allegory of sexually transmitted diseases. Carrey has been prowling dingy bars in search of an easy first time (in response to his lack of success with an un-promiscuous girlfriend), and ends up placing in grave danger the very parts that he is trying to get some much needed attention.

    There is a sad story behind the writing of the screenplay. David Hines, a college student desperately avoiding real life, took endless art classes to postpone graduation, and ultimately dropped out when it seemed that his screenplay for Once Bitten, at the time titled Nightlife, seemed to be taking off. The movie was put into production, produced, released, and then six months later sat on the shelves at Sam Goody, where Hines worked as a lowly entry level employee, constantly teased by his coworkers over the spectacular failure of his movie. I really can't say that I found it to be THAT bad, but again, this could be just because I'm a huge fan of Jim Carrey. Maybe the movie was just overshadowed by Fright Night (also not great but better than Once Bitten), released the same year, and The Lost Boys (vastly superior to both), released two years later. Either way, Once Bitten is hardly an underrated gem.

    The film itself is pretty dismal, but it remains interesting even if for no other reason than because you can so clearly see the budding elements of what would later become Jim Carrey trademarks. Not just his over-the-top comedy performances, but also even slight hints at his more dramatic roles, like when he goes to the Halloween party and is exasperated that he keeps having to explain that he's not dressed as a vampire, he's not even wearing a costume. It's a cheesy teen sex comedy, but Carrey makes it interesting, at least some parts. It's just too bad that he had to develop more of a career before people cared.
    helpful•23
    18
    • Anonymous_Maxine
    • Nov 12, 2004

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 15, 1985 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official Site
      • Tubi
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Einmal beißen bitte
    • Filming locations
      • Mark Twain Middle School - 2224 Walgrove Avenue, Mar Vista, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Night Life Inc.
      • The Samuel Goldwyn Company
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $3,200,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $10,000,000
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $4,025,657
      • Nov 17, 1985
    • Gross worldwide
      • $10,000,000
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 34 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Related news

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