From writer/director Luca Bercovici, the man behind "Ghoulies" and "The Granny," comes another oddball horror/comedy. Dean Cameron, best remembered from the underrated 80s teen comedy "Summer School" as Chainsaw, plays an ancient vampire cursed to watch his lady love be reborn and then killed again and again every hundred years. This curse happened after Cameron stood by and did nothing the first time she was killed. Now in modern day 1990, Cameron has determined this time around is his last chance to save her. In order to gain her trust, he decides he must first become a rock star (perfect sense, right?). Rockula is then born, becoming a wildly popular act, and he then goes on to battle with the forces of evil, which includes sleazy businessman (and real-life 80s rocker) Thomas "She Blinded Me With Science" Dolby. The story is dumb and predictable, but then again, what romcom isn't? The film is greatly helped by it's likable cast, which besides a solid performance from Cameron includes mostly a likable cast of unknowns who all do quite well, but also small supporting parts for Toni Basil, Bo Diddley, Susan Tyrell, and future musical choreographer and director Adam Shankman playing a driver. It also helps that watching the film now provides quite a bit of late 80s nostalgia, which always goes a long way for me. I'd probably have been harder on this film back in the day, but now it's 80s hair, music, and fashion are all quite entertaining in and of themselves. Overall, "Rockula" is far from being a classic 80s musical or romcom, but it's watchable and makes no pretensions of taking itself too seriously. FUN FACT: This film was the second feature film by cinematographer John Schwartzman (half-brother to Jason Schwartzman, stepson of Talia Shire, and nephew of Francis Ford Coppola), who'd later go on to earn an Oscar nomination and work on major films such as "Jurassic World," "The Amazing Spider-Man," "The Rock," and "Seabiscuit."
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Hey_Sweden29 April 2018In 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. -
newtype_114 July 2010Recently saw this on cable, kind of a time-capsule of late 80's cheese. It's not a great movie by any means, I had to fast-forward all the musical sequences except Toni Basil's. She is great in this, by the way- love her costumes, and her dancing.
The main character is a lameass virgin vampire, who's fated to keep meeting his murdered lover over and over again until he stops her from getting killed with a hambone by a pirate. Stupid, but the pirate is played by Thomas Dolby, who also has a couple of good moments. I liked his holistic cemetery commercial, with the coin-operated flowers and coffin-on-a-spit so you can roll in your grave.
What else... Mona, the big-haired heroine of the story has a really hot dorky friend with cats-eye glasses and a pageboy haircut. So if you like gothy girls, heads up. -
lil_ms_drama9 October 2001I must say that this isn't a great work of art, but if you want something silly to laugh and say "Oh My God!" at, this is it! It's absolutely perfect for a bad movie night on Halloween. I bought it for $30 and I'm glad I did!
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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. -
Leofwine_draca3 November 2016I thought cheesy films went out of date in the early '80s, but this one was a surprise. The truth is, the film is totally atrocious, failing as a comedy. The PG rating eliminates any hint of gore or violence - nobody even gets bitten! Actually, the film is devoid of any horror moments, instead presenting the lead vampire of the title as a cool dude (with bushy eyebrows and pointed teeth).
The film is interspersed with rock and pop scores, and even ropes in the "legendary" Bo Diddley for some of the 'hits'. The funniest of these pieces of music is 'Rapula', where the fanged dude wears a hat and shell suit and sings "He's the DJ, I'm the vam-pire." Unfortunately the rest of the film is full of lame jokes and stereotypical characters (e.g. a British bad guy) It's sad that a film which tries so hard fails so miserably. Why on earth does Rockula have a separate reflection with a life of its own? The funniest thing about this film is the video cover, a gem of cheesy delight. -
BandSAboutMovies8 September 2020Luca Bercovici was behind The Ghoulies and The Granny as well as this movie, where a 400-year-old vampire named Ralph Lavie (Dean Cameron). He lives alone with his mother Phoebe (Toni Basil!) and is suffering from a curse. It turns out that every time he falls for Mona, she's killed on Halloween by a pirate with a giant hambone. Now, he plans to stay locked up in his room so that his heart doesn't get broken again.
Our hero is somehow friends with Bo Diddley and survives getting hit by a car driven by Mona (Tawny Fere), who in this lifetime is a singer managed by her ex-boyfriend Stanley (Thomas Dolby!). Ralph starts a band, called Rockula, falls in love again and has to save his love.
Susan Tyrell shows up as a bartender, which should really be all the reason you need to see this movie. Well, that and the end, where an Elvis-dressed Ralph busts out of a mirror and performs. The song are pretty silly, the story is kind of dumb, but I still found myself enjoying this. -
ThrownMuse8 March 2007Eh, I'll go with Rockula, though Rapula clearly knows good times when he sees it. Dean Cameron plays a young vampire trying to woo a local pop star so that he can break a 400 year old curse about a peg-legged pirate who wants to beat her with a hambone. Or something. What really matters here is that Toni Basil plays Rockula's vampy mom, Susan Tyrrell and Bo Diddly play his bandmates, and the music is highly amusing. Even though this was released in 1990, it has an 80s vibe through and through, complete with bad song and dance sequences and even a faux music video. Recommended to all fans of rock/horror hybrids, 80s schlock, and inimitable Dean Cameron.
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akoaytao123413 January 2024Rockula tells the story of a Multiple Personality 'Vampire' who just wants to have fun. When he meets the woman who had died in her multiple incarnation multiple times in his lifetime, he tries to save her once again from another damnation.
I do not care about this film. I originally taught the guy acting was Adam Shankman and was particularly interested seeing him act. He was not it. Just a close enough look-a-like. Its one of those wacky-doodle concepts that ultimately feels lacking since it is not a particularly developed film. Not an inch of deeper themes though its fun. The actors especially the lead (Dean Cameron) at least know the material he is working with.
Forgettable but noteworthy. Not recommended. -
slmstanley20 July 2000I stumbled on this one late night when I couldn't sleep. What a riot! Toni Basil plays the gun-toting mother of a slightly nerdy young vampire; Thomas Dolby is the media-besotted director of a funeral parlor, and Dean Cameron is the teen himself. This bizarre comedy includes numerous asides to the camera and a peg-legged guy with an enormous ham bone. How can you resist?
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meryles11 December 2002This is quite simply the single most entertaining and enjoyable vampire movie i have ever seen. I mean, REALLY. Toni Basil singing and dancing her little heart out in a fantastic array of bizarre costumes (corset with hula skirt?), Dean Cameron dueling with the reincarnation of a pirate with a rhinestone pegleg over a steaming cryogenic storage chamber? THOMAS DOLBY as a music video producer/coffin salesman who drives what appears to be a replica of the DRAGULA car? SUSAN TYRRELL, excuse me, in cowboy chaps and a funny hat playing the fiddle? BO DIDDLEY (i'm dying here, i really am) in SPANDEX with GOLD RECORDS around his NECK?????? This is as good as it gets, my friend. Whether you're looking for cheesy songs you can more-or-less sing along with by the second replay, snorkeling midgets in bubble baths, or, i'm sorry but i've got to say it again, TONI BASIL IN A CORSET AND A HULA SKIRT, Dean Cameron dressed like Elvis, one-liners a-plenty, intellectual references (what play does Dean Cameron go to see with Tawny Fere? "The Hands of Egon Schiele"????? I'm going to COMBUST, seriously!!!!!!) or love, romance, and "Bat-Dork," this is the ONE, the ONE, THE ONE. Despite-- or perhaps because of-- the fact that this film dates from 1990, it is a concentrated syzygy (the total is greater than the sum of its parts) of everything that was fun and great about 80s film. Surreal, macabre, bizarre, and hilarious, this is a MUST SEE for everyone who thinks fondly of yonder 20th century. Actually, it's just a must-see for everyone. I love this movie so much i actually go into withdrawal if i don't see it at least every six months. Even now, i suffer.
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L. A. in the late-'80s/early-'90s was a special place for music fans, with an alternative rock scene from which emerged some truly great bands. Rockula is set within this exciting world, yet somehow manages to be completely naff, its characters blind to all the cool things going on around them.
Singer Mona (Tawny Fere' Ellis) is a pop songstress who, incredibly, draws an appreciative crowd despite being a cut-rate Paula Abdul clone. Vampire Ralph (Dean Cameron) somehow makes being undead seem uncool, so it comes as little surprise that, when he decides to form a band, its utter garbage (but like Mona, he still manages to impress those who turn up to his shows). A musical with such lousy music should be virtually unwatchable, and yet Rockula is actually quite a lot of fun, the cast seemingly aware of its awfulness and just rolling with it.
Ralph takes on the rock 'n' roll persona of Rockula to attract the attention of Mona, the umpteenth reincarnation of his true love, who is always fated to die at the age of 22 by the hands of a pirate wielding a hambone. Ralph has the power to break the curse, but must pluck up the courage to woo the woman in order to do so. Mona, obviously tone-deaf judging by her own warbling, is impressed by Ralph's band (backing members including Bo Diddley and Susan Tyrell) and the pair begin a romance. However, Mona's jealous manager, Stanley (Thomas Dolby), is out to ruin things, aided by a mysterious fortune teller.
Numerous terrible musical numbers ensue, with some awful performances and diabolical comedy (I still don't understand why his reflection has a separate persona - or why a vampire has a reflection in the first place), but the breezy couldn't-give-a-monkey's attitude of the whole thing means that it's hard to hate on the film too much. It's worth a one-time watch just to see Toni 'Hey Mickey' Basil perform her solo song and dance routine (and I can't be alone in thinking that Basil with fangs is kinda hot).
5.5/10, rounded up to 6 for the black dwarf that shares a bath with Basil, the really bad rap song, and the weird bat creature that Ralph turns into. Would make a fun double bill with Voyage of the Rock Aliens. -
niteman3 September 1999Gleefully cheesy movie that features Toni Basil, Thomas Dolby, Bo Diddley, and the furry eyebrows of Dean Cameron. Centuries-old vampire starts rock band to impress woman and overcome centuries-old curse. Along the way, we're treated to classic vampire rock and rap, a bit of blues, and even some Sheena-Eastonish prancing and pouting by Tawny Fere. Not a great movie by any estimation, but a good party flick.
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moviebuff72-223-26552420 April 2024Rockula is a musical there's no doubt about it. It's not completely stupid. Dean has actually made this movie tolerable. He did an R movie called Bad Dreams before this. This movie is by far better than that is not saying much. Vampires, Ham bones , peg legs and lots of songs. It is about a Vampire who is under a curse with his lost love. Thomas Dolby is blast as the bad guy. He sells coffins on the side. His video has to be seen to be believed. Death park, economy coffins, he definitely is going somewhere.
Dean on the other hand has to resolve the curse or he loses the girl forever. Again, lots of songs, some are catchy. The ending with the king is the best out of all of them. This movie is PG-13. Really, there's no reason for it. A few Profanities, and innuendos. Watch it. Sing along, make fun of it. It is there for entertainment. -
feXis2 December 2002If 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. -
Blue_katana88 January 2003Seeing this movie quite a few years ago, I still enjoy it. I can sing to all the songs, and still wish they would make a sound track!!! It might be cheesy at times, but i think that helps it out. And seeing Thomas Dolby dressed as a rhinestone-legged pirate is so much fun!
"He's Rockula"
And, of course, the great Mark Mothersbaugh helped in making the movie tunes also.
What more could you ask for?
A SOUND TRACK!!!! -
This movie is the only "musical" where all the songs are sung in contexts where they wouldn't seem weird in real life. They all take place as background music or performances in videos and concerts. None of that "the whole world has the same choreographer" crap from other musicals. Sure, the wanna be rockstar version of dracula who is a bit of a departure from reality, but I think that's allowed in a vampire story :). A pretty entertaining love story with a good soundtrack (I'm comparing it to B-movie standards here :). Add all of this with seeing Toni Basil, Bo Didley and Thomas Dolby perform, and I think this movie is worth catching. Good cheesy fun for all!!!
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marianne-8126 October 2006This 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. -
The glorious 80's! Wait, ROCKULA came in 1990! You can say you can smell the 80's air when watching it. All of the elements that made the 80's a weird decade are present in here: horrible clothes, a cheesy soundtrack, and songs a la Rocky Horror Picture Show.
This is by far one of the cheesiest movies ever made and that's something to say. To me, the best song on the movie is when this female vamp dances in front of the lead characters and sings "well you can say that the night is full of danger mmmh! but you know that in the night you're not a stranger , you know what I mean..." etc. Oh and the song ends with a rap.
Late 80's stuff 100%. Unique stuff! Toni Basil is great.
The fat mad with the skirt always disturbed me, and the fangs the actors used are ridiculous, those are my memories about this movie. Man I wish I taped this strange movie.
Watch it with low expectations and you might be entertained with an ultra cheesy movie. 6/10. -
jdthird21 July 2019Yes, it's cheesy. Yes, it's low budget. Yes, it's Dean Cameron, so you know we're not talking Citizen Kane here...
But this is one of the funnest memories I have of movies in the early 90's.
I mean, Bo Diddly dressing up in skintight spandex like some mutant bumble bee with a gold record as a belt buckle... Toni Basil as a vampire mother doing some really fun dancing while threatening the female protagonist with a song... Thomas Dolby as a bizarre undertaker...
This was the epitome of some of those early 90's kind of cheese romances.
But for me, the real enjoyment is all the little things... References to Van Helsing, the riot that was his mirror image, especially with the funhouse mirrors... The little seemingly throw-away lines that so many people missed that just gave it some bite and some depth...
Tawny Fere - now Tawny Ellis apparently, she was stunningly gorgeous in this movie, wonderful voice, and just a joy to watch.
Yes, acting was not anyone's best strength, but the joy here is that they weren't meant to be.
I see some people deriding the music, but as a musician, I enjoyed the you know what out of it. First chance I had, I made MP3's out of them from the DVD so I could listen to them in my car.
So don't listen to the haters. It's not a deep movie, it won't have twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat and sanity. What it has is some seriously cool musicians in a fun movie that is just a joy to watch and listen to... -
Look, the movie is called Rockula, feel like that tells you everything you need to know about what it is. It's got music, it's got vampires and it's got 90 minutes of pure entertainment. If you're looking for something silly, fun and very 80s, this is a good one! A very entertaining movie and I had loads of fun watching it.
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fluglotse118 September 1998Excellent songs with ("Oh Mickey your so fine...") Toni Basil and Bo Diddley. Lots of fun.
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wadebednarick28 May 2020First of all most of the stars from me are for Toni Basil as Mom. She gave the best acting performance for the film. I was also happily surprised that Bo Diddley was the cigar box guitar playing blues/rock guy in the band. Then the rest of the film: Perfect example of all the things someone that was teens or twenties in the eighties to make them embarrassed. Embarrassed as we are for it it is the way things were. I only just now in 2020 watched it on television mostly because, as television is great for, it simply was on and running. At first I was thinking okay lunch is over can I shut it off. Just then It got better when I got to see what the kids real look was. I laughed and finished watching it with a good boost.
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Wizard-819 March 2014After producer Menahem Golan left Cannon Films, his cousin and former partner Yoram Globus struggled to keep the company alive, but awful efforts like "Rockula" doomed the company to eventually close its doors. It's a pretty cheap-looking affair, for starters, though I guess its look could have been more tacky by other filmmakers. A bigger problem with the movie is the script. There is not a lot of story here, in part due to the movie having important stuff happen offscreen or explained by characters in awkward exposition. Things are instead padded out by many musical numbers, but even if you have a love for popular music that came out around the time this movie was released (like myself), more likely than not you'll find the music in this movie to be absolutely terrible. The final stake to the heart is the fact that the vampire protagonist isn't sympathetic enough - you won't really care if he manages to lift the curse on himself or not. And his various acts in order to lift the curse, while supposed to be amusing, aren't the least bit funny. This is one of those movies where you can't help but wonder why nobody involved realized they were making a turkey.
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lor_19 May 2023My review was written in June 1990 after watching the film on Warner/Cannon video cassette.
Music is welded to the horror genre for the umpteenth time with poor results in "Rockula", a marginal Cannon picture that went into release in February and recently played briefly on 42nd St. In Manhattan.
More likely to find its audience among video fans, pic limns the uninteresting story of 400-year-old virgin vampire Dean Cameron, who every 22 years has been fated to meet his dream girl (Tawny Fere), only to lose her sans consummation when an evil pirate kills her each time on Halloween.
Numerous songs and music video-styled interludes pad the running time of this innocuous exercise, which could have used a much stronger storyline.
Several music industry personalities pop up, notably Toni Basil as Cameron's sexy vampire mother and Thomas Dolby as an English twit. Fere, previously unveiled in "Angel III", is most alluring as the heroine and belts a rock song well.