Rockula (1990) - Boy, does this drag

'Rockula' has a nice enough premise on paper: a vampire cursed to watch the love of his life die every 22 years, now trying to break the cycle in the late 80s/early 90s.  Unfortunately, the execution drags it down. There are a couple of neat twists on the genre, like the way the lead vampire's reflection in the mirror seems to have a life of his own.  But what could have been a fun skit, or maybe a snappy half-hour short, is stretched into a feature-length movie that simply can’t sustain its own idea.

The acting is hardly on par, with performances that lean more toward awkward than entertaining. It’s not scary enough to qualify as horror, nor is it sharp or witty enough to leave much of a mark as one of the many 'cult comedies' of the era. Any “plot twists” which the writers try to work in can be spotted a mile away and while the film never takes itself seriously, the campy tone often works against it rather than in its favor, such as the British 'villain' who is just more annoying than threatening.

To make matters worse, the runtime feels bloated by an overabundance of unnecessary musical numbers, as if it was also trying to be a musical as well as a horror comedy.  Instead of adding energy, they pad the film and make it feel even longer than it is. By the end, Rockula comes off less like a cult oddity worth rediscovering and more like a drag-fest that overstays its welcome.

4/10