For almost the past decade, there has been a wave of 80s nostalgia in a lot of Hollywood’s output, and among the many types of stories that have been making a return, especially after the unexpected success of Stranger Things, is the kids genre adventure, the kind of film that calls back to stuff like The Goonies, E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, etc. We’ve seen it in projects like the IT movies, and even the upcoming Ghostbusters. The new Netflix film Vampires Vs. The Bronx might not overtly reference or borrow from those old classics, but it captures the spirit of those films better than most of the attempts that I have seen.
The film is as straightforward as its title. It follows a young teenager, Miguel (Jaden Michael), who is not happy to see his neighborhood being gentrified, losing a lot of the local businesses that made the area what it is. With the help of his friends, he tries to raise money to help a local bodega run by Tony (The Kid Mero), who is struggling with increased rent. However, Miguel soon discovers that there is more to this strange invasion of white hipsters, he discovers they are actually vampires.
Where it goes from there is not necessarily the most unpredictable, but that ultimately doesn’t matter because like with a lot of films like this, the enjoyment is largely derived from the charms of its characters. Miguel and his friends Luis (Gregory Diaz IV) and Bobby (Gerald Jones III) are a joy to watch, and they each have a strong personality to them. Luis is savvy to all the tropes and details of vampire fiction, and Bobby is struggling with the temptation to go under the wing of a local gang leader, Henny (Jeremie Harris). They banter with each other very naturally, and you really root for them.
They are also surrounded by a colorful cast of supporting players. The Kid Mero is fantastic as Tony, though he’s mostly building off the kind of humor we already know him for, but I ain’t complaining. We also have other youngsters who appear in the margins like Gloria (Imani Lewis), who basically spills the tea about all the neighborhood happenings through a livestream, and Rita (Coco Jones), who has one of the funnier lines in the film as a response to being questioned about believing the existence of vampires, “We’re Haitian, man. My Grandma’s been preparing me for this like my entire life.”
Other recognizable faces pop in throughout the film. Method Man plays a stern pastor. Shea Whigham plays the shady real estate developer of Murnau Properties, who is “making deals” with many of the local business owners in order to take more property for the vampires such as someone who is arguably the biggest name in the film, showing up in the first scene only to get the Psycho treatment, but I’ll leave that surprise for you to discover. Other additions like Chris Redd and Sarah Gadon also contribute in bringing a strong, authoritative presence for the younger players to bounce off of.
Director, Osmany Rodriguez, and his co-writer, Blaise Hemingway, bring a sense of cultural awareness that really adds to the authenticity of their portrayal of the Bronx. It really wouldn’t surprise me if they grew up in neighborhoods just like this. There’s a real love of the area and its people, and it informs so much without getting too lost in the details. The film is also constructed in a stylish fashion, bringing to mind something like the works of Edgar Wright, it’s very fast paced, and incorporates a ton of dynamic camera movements and quick edits.
Sure, one could call Vampires Vs. The Bronx for being fairly simplistic with its vampires being an overt metaphor for gentrification as a form of white supremacy, but it still works, and on top of that, it’s just a lot of fun, and it doesn’t overstay its welcome. It’s also fairly family friendly without losing the sense of stakes and menace that comes with the threat, once again, feeling like something from those classic 80s films which didn’t soften the blow with some of their content, even if the target audience is young. It would make a terrific double feature with something like Attack The Block or The Lost Boys, both of which you should totally watch if you haven’t already. I found a lot to like about this, and I think most who are in the mood for something spooky but fun will find a lot to enjoy about this as well.
Vampires Vs. The Bronx is now available on Netflix.