My Grandpa Is A Vampire is a true hidden gem available on the Wicked Horror TV streaming service!
We’re digging deep into the Wicked Horror TV archives and sending My Grandpa Is A Vampire its long overdue greetings!
Mand grandfather is a vampire is the kind of movie that exemplifies how great Wicked Horror TV is.
I don’t know Bad horror television? Well, you should definitely take a look. There are millions, billions of streaming options, but the absolute variety on Wicked Horror TV puts it in a class of its own. We’ve got everything from classics from the silent era to obscure TV series to brand new independent horror films that you won’t find. elsewhere. And to think that Wicked Horror TV’s vault is saturated with hidden genre gems is a major understatement.
It would be so easy to highlight the Wicked Horror TV service by showcasing a beloved classic, or an evergreen heartwarming film, or something super esoteric. But I think My grandfather is a vampire is the best possible place to start with streaming goodness.
For what? Cause chances are you’ve never been equal heard of My grandfather is a vampire before and if you’ve seen it, it’s probably been a few decades and you don’t remember any details about it. It is therefore a film which captures the magical nostalgia ephemera on two fronts: both as a hazy memory of yesteryear AND as a piece of unknown kitsch that paralleled all the classics of your childhood and adolescence.
And oh yeah, I almost forgot the big draw point of the whole movie: there’s the guy who played Grandpa Munster in The Munsters essentially playing the same character from the classic TV series, only the filmmakers weren’t allowed to do so. explicitly saying this because of international copyright laws. But we all know what they wanted to say here.
My grandfather is a vampire is a very unusual film for many different reasons. It definitely made the rounds of video stores in the United States in the early 90s and I am enough Sure, it aired a few times on premium cable, but it obviously never had the same cultural infusion as other gateway horror favorites like Hocus Pocus And Ernest afraid stupid had. This probably has something to do with the fact that the film is a New Zealand production that really tries hard to feel like an American film. Which is a bit difficult when everyone in the cast, except that two or three people look like they left the set. Meet the weak Or Living dead or something like that.
Of course, this movie is all Al Lewis. He is dressed identically at its most famous Munsters character and I’m pretty sure the title containing the word “Grandfather” is not a coincidence. Oddly enough, the film was based on a radio play called Moonrisewhich is also the provisional title of the film (which even appears like the film’s on-screen title on early VHS copies of the film!) Even stranger, My grandfather is a vampire is not even the official title of the film recognized by Wikipedia; pretty much everywhere outside of North America this film is called – for some reason – Grandfather.
It seems a somewhat pointless mission to describe the complete plot of My grandfather is a vampire. I mean, the title itself pretty much tells you half of the movie, and from there it’s pretty deep spoiler territory. But I can give you some spoiler-free thoughts on the film before you jump in and watch it on Bad horror television.
To begin with, even though this is an obviously New Zealand production, the filmmakers always tried to Americanize it as much as they could. The two main child actors have pretty solid American accents and they even dress like middle schoolers circa 1992 (although this kid is wearing a Chicago Bulls cap). And a Los Angeles Lakers jacket is an obvious fashion faux pas.) somehow This looks like an early 90s movie, but if you told me it was made in 1985, I might believe it too.
OK, so we get it: Al Lewis’ character is a grandfather. And he’s also a vampire. So what does a vampire grandfather do, especially in an Oceanian country not really known for its rich vampire mythology? Well, there it is My grandfather is a vampire takes on its full meaning. It’s a film with scary and scary themes, but the whole thing is largely played for harmless laughs. That being said, it is always a creation from the early 1990s so there is some weird there are things of value dissonance happening. Concrete example? A major plot point in which Grandpa must hide in a cave to avoid being impaled by vampire hunters, he therefore charges his grandchildren to get him lots of alcohol to ease his boredom. Ah man, I’m looking at ten year olds fly alcohol… what a knee jerk!
I don’t think I’m spoiling too much when I say that the best scene in the entire movie – and pretty much the reason to watch this movie – is the scene where Grandpa Munster… I mean, Grandpa Cooger… celebrates a near escape from death by taking a nighttime journey to McDonald’s. Boy, if you thought the McScene of Mac and me This was blatant product placement, wait until you see what happens here. There is even a scene where the children literally squeeze all the blood from a Big Mac into a plastic cup so Grandpa can drink something in front of a Ronald McDonald statue. And as disgusting as it is to read it, trust me, it’s path grosser to see it unfold in real time.
My grandfather is a vampire is what you could call a “guilty pleasure”. All I know is that he slowly won me over over time and his bizarre charm is unmistakable, even when it borders on some. Really macabre and sinister material. Truly, it’s the perfect “not-quite-summer, not-quite-fall” movie—the kind of impromptu viewing that puts you in the mood to ixnay Tiki torches and watermelon cocktails and break out the Dollar Tree Halloween props and pumpkin spice. All promptly.
And when you’re ready to look at it, Wicked Horror TV is waiting for you.
