Transylvania Twist (1989)

Please don't spend money on this.

Good movie but grossly overrated

best movie i've ever seen.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

I remembered a long time ago that I did enjoy Transylvanis Twist, and after re-watching it I still do. True, the characters are rather clichéd and while not awful to look at the low budget does show at times. However, the soundtrack is cool, the film is smartly written with amusing nods to recognisable horror figures/films and some very funny jokes. The stock footage may be too much occasionally, but still well-used and interesting and the story is always fun and rarely dull. The acting I thought was good also, Angus Schrimm and especially Ace Mask are hoots in their roles and Terri Copley is very sexy without being too vapid. Steve Altman does a good job making sure his character isn't too tiresome and Robert Vaughn while he's been better is still good value. All in all, a very entertaining movie. 8/10 Bethany Cox

People always automatically think about "Scary Movie" and "Young Frankenstein" when mentioning the only successful horror spoofs, but the surprisingly enough the 80's brought forward a handful of worthwhile comedies that have been long forgotten by now, like "Student Bodies", Pandemonium" (both covering the territory of teen-slashers) and "Transylvania 6-5000" (similar to this movie). "Transylvania Twist" is easily the best of them all. Oh, and please note that "Saturday the 14th" is NOT part of this list. This spoof reasonably succeeds well where others – especially the nowadays ones – fail embarrassingly: a witty script and a wide selection of gags and parody elements that are both clever and laugh-out-loud funny. The story (something about a librarian traveling to Transylvania to find a book that belongs to the evil Count Orlok) is unimportant but that actually doesn't bother you, as the velocity of the jokes is incredibly high and most of them are truly imaginative and spot-on. The comedy highlights include, for example, a randomly pointless interlude song about … a randomly pointless interlude song! You really have to listen carefully to the lyrics on that one; I swear you'll hurt your stomach laughing. There's also a downright fantastic collage of bit and pieces of Boris Karloff lines out of "The Terror" cut and edited into a conversation with this film's lead hero. Robert Vaughn receives top billing, and probably also a pay check that used up 50% of the film's budget, only to appear after more than an hour into the film. Horror cult icon Angus Scrimm has a delightful supportive role as Orlok's spontaneously vaporizing butler and, yes, there is a silly "Phantasm" tribute towards the infamous flying spheres. Sweet movie! Admittedly certain gags (like the game show of death, to name just one) feel a little overwrought and outstay their welcome, but those little flaws are easily forgiven.

Jim Wynorski directed some extremely watchable B-movies in the beginning of his career. Deathstalker 2, Chopping Mall, Sorority House Massacre 2, to name a few. While all cheesy, they were all fun. This film, however, is not among his bests by a long shot. (it IS however writer R.J. Robertson's best, but compared to House 4, Munchie strikes back, or Beastmaster 2, that's not particularly a ringing endorsement) Dexter accompanies Marisa to Transylvania in order to get to her uncle's funeral and subsequent viewing of the video will. She stands to inherit the family mansion, but sinister Byron, her other uncle (played by Robert Vaughn, who must have needed money in a bad way). The jokes and so-called 'parodies' are lame, obvious, extremely unoriginal, and more likely to produce a groan than anything even remotely resembling a laugh. If you're a maschocist rent this along with the equally atrocious Transylvania 6-5000 for the completely laughing double feature from hell.My Grade: D-

I love this movie. I think it belongs up there with other horror parodies like "Repossessed," "Silence of the Hams" and "Dracula-Dead and Loving It." Teri Copley was a funny, beautiful and talented actress; much more than just a pretty face. It's probably the only horror parody which makes the most horror references that I've seen even if it did leave out the Wolfman, Frankenstein's monster and the Mummy. It's also filled with cameos galore such as horror mogul Forrest J. Ackerman, scream queen Brinke Stevens as a sexy vampire, Deanna Lund from "Land of the Giants" as a teacher, Jay Robinson most recently of "Sleepy Hollow" and Angus Scrimm of "Phantasm." Video babe Becky LeBeau sings the songs which Teri lip-syncs to also has a bit part. Howard Morris from the "Andy Griffith Show" is a tamed down Ernest T. Bass as he plays the father of Teri's character. Ace Mask steals most of the laughs in this but Steve Altman is more than irritating as he tries to be funny; everytime I watch this, I do his lines so that I feel I've got the role. Robert Vaughn is also woefully miscast as he tries his hand at comedy. Steve Franken is also on hand as an inept constable who wouldn't know a vampire if it was already on his neck. Otherwise, the movie is one long enjoyable laughfest. It's a shame you can't find this on video anymore.