This early Jim Carrey vehicle combines the vampire fad with the typical 1980's sex comedy to make for a fun-but-silly vampire farce. Lauren Hutton works well as the vamping vampire, while Cleavon Little plays a flaming homosexual variation of the Renfield archetype to her blatantly sexual Countess.
Carrey plays this one relatively straight. No crazy Ace Ventura antics here. His transformation from typical "teenager" to brooding, angsty vampire is punctuated with moments of manic comedy as he realizes what's happening to him. Like many 80s comedies, the climax features a choreographed dance number and a good old fashioned chase scene through the vampire's home. Though certainly not the deepest or most innovative movie you'll ever see, Once Bitten is a fun romp that showcases the talents of its stars in a delightfully cheeseball 1980s way.