3560. Night Teeth (2021)

Starring: Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Debby Ryan, Lucy Fry

Director: Adam Randall

Running Time: 108 mins

Night Teeth is an American film about a young man who takes over for the evening in his brother’s minicab, where he escorts two young women around the city on a night that takes a dark turn when they reveal themselves to be vampires locked in a brutal battle for power.

Though it plays with a brand of horror that seems about 10 years out of date by now, Night Teeth is actually a rather entertaining watch, with more to it than first meets the eye. On the surface, it’s not the greatest horror movie you’ll ever see, but with surprisingly interesting characters, fantasy lore and even some good humour, it proves a genuinely enjoyable all-night ride.

First things first, let’s deal with the vampires, which strike me as the most outdated thing about Night Teeth. The whole ‘cool vampire’ shtick was hugely popular at the turn of the 2010s with the Twilight series, and was replicated across Hollywood in numerous other films, the excellent Fright Night remake to name just one example.

So, as Night Teeth began to reveal some of its main characters as ‘cool vampires’ – 200 year-old superhumans that still look like twenty-somethings – I was immediately reminded of the Twilight years and just how boring that trope became.

However, while Night Teeth doesn’t do all that much to bring a new angle to the ‘cool vampire’ genre, it does feel a little more fresh given that time has elapsed since Twilight, but more importantly, the film doesn’t take itself quite as seriously as a moody, self-important horror movie.

Night Teeth isn’t quite a comedy, but there is an underlying recognition of the madness of the story that comes from the main human character, the driver played by Jorge Lendeborg Jr. He’s a hugely likable, down-to-earth character, and Lendeborg Jr. gives an excellent performance throughout that brings some much-needed levity to the movie.

What’s more, lead vampires Debby Ryan and Lucy Fry are entertainingly over-the-top in their performances, distancing their characters a little from the Twilight pastiche and providing some good laughs and even action fare throughout.

The screenplay doesn’t do a huge amount with those characters, telling a rather predictable and boring tale as they grow closer together over one crazy night. On the flipside, there’s a lot going on with regard to the wider society of vampires within this world, and while there are times when Night Teeth gets a little bit too indulgent into its wider lore, that does add some extra intrigue outside the main trio’s antics.

Overall, then, I must say that I rather liked Night Teeth. It may not be the world’s most exhilarating movie, and its use of cool vampires can feel a little tired at times, but the film counts on a trio of great leading performances, as well as a much-needed sense of humour, to deliver a fun watch regardless. So, that’s why I’m giving Night Teeth a 7.4.