Looking for some thrills, chills,
and laughs to spice up the spooky season? Netflix has the movie for you.
Vampires vs. the Bronx, a Netflix original feature, has crept onto the streamer's Top
Ten list for movies in the U.S. The flick centers on a group of youngsters from the
titular New York City borough who must repel an invasion of the bloodsucking undead.
"We are going to wipe you out like the vermin you are."
The movie is winning over audiences and critics alike thanks to the efforts of
its charming young cast not to mention a smart, funny screenplay co-written by
director Osmany "Oz" Rodriguez, a former staff writer for Saturday Night Live.
Jaden Michael, who you may recognize from his guest roles on Blue Bloods
and the Netflix series The Get Down, leads the talented young cast of Vampires vs. the Bronx.
Joining him are Gerald Jones III, Gregory Diaz IV, and Imani Lewis. The
film's adult cast also includes Clifford "Method Man" Smith, who recently appeared in a recurring
role on the Tracy Morgan-starring TBS comedy series The Last O.G.
"Those s---s stole my Sprite…"
Also appearing are Sarah Gadon, Joel "The Kid Mero" Martinez, and Coco Jones.
In Vampires vs. the Bronx, Michael stars as Miguel Martinez, whose nickname "Lil Mayor"
should tell you all you need to know about his approach to life in his diverse neighborhood. He
and his buddies are regular patrons at their beloved bodega, which is suddenly threatened
by the incursion of several new real estate developments around town. But Miguel begins
to notice that it's not just the shops these businesses are replacing that are vanishing
it's people, too, and some of the new residents appearing in the area look rather Transylvanian.
"YOOOOO…
we've got vampires in the Bronx."
That's right, they're actual vampires and of course,
Miguel and his pals have a tough time finding many adults who will believe them.
How will the kids keep their beloved neighborhood from being overrun by
bloodsuckers and nine-dollar espresso shots? You'll just have to tune in to find out.
Just as Netflix subscribers are flocking to Vampires vs. the Bronx, critics are heaping
praise upon the film. In his review, IGN's Rafael Motamayor commended
director Rodriguez for utilizing, quote, "decades of existing tropes in order to give a voice to the
voiceless, and tell a story that hasn't been told before." He also described Vampires vs. the Bronx
as, quote, "a fun film with a great sense of humor and identity," "the perfect way to start
the Halloween season," and a "delightfully entertaining kid-friendly horror film."
Other critics applauded the movie as "collectively charismatic,"
and an "excellent example of a Gen Z vampire film."
But the flick's more than, as Felix Vasquez wrote for Cinema Crazed, a, quote,
"fun, creepy, and exciting Halloween treat." It also
deals with some real and very heavy topics most notably, gentrification.
"Yo, check out the courthouse." "They're turning it into apartments?" "Y'all know how this starts.
Them white people with canvas bags? That's always the first sign."
Rodriguez, who was born in the Dominican Republic, explained in a recent interview
with Now Toronto that he was inspired not only by old-time monster movies,
but also by the changing face of the Washington Heights neighborhood in Manhattan,
which has traditionally housed a number of Dominican immigrants and their families.
Rodriguez explained that the Bronx, as one of the more traditionally diverse boroughs, felt to him
like, quote, "the last frontier as far as where gentrification will go." To be sure, it's a highly
relevant topic. Many generations of immigrants have been priced out of their neighborhoods by the
steady march of "progress" over the decades, and for many of the areas that have managed to retain
their diversity and hometown feel, it's a constant struggle to keep outside forces from taking over.
It's an issue, though, that one wouldn't exactly expect to be explored by way of a fun,
hilarious, sometimes freaky film centered on precocious tweens fighting vampires.
That layer of topicality is just one of the things that makes Vampires vs. the
Bronx such an engaging watch. You can catch it on Netflix right now.
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