THE STRAIGHT DOPE:
There is a romanticism to vampires that creeps into nearly every version committed to print or film. From Bela Lugosi's bedroom eyes on, the mixture of darkness, mystery, and the fetishizing of blood has led to some pretty erotic imagery.

The Roger Corman-produced To Sleep With a Vampire wishes it could thrill on that level. Scott Valentine (You know, Nick from Family Ties, as in "Hey, Mallory!") plays a dour neck-sucker wandering a lonely, non-descript city looking for someone to tell him about all that he's missing during the day. He picks the wrong girl in Nina (Charlie Spradling), a stripper who seems as unfamiliar with the daylight hours as the vamp. They fight, they feud, they... uh, make love. They scream and shout. The movie is one long histrionic pseudo-philosophy rant with both leads attempting to out-creep the other.

Valentine doesn't project any sensuality to go with his sinister brooding, although Spradling does hint at an angry vulnerability beyond her stammered performance. Overall, however, To Sleep With a Vampire doesn't do anything to distinguish itself from the pack of heavy-breathing late-night lust fests. With Spradling straddling the strip club runway right from the first scene, the flick wishes it were charged with erotic energy, but this blood-sucker is bone dry.

VIDEO:
The full-screen video is soft and lacking in contrast. For such a dark movie the blacks are pretty much murky gray and the lighting is obviously cheap.

AUDIO:
The Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack is ok, if lacking energy. Like everything in this production there is little creativity at work. Dialog is quiet and undistinguished while some of the music and louder scenes turn up the volume.

EXTRAS:
Just a trailer and some bios. Trailers for other uninteresting latter-day Corman productions are also included.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
Corman is basically releasing two kinds of films on DVD: Classics like Big Bad Mama and Rock N' Roll High School and schlock like Dillinger and Capone and this mess. If there are any dedicated fans of the leads then they are the market for To Sleep With a Vampire. If not, then the DVD should just disappear into obscurity.