Vampires of the Velvet Lounge Review: A Grindhouse Throwback Without Bite

Vampires of the Velvet Lounge plays like a late-’90s made-for-TV horror that never quite escapes the era’s forgettable late-night grind. Writer-director Adam Sherman leans on familiar pulp trappings, reworking Countess Elizabeth Báthory’s legend as the film’s origin and stretching the opening into shockingly long credits that aim for nostalgia but offer little emotional grounding.

The plot centers on Elizabeth (Mena Suvari) and her coven, who run a back-alley absinthe bar in Savannah and prey on victims through webcam dating schemes. The premise has obvious camp potential, and the production design of the bar and certain visual moments show flashes of style, but the movie repeatedly undercuts itself with clumsy set pieces and a midpoint that collapses under its own weight.

Performances are uneven. India Eisley brings the strongest, most grounded turn in a role with actual internal conflict, while Dichen Lachman’s former-assassin Cora is largely sidelined by an exposition-heavy script.

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