When looking at the field of horror, there are few areas where things are scarier than in your own backyard. For most people, that involves living in the city, where a simple trip to the corner store can present a whole host of terrifying situations, filling one with the fantasy of the supernatural. What would happen if suddenly a vampire attacked you, turning you into a soulless creature? There’s endless potential for this type of story and one that informs some of the best genre movies of the past few decades.
A more recent example comes from Netflix with the delightfully titled Vampires vs. the Bronx (2020). As the title suggests, there’s going to be a turf war between New York residents and everyone’s favorite nocturnal nightmares. The question comes down to a bigger question, which is how exactly you make this story fresh and exciting. After decades of using horror to explore economic divides, one has to wonder how director Osmany Rodriguez will add his own personal stamp. The answer may be much simpler than one would think. With a cast rich with Black and Latinx characters, the story focuses on what happens when a community is upset not only by vampires but by the potential for new housing projects and businesses that threaten to overthrow their livelihood.
What happens when The Bronx becomes obsolete? That is the fear that is at odds with the community. From the minute that the film starts, a few things are clear. There is a pride in everything that this borough represents. A lot of the story centers around an upcoming block party that is threatened to be overrun by unwelcomed murderous fiends. There’s a narrator who speaks directly to the camera, providing messages like “Don’t mess with The Bronx.” Behind her are people getting ready to dance and have a good time. There is a jubilance to The Bronx during the daytime, and atmospherically this film fully understands what it wants to be. It’s the threat of youth losing their identity as well as the city, finding kids who must stand up and face the foes.
It’s a world that is fully realized and Rodriguez does it by placing an eclectic group of characters throughout the city. There are drug dealers, those pedaling music, and trying to make their own independent living. Everything feels organic and modern, capable of realizing that the fears are more than what lies around the corner. Certain things are expected when these characters wander around. Just because they may be perceived as shady in the realm of tropes doesn’t mean that they’re terrible people. If anything, they’re just as reliant on this community being here in the morning and having that support group to fall back on. There’s even the presence of a church, used as a sanctuary for those seeking guidance during the trying times of the plot.
Then there are the vampires, who hit all of the familiar hallmarks. They’re the pale, quiet types who wander around, observing these corner stores and trying to understand what makes The Bronx special. The only issue is that they never can fully because they want to do something that benefits their own causes. They’re the ones buying lots to build businesses that will spike rent and throw the lower-income residents out. So much is set to demolish The Bronx even if the wrecking ball is never seen. If anything, that is what the plot’s urgency is working towards. They don’t want that day to come. They need to defeat the vampires so they can enjoy their block party in peace.
Another recent example of urban environments for horror movies came with Attack the Block (2011) which takes a much different spin on things. The most noteworthy difference is in their monster of choice. Whereas Vampires vs. the Bronx features vampires, Attack the Block exists with a more abstract, supernatural alien that looks like small dogs with glowing teeth who will eat you whole. Using traditional rotoscoping technology, it creates one of the few iconic new monsters of the 2010s and helped to make the film into something more immersive and strange.
Another thing that adds a world of difference is that while both focus on the economic struggles of these characters, it feels like director Joe Cornish has more of an understanding of his characters. They’re more elaborate, speaking slang that was so confusing that they released a lexicon guide upon the film’s release. Even then, these characters felt organic, existing in this world with each symbolizing something in their dynamic. They were young kids who were rambunctious, as likely to get into trouble with the police as they were to land in the way of aliens. Set to a hazy score by Basement Jaxx and Steven Price, it’s one that immerses you immediately.
It also has a strange entry point with the characters robbing a harmless woman. It’s a measure that would usually mark them as villains, and for a bit, you’re discombobulated with their actions. They feel dangerous and like negative stereotypes. Vampires vs. the Bronx has too much love for their community to provide a moment as stark as this, eventually sprinkling in profanity and supporting characters who have a marijuana field in their apartment. There’s so much small yet practical creativity that makes you see the abstraction. Vampires vs. the Bronx, save for the vampires, feels real. It has style, but it’s more conventional.
What makes Attack the Block great is that it’s slowly the revelation that these characters need to redeem themselves. They need to prove to the woman they mugged that they’re not bad people. It slowly kicks into gear after supporting characters are introduced, living an organic lifestyle that is rich with personality and humor. This story of survival is one that is informed not only by the central cast but these odd supporting characters that do everything from hiding in trashcans to ignorantly face the monster, believing that they are tougher than them.
Just from a monster standpoint, Attack the Block may have more of an advantage because the design is original and has a horrifying ambiguity. There hasn’t been anything like Cornish’s invention, and nobody really knows how to defeat it. There are a whole trial and error to the experience, where they’re constantly pulling from their surroundings, grabbing into their backpack to find any way to divert attention enough to get them further down the line. It’s a constant mystery how they’ll save the day, and the results are exhilarating. They’re clever and the naïve sacrificial nature of these kids who have nothing else to lose adds to the subtext of what “the block” stands for. It’s almost more foolish if you just hide out and wait for this to blow over.
That is another major difference between the two. Vampires vs. the Bronx is as reliant on their surroundings, but there is an awareness of what vampires do. Anyone who has a vague passing knowledge of them will be able to run down a lot of the points that Rodriguez makes here. Should they use garlic, or even crosses and communion wafers? There’s a lot of deconstruction of the tropes here that are designed as clever ways of kids pulling their scheme together. Following communion, as everyone bows their heads, the kids take that moment to run out. It’s small clever moments like this that allow for the story to have a personality and sense of humor.
It’s also nice because there’s clearly some divide between the children and adults. At every turn, they’re constantly undermined by those who claim to know better. As they sit in their rooms planning things, they will be interrupted by their parents, feeling frustrated that they’re snooping on their momentous occasion. There are small character dynamics that work to capture a fun movie of kids being kids and going on wild adventures. As the audience watches the vampires plan their revenge, there’s a fun ticking clock from night tonight as they play trial and error, doing everything to prepare for their eventual revenge.
Vampires vs. the Bronx overall feels more orchestrated and designed for maximum outcome. It’s building towards the titular fight, and the anticipation is building. There may be small moments where the vampires establish their threat, but overall Rodriguez is more enamored with the uncertainty that the kids have, realizing that they must overcome their own limitations. They need to hold onto what’s pure, what The Bronx represents. Much like The Block, it’s a place symbolic of safety and connection, which nobody from outside is likely to understand.
The clever thing about Attack the Block is that it starts as a bigger story and slowly becomes more claustrophobic. After establishing the various obstacles, the gang runs the aliens into The Block, figuring out a way to trap them and ultimately defeat them. As they do, they duck into apartments, having conversations with the various residents who are annoyed to see them, believing that they’re just as obnoxious as the audience thinks. Meanwhile, the woman that they mugged is introduced to some harsh realities. These are children trying to make it in the world. The danger is constantly after them. While it doesn’t redeem what they did, it provides a perspective that adds a sweet undertone to their sacrifice. She is being saved by kids who had no choice but to toughen up quickly.
As the story becomes more claustrophobic, it becomes more intense, finding the ending approaching with such agility that the worry about potential death continues to overwhelm every turn. The results are more clever, relying on the surroundings and aspects of the plot that were developed as background gags, things that were watched on TVs. There’s an informative quality that reflects how ideas spread, and it’s the clever resource for which the outcomes lie. There’s also sympathy building, believing that they need respect and chances for a better life. This is their home, and the need to protect it feels organic.
As fun as Vampires vs. the Bronx is, the ending doesn’t feel nearly as triumphant as Attack the Block for the sole fact that their endings are punctuated differently. There is a constant tension in The Block where everything is slowly elevated with these excellent action beats. Meanwhile, The Bronx is building to one major fight. There is more pressure on this moment standing out, and it does plenty to be a memorable moment in the film. Even then, it’s a small moment in a story that is more about its themes than action, and the kids are too empathetic to be nearly as perplexing as even the supporting cast of Attack the Block.
It’s true that these films have different intentions, though their commentaries on urban environments feel largely similar. Both are about protecting what’s important to youth. Attack the Block’s character dynamic feels richer, if just because the outsider perspective is also one of the few adults in the story. There is a recognition of how this world can look to general audiences. Vampires vs. the Bronx always feels too familiar to deliver on its most fun moments. It has a strong sense of environment and has clever gags, but it’s an all-too-familiar tale that does enough for quick and easy genre fare, but little else.
Even then, neither are necessarily bad movies. It’s doubtful that Vampires vs. the Bronx will hold as much of a cult legacy as Attack the Block, but both have this way of making apartment buildings into some of the tensest places to be. There is a need to protect their structures, and the outside forces may be too horrifying to ever be prepared. With that said, there’s room to suggest that Cornish’s ability to look at it as a bigger critique of the societal differences than anything in kids fighting vampires. Both are exhilarating, but Cornish feels like he tries just a bit harder, making things as simple as a hallway into a magnificent set-piece. That’s what Vampires vs. the Bronx could’ve used more of. Otherwise, it’s just fine.
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