Vampires vs. The Bronx feels like a bit of a throwback to those teen/young audience horror films that were springing up during the 80s. Undeniably influenced by The Lost Boys, and perhaps The Monster Squad, it doesn’t have quite the same level of cult-hood, but it is a fun film that is a solid kid-friendly (except for some language if that’s what you’re worried about) horror movie.

Miguel (Jaden Michael), Bobby (Gerald Jones), and Luis (Gregory Diaz IV) are three best friends, all on the cusp of growing up and growing apart. They are troubled by the gentrification of their beloved section of The Bronx as a real estate company, Murnau Enterprises (there’s your first nod to vampire pop culture in a film filled with it) is moving in and moving the locals out, or perhaps just killing them.

Intent on saving a local bodega, the kids come into direct conflict with the company, and their front man, Frank (the wonderful Shea Whigham). Their shocked to discover that their neighborhood is being taken over by vampires!

With some help from a viewing of Blade, knowledge gleaned from ‘Salem’s Lot, and a new friend, Rita (Coco Jones), they may have the opportunity to save their friends and family before it’s too late.

With lots of youthful humor, the film embeds you in that time of youth when there was nothing beyond the edges of your neighborhood, you knew everyone, and your whole life was ahead of you.

As such, it’s a bit of a coming-of-age tale as the trio are all changed, and more grown-up by the end of story, and their innocence may be gone. But they know how to fight vampires!

The three leads are by turns goofy and charming and entirely relatable. You can see your own group of childhood friends in them, and that makes the film relatable for adults and kids.

The visual and creature effects are solid. The vampire look is very much in line with a Buffy/Lost Boys style, and they don’t have any abilities that have heretofore been unknown. The film follows the rules, and the tropes, and while it doesn’t have anything new to say about vampires, it does deliver a fun little romp.

This is a great introduction to the vampire films for families, in fact, paired with Monster Squad or Lost Boys would make a solid double, or triple, feature.

It’s not the best vampire movie in recent years, but it knows what it wants to do, which is have a fun time, and have some playtime in one of horror’s most popular sub-genres.

A delightful, if run of the mill kind of vampire film.