By NATE YAPP

Keenan Ivory Wayans recently defended the incredible overdose of raunch in Scary Movie by comparing his work to that of Mel Brooks. Excuse me? Mel Brooks knows how to craft a parody without reaching gross-out excesses while still making it funny.

Obviously, nothing can be done about Wayans's film now that doesn't involve burning all the prints. However, directors who consider a horror spoof in the future should look at two textbook examples of how to do it right: Mel Brooks's Young Frankenstein and Stan Dragoti's Love At First Bite.

Young Frankenstein is about Frederick Frankenstein (that's pronounced Fronkensteen) who inherits his grandfather's estate and restarts the family business. Love at First Bite details Dracula's jouney to New York City in 1979 as he searches for the love of his eternal life, all the while being hunted by a descendant of Van Helsing. Both films have the basis of a good spoof: the plots could hold up just as well if played straight.

Mel Brooks does his best work ever in YF. First of all, his attention to detail is outstanding. He uses black and white film that looks like it came from the Thirties. He employs wipes and silences almost exactly like in the original films. He even got some genuine Universal whirring equipment to make for authentic lab scenes. His love for the classics shines through in every film cell.

Bite doesn't fare so well in the directorial department. Other than a shot of Dracula's hand emerging from his coffin, not too much of the classic imagery is invoked. Indeed, this film is shot as a product of the 70s, and not a throwback to the Thirties and Forties.

Luckily, the film is meant as a comical updating of the Dracula legend, so this works. It just would have been nice to have a few more historical touches.

The script in YF is content to play out key scenes from the first three Universal films for humorous effect. The overlying plot is taken from Son of Frankenstein with bits and pieces added from Frankestein and Bride of... (most notably, the hilarious takes on the little girl tossing flowers and the blind man scene).

First Bite opens with some nicely atmospheric (and funny) scenes in Castle Dracula. However, like the original Dracula before, it changes tactics drastically when the vampire leaves Transylvania (this time for New York City). The film then focuses on how outdated Dracula is in a time where chaos is the norm. I mean, who needs undead bloodsuckers when you have Wall Street?

Mel Brooks stuck close to what the characters were in the old movies for YF. Frederick is a more manic version of Wolf from Son of... Elizabeth is fleshed out a bit more from her damsel-in-distress predecessor to a high culture snob who won't let her fianceé touch her because her expensive clothing might wrinkle. In the final analysis, its the monster who bears the most resemblance to his Universal counterpart, and it's not just because of the script, which is something I'll get into a little later.

First Bite tweaks its characters a little so they'll fit into the mold of what is, essentially, a romance-comedy. Dracula becomes a hero figure of sorts, a nice guy who just wants some romance, somebody who you root for to succeed. His powers have increased, but only when its funny.

Dr. Rosenberg (a psychiatrist who's really a Van Helsing but changed his name for professional reasons) doesn't go after the vampire to eliminate evil, but because he wants Drac's target for himself. Renfield is made into a middle-aged manservant, who has the nice bonus of being able to emulate Dwight Frye's laugh perfectly. The Mina character, Cindy, is a supermodel disco-queen, as far from the timid, innocent victim of old as you can get. At one point, she turns the tables on the Count ("Are you biting me?").

What really makes the two films work are the leads, and YF benifits from two exceptional ones. Gene Wilder, as the eccentric Frederick, has impeccable comic timing, and he makes all of his scenes his. Just look at the scene where there's a dead hand hanging out of his cart as a cop walks by...and how he cleverly covers up. It's guaranteed funny.

However, a Frankenstein movie is nothing without a monster, and Peter Boyle provides one in spades. While every other parody just has some actor with neckbolts and outstretched arms, Boyle works hard to evoke the image of Karloff. His every movement suggests Boris, and those stiff-limbed imitators of the Forties. Even his angry grunt is Karloffesque (which isn't a word, but it should be). Any Universal fan should be immensely pleased.

As for First Bite's Dracula, George Hamilton sheds his trademark bronzed skin to transform into the pale King of Vampires. His vocal inflection isn't quite as suave or stilted as Bela Lugosi's (it's all too obvious he has perfect command of the English language), but it's still a darn good Hungarian impersonation. His mannerisms are dead-on, though, even so far as to prompt Carroll Borland (a protegé of Lugosi's) to tell David J. Skal that the performance is eeriely reminiscent of Bela's stage interpretation of the role. Beyond living la vida Lugosi, Hamilton also has the difficult job of making Dracula, usually the embodiment of evil, a comical romantic lead. He does this admirably, though he loses all of the darker qualities of the character in the process.

Perhaps what everyone remembers from YF, long after the film is over and the stale popcorn is tossed, is the dance number. Frederick makes peace with his creation, and then exhibits it for the scientific community. After going through some simple commands with the monster, he cues some music and (don't tell me you don't know this): "When you're tired and you don't know where to go to/ why don't you go where fashion sits?" Frederick taps his cane twice and the monster responds, "Pootyn-on-er-Reetz!" The absurdity of the creature in top hat and tails doing tap routines makes for an absolute gut-buster. It gets even funnier when the monster gets spooked by an exploding stage light and Frederick desperately trys to keep the show going as the respectable scientists throw vegetables at the stage.

First Bite also has a memorable dance sequence. In a disco club, the Count meets his lady love for the first time. She is oddly drawn to the dark handsome stranger. He entices her to dance and, to the beat of that disco funk, they do. It's not the Hustle, despite the techno background. It's a dance of love and desire, a classic dance of the ages. Somehow, through some mysterious bending of the laws of music, this tango of passion matches the hopelessly bad Seventies music beat-for-beat, leaving a memorably romantic and semi-comic scene.

I could go on, comparing Marty Feldman's Igor to Arte Johnson's Renfield, or looking at the old-school village setting of YF versus the modern (and possibly more frightening) Big Apple in First Bite, but I think I've gotten my point across fairly well. While these are two different takes on two classic monsters, they both stand as shining examples of how to do things right.

I hope all of the Wayans brothers are listening so they get it next time. There's nothing worse than a bad parody of an okay film, and nothing more special or magically funny than a good spoof of a top-notch movie.

(Nate Yapp is webmaster and head reviewer at Classic Horror, the monthly horror film webzine.   Pay him a visit and tell hm Renfield sent you.)

Thanks, Nate. Perhaps, from now on, at least one those brothers will demand to be known as "Why-Uns"...and then hop aboard the Transylvania Choo-Choo...

Article copyright © Nate Yapp

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