''Transylvania Twist'' is a 1989

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

that

parodies A parody is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satirical or ironic imitation. Often its subject is an original work or some aspect of it (theme/content, author, style, etc), but a parody can als ...

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...

s. Originally released by Concord Production Inc., this film is distributed on

home video Home video is recorded media sold or Video rental shop, rented for home viewing. The term originates from the VHS and Betamax era, when the predominant medium was videotapes, but has carried over to optical disc formats such as DVD and Blu-ray. ...

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

. In the film

Angus Scrimm Angus Scrimm (born Lawrence Rory Guy; August 19, 1926 – January 9, 2016) was an American actor, author, and journalist, known for his portrayal of the Tall Man in the 1979 horror film '' Phantasm'' and its sequels. Early life Scrimm was born ...

reprises his role of the "Tall Man" from the Phantasm films, as a parody. The humor of the film is most often said to be in the style of ''

Airplane! ''Airplane!'' (alternatively titled ''Flying High!'') is a 1980 American disaster film, disaster comedy film written and directed by Jim Abrahams and brothers David Zucker, David and Jerry Zucker in their List of directorial debuts, directoria ...

'', and

Mel Brooks Melvin James Brooks (né Kaminsky; born June 28, 1926) is an American actor, comedian, filmmaker, and songwriter. With a career spanning over seven decades, he is known as a writer and director of a variety of successful broad farces and parodie ...

comedies. It occasionally breaks the

fourth wall The fourth wall is a performance dramatic convention, convention in which an invisible, imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this "wall", the convention assumes the actors act as if they cannot. ...

rule with characters looking at the camera, and one even saying "I'm in the wrong movie". The film's main theme has been released on a variety of

album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

s, and the entire soundtrack was released on CD and as a direct download in the year 2010, twenty-one years after the movies initial release. It was directed by Jim Wynorski, who made over 150 films. In 2013 he said this film "comes closest to my personality and was the film I had the most fun making. It was the show I never wanted to end". In the film, a female member of the Orlock family inherits her family's ancestral castle in

Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...

. A vampire cousin of the heiress is trying to use a stolen magical book to summon a monster to Earth. A

vampire hunter A vampire hunter or vampire slayer is a fictional occupation in folklore and fiction which specializes in finding vampires, and sometimes other supernatural creatures. A vampire hunter is usually described as having extensive knowledge of vampir ...

of the

Van Helsing Professor Abraham Van Helsing () is a fictional character from the 1897 gothic horror novel ''Dracula'' written by Bram Stoker. Van Helsing is a Dutch polymath doctor with a wide range of interests and accomplishments, partly attested by the P ...

family tries to cope with his new life as a vampire.

Plot summary

The film opens with two short sequences before the main story line begins, first a prologue, and then a mock television advertisement. In the

prologue A prologue or prolog (from Ancient Greek πρόλογος ''prólogos'', from πρό ''pró'', "before" and λόγος ''lógos'', "speech") is an opening to a story that establishes the context and gives background details, often some earlier st ...

, a seemingly helpless young woman is pursued by

Jason Voorhees Jason Voorhees () is a fictional character and the antagonist of the Friday the 13th (franchise), ''Friday the 13th'' series. He first appeared in ''Friday the 13th (1980 film), Friday the 13th'' (1980) as the young son of camp-cook-turned-kil ...

Leatherface Leatherface is a character from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (franchise), ''The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'' series. He first appeared in ''The Texas Chain Saw Massacre'' (1974) as the mentally disabled member of a family of deranged Human cannibalis ...

, and

Freddy Krueger Freddy Krueger () is a fictional character and the antagonist of the ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' horror film franchise. Created by Wes Craven, he made his debut in Craven's '' A Nightmare on Elm Street'' (1984) as the malevolent spirit of a ...

; she is then chased into a cave and reappears a few seconds later with an item from each of the three. She then faces the camera and laughs (showing her

fang A fang is a long, pointed tooth. In mammals, a fang is a modified maxillary tooth, used for biting and tearing flesh. In snakes, it is a specialized tooth that is associated with a venom gland (see snake venom). Spiders also have external fangs, ...

s) and says, "Amateurs!" The advertisement sequence is for a "mortuary, crematory, cemetery" called "Death City" where a salesman tries selling viewers "new and used coffins", with the help of his assistant Lovely Rita. Dexter Ward (Steve Altman) enters a 'Death City' location, and is greeted by two morticians, one of which is noted science fiction anthologist Forrest J. Ackerman in a cameo appearance, who is holding a copy of

Famous Monsters of Filmland ''Famous Monsters of Filmland'' is an American film genre, genre-specific List of film periodicals, film magazine, started in 1958 by publisher James Warren (publisher), James Warren and editor Forrest J Ackerman. ''Famous Monsters of Filmland ...

. Dexter is there for the funeral of his uncle, who is suffering from a 'medical condition' and not actually dead. After helping his uncle out of the coffin and back to a library, Dexter is then sent by his uncle Ephram (

Jay Robinson Jay Robinson (April 14, 1930 – September 27, 2013) was an American actor specializing in character roles. He achieved his greatest fame playing Emperor Caligula in the film '' The Robe'' (1953) and its sequel '' Demetrius and the Gladiator ...

) to find and bring back ''The Book of Ulthar'', a book of great power capable of unleashing terrible evil in the wrong hands;

librarian A librarian is a person who professionally works managing information. Librarians' common activities include providing access to information, conducting research, creating and managing information systems, creating, leading, and evaluating educat ...

Ephram had mistakenly let someone check it out. Dexter's search leads him to aspiring singing star Marissa Orlock ( Teri Copley), who is about to be informed of the death of her father Marinas ( Howard Morris), and her inheritance of Castle Orlock in

. Dexter goes with her to the castle. Victor

(Ace Mask), a professional

, accompanies Marissa and Dexter to the castle as the executor of her father's estate. Count Byron Orlock (

Robert Vaughn Robert Francis Vaughn (November 22, 1932 – November 11, 2016) was an American actor and political activist, whose career in film, television and theater spanned nearly six decades and who was best known for his role as secret agent Nap ...

), and his three adopted-daughters who are also vampires are already at the castle. One of them is named Patricia ( Monique Gabrielle) the seemingly helpless girl in the prologue. When 'viewing the will' they find out that Marissa has been left the castle and the money, while Orlock was left luggage. As a toss-up gift, they are left to find the book somewhere within the castle. Orlock is determined to find the book so that he can create an age of evil; assisting him is the butler Stephan (

). The book is finally found by Dexter but Byron steals it from him and uses it to summon an enormous monster called The Evil One (which was originally seen in '' It Conquered the World''), but Dexter and Marissa (who is

possessed Possessed may refer to: Possession * Possession (disambiguation), having some degree of control over something else ** Spirit possession, whereby gods, demons, animas, or other disincarnate entities may temporarily take control of a human body *** ...

by her ancestor of the same name) stops him, while Dexter is freed and destroys the book. The possessed Marissa blasts Byron with a lightning bolt. As he burns to death, Byron declares that he'll be back in the

sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music, or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...

. Marinas, who was suffering from a cataleptic seizure and was not dead, tells Marissa that she must stay in the castle to ensure that the monster never returns; Helsing, who is now a vampire, also stays. Dexter arranges for Marissa to make her latest

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

in the castle, with the help of her vampire cousins and Helsing. The film ends with the local villagers, who throughout the film have been trying to find the castle so they can destroy it, finally give up and go home.

Cast

as Lord Byron Orlock * Teri Copley as Marissa Orlock * Steve Altman as Dexter Ward * Ace Mask as Victor Von Helsing *

as Stefen * Steve Franken as Hans Hoff * Vinette Cecelia as Laverne * Monique Gabrielle Patricia "Patty" * Howard Morris as Marinas Orlock *

as Uncle Ephram * Lenny Juliano as Maxie Fields * Joe Lerer as Hans Downe * Clement von Franckenstein as Hans Hoff * R.J. Robertson as Hans Phull * Arthur Roberts as Hans N. Fritz * Toni Naples as Maxine * Frazer Smith as "Slick" Lambert * Becky LeBeau as Rita *

Stu Nahan Stu Nahan (June 23, 1926 – December 26, 2007) was an American television sportscaster in Los Angeles from the 1950s through the 1990s. He is also remembered for his role as a boxing commentator in the first six ''Rocky'' films. He received a ...

as Sports Announcer * Jack Behr as Direttore *

Kelli Maroney Kelli Maroney is an American film and television actress. She appeared in the films ''Fast Times at Ridgemont High'' (1982), '' Night of the Comet'' (1984), '' Chopping Mall'' (1986), '' The Zero Boys'' (1986) and '' Scream Queen Hot Tub Party ...

as Hannah * Michael Chieffo as Ed Norton Look-Alike * Jon Locke as Mr. Sweeney * Magda Harout as Peasant Woman * Deanna Lund as Insegnante * Brinke Stevens as Betty Lou * Harriet Harris as Granny * Michael Vlastas as James Vasvolakas * Art Hern as Willoughby * Dean Jones (credited as Dean C. Jones) as Pinhead *

Boris Karloff William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), known professionally as Boris Karloff () and occasionally billed as Karloff the Uncanny, was a British actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film ''Frankenstei ...

as Himself (archive footage)

Inspirations, parodies, and puns

Mark Thomas McGee worked on an early draft of the script for about a week. He was fired at the request for

Roger Corman Roger William Corman (April 5, 1926 – May 9, 2024) was an American film director, producer, and actor. Known under various monikers such as "The Pope of Pop Cinema", "The Spiritual Godfather of the New Hollywood", and "The King of Cult", he w ...

who told Wynorski that he was difficult to work with. Most of the film consists of silly moments of comedy and parody; e.g., when Pinhead steps out of an acupuncturist's office and says, "I don't care what anyone says — this hurts!" At one point, Dexter looks into a room and meets

(in a clip from the movie ''

The Terror The Reign of Terror (French: ''La Terreur'', literally "The Terror") was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the First Republic, a series of massacres and numerous public executions took place in response to ...

''); in another, Dexter and Marissa step into a room that's apparently in 3-D, but because neither of them is wearing 3-D glasses, all they see is jumbled red and green. Many of the films characters are parodies of other sources, including; Dexter Ward from '' The Case of Charles Dexter Ward'', Byron Orlock from ''

Targets ''Targets'' is a 1968 American crime thriller film directed by Peter Bogdanovich in his theatrical directorial debut, and starring Tim O'Kelly, Boris Karloff, Nancy Hsueh, Bogdanovich, James Brown, Arthur Peterson and Sandy Baron. The film ...

'',

from

Dracula ''Dracula'' is an 1897 Gothic fiction, Gothic horror fiction, horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker. The narrative is Epistolary novel, related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist and opens ...

, and the mock advertisement scene's Lovely Rita. Television shows are also referenced such as ''

The Honeymooners ''The Honeymooners'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired from 1955 to 1956, created by and starring Jackie Gleason, and based on a recurring comedy sketch of the same name that had been part of Gleason's variety show. It f ...

'', '' The Late Show'', ''

Meet the Press ''Meet the Press'' is a weekly American television Sunday morning talk show broadcast on NBC. It is the List of longest-running television shows by category, longest-running program on American television, though its format has changed since th ...

'', ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology series, anthology television series created by Rod Serling in which characters find themselves dealing with often disturbing or unusual events, an experience described ...

'', '' The Newlydead Game'', and '' Wheel of Fortune''. The film also contains puns such as " Vampires of the Caribbean", " Elvis has left the body", and "

Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow" is a novelty nonsensical doo-wop song by the Rivingtons in 1962. It peaked at number 48 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and number 35 on the '' Cashbox'' charts. The band released two similar follow-up songs over the next sev ...

" being spoken as part of the spell to summon the Evil One as well as classic gags such as a Pie in the face for the

Ayatollah Ayatollah (, ; ; ) is an Title of honor, honorific title for high-ranking Twelver Shia clergy. It came into widespread usage in the 20th century. Originally used as a title bestowed by popular/clerical acclaim for a small number of the most di ...

, and Dexter finding a Skeleton in the closet. Films being parodied are: * '' Nightmare on Elm Street'': the character

with Swiss Army knife glove. * ''

Casablanca Casablanca (, ) is the largest city in Morocco and the country's economic and business centre. Located on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Chaouia (Morocco), Chaouia plain in the central-western part of Morocco, the city has a populatio ...

'' * ''

The Exorcist ''The Exorcist'' is a 1973 American supernatural horror film directed by William Friedkin from a screenplay by William Peter Blatty, based on The Exorcist (novel), his 1971 novel. The film stars Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Jason Miller (play ...

'': at the séance scene, including the spewing of green liquid from the mouth. * '' Friday the 13th'' films: the character

. * '' The Haunted Palace'': the summoning of the 'Evil One' scenes. * ''

Hellraiser ''Hellraiser'' is a 1987 British supernatural horror film written and directed by Clive Barker in his directorial debut. Based on Barker's 1986 novella ''The Hellbound Heart'', the film's plot concerns a mystical puzzle box that summons the ...

'': the character Pinhead. * '' Horror of Dracula'': meeting the daughters, Van Helsing pointing out blood on a vampire's mouth, and Byron throwing back of female vampire from her intended victim. * '' It Conquered the World'': the 'Evil One' creature. * ''

Night of the Living Dead ''Night of the Living Dead'' is a 1968 American Independent film, independent zombie horror film directed, photographed, and edited by George A. Romero, written by Romero and John A. Russo, John Russo, produced by Russell Streiner and Karl Har ...

'': the lines "Yeah, they're dead--they're all messed up". * '' Phantasm'': the 'Tall Man' character with Angus Scrimm parodying himself in the role. * ''

Taxi Driver ''Taxi Driver'' is a 1976 American neo-noir psychological drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Paul Schrader. Set in a morally decaying New York City following the Vietnam War, it stars Robert De Niro as veteran Marine and ...

'': the lines "You talking to me, no one else here you must be talking to me". * '' Texas Chainsaw Massacre'' films: character Leatherface. * ''

'': footage of Boris Karloff. The film title comes from a line in the 1962 song " Monster Mash".

Home media

The film was released on

VHS VHS (Video Home System) is a discontinued standard for consumer-level analog video recording on tape cassettes, introduced in 1976 by JVC. It was the dominant home video format throughout the tape media period of the 1980s and 1990s. Ma ...

on September 22, 1993 and on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

on March 27, 2001.

Reception

The film received mixed reviews, from positive reviews such as "what might be the best of the late-80′s wave of Naked Gun inspired horror spoofs", to the more negative reviews that state "moronic comedy about vampires, teenage vampire hunters and half-naked babes". One of its most positive reviews comes from ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' stating that "mixed into the cosmic stew are many delightful reflexive bits", and that it "is an occasionally hilarious horror spoof notable for the range of its comical targets". * 2 and half stars out of 4 - TV Guide * 2 and a half stars out of 5 - Video Movie Guide 2002 * 2 stars out of 4 - Creature Features: The Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Movie Guide * 2 out of 4 -

Cinefantastique ''Cinefantastique'' is an American horror, fantasy, and science fiction film magazine. History The magazine originally started as a mimeographed fanzine in 1967, then relaunched as a glossy, offset printed quarterly in 1970 by publisher/ ed ...

review by J. P. Harris * 1 and a half Bones out of 4 - VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever * 1 and a half stars out of 5 - All Movie.com * 1 star out of 5 -

AMC (TV channel) AMC (an abbreviation of the channel's original name, American Movie Classics) is an American basic cable television channel that is the flagship property of AMC Networks. Launched in late 1984, the channel aired classic films prior to the 1970 ...

Soundtrack

After the film's original release its theme was released as part of the album "Vampire Circus (The Essential Vampire Theme Collection)" by Silva Screen Records in 1993. On the 1997 album "Vampire Themes" by Cleopatra Records, the band 'Ex Voto' remixes and reinterprets the main theme. The entire soundtrack was then officially released on June 7, 2010, when it was paired with the soundtrack to '' Not of This Earth'' also composed by Chuck Cirino. It is currently sold in Compact Disk, and direct download formats from various music sites. Transylvania Twist # Amateurs # Transylvania Twist Main Titles # Just Give Me Action # Come To Castle Orlock # The Road To Hansberg/Van Helsing Before Dinner # Think Of The Royalties # Ancestors Of Orlock # Marinas' Service # Stefan's Favorite Musical Recording # The Newlydead Game # Seance For Lady Marissa # Trick Or Treat/Swing And A Miss # Marissa Points The Way/Dexter Finds The Book # The Evil One Appears # Destroy The Book # Transylvania Twist End Titles Not of This Earth
17. Not Of This Earth Main Title
18. I'm Coming Home/Dining Out
19. Miss Story's Bedroom/First Communication
20. Several Hundred Questions
21. Sleeze-O-Mania
22. Birthday Girl
23. A Pound And A Half of Flesh
24. Footchase
25. Finding Out
26. Stop Running, Nadine
27. Driving Mr. Johnson
28. Not Of This Earth End Titles
Bonus Tracks
29. Transylvania Twist Suite
30. Chopping Mall Suite
31. Not Of This Earth End Titles (Alternate)
32. Death City

References

External links

* *
''Transylvania Twist'' production credits

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

{{Jim Wynorski 1989 films 1989 comedy films 1989 comedy horror films 1980s American films 1980s English-language films 1980s parody films American comedy horror films American vampire films Films about books Films about inheritances Films about spirit possession Films directed by Jim Wynorski Films set in castles Films set in Transylvania Parodies of horror Vampire comedy films English-language comedy horror films