After 347 years of one night stands, the Count has fallen in love - with a man!
Love Bites is a 1992 American Romantic Comedy film.
Jake Hunter is a young man who seeks to rid the world of vampires. Hearing reports of activity near him, Jake encounters the mysterious Count Damien Sanders, a dashing bloodsucker who immediately falls for him. As Jake teams up with a catty sex worker to take out the Count, he has to contend with his own growing feelings.
Not to be confused with the fanfic, the power metal band, the video game, or the Bite of Affection trope.
This film contains examples of:
- Above the Influence: Jake actively refuses to take advantage of Lesley when he passes out in his apartment.
- Camp Gay: Lesley is an incredibly flamboyant sex worker who constantly makes catty comments.
- Classical Movie Vampire: The Count deliberately apes this when revealing himself to Jake, with the cape and everything.
- Dating Catwoman: The whole point of the movie is a romance between a vampire and a vampire hunter.
- Fanservice Extra: The first scene features a guy who's trying to hook up with Jake. He spends most of the scene in a towel or fully naked, including Male Frontal Nudity.
- Friendly Neighborhood Vampire: The Count is a dashing romantic lead, who is explicitly said to have never killed anybody.
- Good All Along: Turns out the Count's never killed anybody, and makes a point to only drink what he needs.
- Goth: The Count's servant Manfield is constantly wearing all black, circular sunglasses and a Robert Smith haircut.
- I Love the Dead: Lesley, after checking that the Count's in his corpse state, fondles his penis. Jake is disturbed by this.
- In Love with the Mark: Jake falls in love with the literal first vampire he tries to hunt.
- Ladykiller in Love: Gay version. The Count has been having one-night stands for centuries before falling in love with Jake.
- My Species Doth Protest Too Much: The Count tends not to associate with other vampires, as he's not fond of killing.
- No Antagonist: At first it seems like the conflict will be Jake's battle with the handsome bloodsucking Count, but it turns out the latter is Good All Along and the film goes full romance.
- Older Than They Look: The Count makes a crack about being carded despite being 347.
- Our Vampires Are Different: These look and act like normal humans, but are inert corpses during the day. They have a Compelling Voice and can turn into mist, but are susceptible to bloodborne illnesses. If exposed to sunlight, they experience Rapid Aging before rotting away. Additionally, true love can make them human again.
- Pair the Spares: The protagonists' comedic sidekicks hook up at the end.
- The Pig-Pen: Manfield is horrified when the Count suggests dusting for the first time in a hundred years.
- Power Perversion Potential: Defied; the Count specifically refuses to use his Compelling Voice on Jake because he wants to win him over genuinely.
- Pun-Based Title: Based on a saying synonymous with Love Hurts and one of the couple being a vampire.
- The Renfield: Manfield is an excited eccentric who constantly calls the Count "Master", eats snails and speaks with a Peter Lorre impersonation.
- Saw "Star Wars" Twenty-Seven Times: Lesley's seen The Wizard of Oz 62 times.
- Shout-Out:
- The first shots of the film are posters of Dracula (1973), The Exorcist, Daffy Duck's Quackbusters The Duxorcist, Ghostbusters (1984) and Once Bitten.
- Jake mentions knowing how Indiana Jones feels right before an adventure.
- Lesley makes cracks about Elvira, Mistress of the Dark doing the Count's decorating and Herman Munster doing the architecture.
- The Count and Manfield met at a The Grateful Dead concert.
- Lesley starts quoting Clue scenarios when asking how to kill a vampire.
- Sleep Cute: Lesley thinks the Count is adorable when he's asleep. The Care Bears pajamas don't help.
- Tall, Dark, and Handsome: The Count is very tall, has black hair and wears fancy black suits. Naturally, Jake gets a crush immediately.
- A Threesome Is Hot: Manfield is noticeably excited when he thinks the Count hired him two sex workers for the evening.
- Vampire Hunter: Jake really wants to be one, and meets the Count on his first night out. Naturally, he falls in love with his target.
- Vegetarian Vampire: The Count sticks to blood bags, only taking the minimum he needs when having to feed on the living.
