Love Bite - Nothing is safer than sex - Blu-Ray

Movie: Really, life in the English seaside town of Rainmouth isn't exciting for Jamie (Ed Speleers) and his pals Spike (Daniel Kendrick), Kev (Luke Pasqualino) and Bruno (Robin Morrissey). While his friends pant after anything wearing a skirt and never miss an opportunity for childish silliness, Jamie has to deal with the fact that his mother seems completely overwhelmed with running their little hotel. A breath of fresh air comes into Jamie's life when he meets the attractive Juliana (Jessica Szohr) at a party, who writes travel reports for a blog and has stayed at his mother's hotel, of all places. Sparks fly between the two, but the appearance of the mysterious Sid Aarikka (Timothy Spall), the disappearance of several teenagers from the small town, and two overzealous police officers make it impossible for Jamie to get any closer to his dream girl. Lucky for him, Sid claims Juliana is a werewolf who preys on the flesh of virgins. And since Jamie and his pals have never had sex, there would be only one option for their safety: they must lose their virginity as soon as possible...

With Love Bite, Andy De Emmony, who has worked on cult British series such as Red Dwarf, Spitting Image and Father Ted, tries his hand at a mix of teen comedy a la American Pie and horror comedy in the tradition of American Werewolf. The work can't reach the class of the clear role models, but it simply lacks - if you'll pardon the pun - the necessary bite. De Emmony gives away the potential for that in favor of rather flat sex jokes, which are primarily at the expense of Jamie's horny buddies. True, there are a few decent laughs here, especially since you're also taught some rather unusual terms for the sex act. By the end of the film, for instance, you know what meat gymnastics is all about. Still, the gags are just too infantile and seem too overused to provide the really big laughs.

There are aspects that work, though. The two cops who seem to be attached to Jamie like burrs and keep popping up when he gets closer to Juliana, or Timothy Spall as a crazed werewolf hunter definitely make for amusing moments. And the little horror interludes are also quite respectable, despite the obvious low budget. However, they are altogether too sporadically sown to be really appealing for horror fans. Thus, primarily fans of teen comedies are addressed, which are offered with Ed Speleers (Eragon) and Jessica Szohr (Gossip Girl) at least two attractive and charming main characters.

Who likes raunchy comedies with crude wordplay and can enjoy small horror interludes, the Love Bite because of some successful gags and the amusing end may well enjoy. However, anyone expecting a black-humored genre entry on the level of American Werewolf or expecting humor that doesn't just deal with sexual organs or various bodily fluids is unlikely to find much good in this amusing anti-chastity campaign.

Picture + Sound: The Blu-ray's picture pleases with a high level of image sharpness, a good balance of contrasts and a coherent color scheme. There are a few slight drops in quality in the darker sequences, but overall the positive overall impression prevails. The sound can't measure up to the quality of effective Hollywood blockbusters, but there are a few small surround effects that provide pleasant movement in the tonal events every now and then. Otherwise, the dialogues determine the soundscape, whereby these sound clearly more centrally mixed in the German soundtrack, than in the original English version.

Extras: In addition to the trailer for the film and a brief look behind the scenes (about 11 min.), the Blu-Ray still has interviews with actors and the director (a total of about 30 min.) to offer. Not much really, but the Behind the Scenes Special is well worth watching.

Conclusion: Love Bite tries its hand at a mix of werewolf and teen comedy. The American Pie meets American Werewolf comparison touted on the cover is quite apt, even if the quality of those role models is never matched at any moment. But even if some low-brow gags and the unconvincing effects due to the small budget don't leave a really intoxicating impression, the entertainment value of the film is on a decent level. A few very successful gags and the good ending console over some flatter moments. No masterpiece, but an entertaining horror teen comedy is this home theater premiere all the same

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp