Suck - Bis(s) zum Erfolg - DVD

Film: The vampire craze has reached its peak in 2010, bringing along quite a few "Twilight" spin-offs as well as some truly original genre entries. One of these is the vampire rock comedy "Suck - Bis(s) zum Erfolg", which is now available on DVD and Blu-Ray after its successful guest appearance at the Fantasy Filmfest.

The film centers on the unsuccessful rock band "The Winners", who, contrary to their name, have little luck with their songs. Small gigs in shabby clubs, that's all the band has managed so far. But the tide turns after bassist Jennifer (Jessica Paré) disappears after a gig with a mysterious stranger and boards the tour bus the next day strangely changed. As it turns out, Jennifer is now a seductive vampire lady whose newly awakened thirst for blood scares off her bandmates but fascinates an ever-growing audience with her hypnotic allure.

Befuddled by their new success, one band member after another decides to adapt to Jennifer's lifestyle and so "The Winners" are a straight-up vampire band. But success doesn't come without a price...

Numerous references to horror classics like "Dracula" and "Frankenstein", as well as music legends like Bruce Springsteen (or the cover to his album "Born in the U.S.A."), as well as numerous guest appearances from Alice Cooper to Moby (great his performance as a disgusting rocker) to Iggy Pop make "Suck - Bis(s) zum Erfolg" a treat for horror and rock fans alike.

The nice thing about the production is that director and lead actor Rob Stefaniuk doesn't even try to make it more than it is. Stefaniuk knows that "Suck - Bis(s) zum Erfolg" is a trashy film and it really celebrates that. The humor is sometimes deeply black, then again a little more flat, the acting performances are all good-humored and a little overdone and the effects are sometimes so cheap that it is already funny again. For example, the film obviously skimped on airplane shots or exterior shots of the tour bus. What the makers have come up with here, to be able to present the viewer a jet airplane in the sky, is just endearingly charming.

Admittedly, "Suck - Bis(s) zum Erfolg" is, on balance, a little too well-behaved to really have what it takes to be a cult classic. An entertaining pleasure for lovers of the somewhat trashy pace, this work has become but in any case. And therefore also applies: one of the more positive side effects of the vampire boom and therefore also absolutely worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: "Suck - Bis(s) zum Erfolg" is not an expensive glossy production and that is also noticeable to the film. While the picture is clean, the overall sharpness could use a little work. Colors are mixed rather subtly, but this is in keeping with the atmosphere of the film. When it comes to the audio, the good soundtrack takes center stage. However, the German soundtrack overall seems a bit more front-heavy and artificial than the better (and also funnier) original English version. Good!

Extras: On the first DVD there are only some trailers of the provider. But also Disc 2 has not really much bonus material to offer. Only a making of is on the additional disc. This is quite extensive at 46 minutes and also well worth watching, but would have fit easily on the first DVD - also due to the short running time of the main film.

Conclusion: "Suck - Bis(s) zum Erfolg" is an entertaining mixture of music and vampire film, a humorous declaration of love to rock and the classic horror film. The double DVD can convince technically, but the 45min Making of as the only extra is a bit little for two DVDs. Recommendable

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp