Al Lewis may best be known for his portrayal as kindly Grandpa Munster in The Munsters, but in 1992 he got to reprise a vampiric grandpa role a little bit with his turn in David Blyth’s My Grandpa is a Vampire (AKA Moonrise and my personal favorite, Grampire), a New Zealand kids’ production that effectively asked “What if Al Lewis, but in a different role, and he’s dying?” The film stars Justin Gocke as California native Lonny, who heads out to New Zealand to visit his Aunt Leah (Pat Evison) and grandpa Cooger and to have fun with his Kiwi friend Kanziora (Milan Borich). But all that changes when grandpa takes ill and eventually passes away, only to come back for one last hurrah with his grandson since he’s, of course, a vampire!
Written by Michael Heath (notable as half the writing credits on Next of Kin), My Grandpa is a Vampire really leans into the experiences of loss and grief as a kid. The film’s opening moments are quite lighthearted as Lonny hangs out with Kanziora, finds some evidence to support the fact his grandpa may well be a vampire, and deals with his aunt’s annoying boyfriend Ernie (Noel Appleby); quickly, though, the film takes a turn for tragedy as Grandpa starts getting weaker and eventually dies. Blyth does a great job addressing a child’s coping with life’s inevitability; Gocke gives a sweet and passionate performance, and My Grandpa is a Vampire is both gentle but realistic during its moments after, including a memorable funeral scene.
At its heart, the film is about the loss of those good times and Grandpa’s ability to come back for one last fun jaunt. And when the film hones in on these moments, it’s particularly fun thanks to Lewis’ bombastic ability to elevate the scriptwriting. However, My Grandpa is a Vampire lacks a plot conflict, and its second half meanders a bit too long looking for something to focus on. Kids may enjoy the magical moments like Grandpa and Lonny soaring through the air or scaring Ernie, but adults looking for a more engaging storyline will sadly not find it.
Still, fans of Lewis’ shtick will certainly find a lot to love about seeing him in this familiar role, one that conjures the memory of Grandpa Munster without actually copying it. Older kids should get a kick out of some of the antics considering some of the more adult humor. But keep in mind My Grandpa is a Vampire may lose you a bit in its slower second half.
Blu-ray
Severin Kids is back, baby! The offshoot of Severin Films made its appearance a while back with a release of When the Wind Blows, then went on to put out two more Blu-rays (The Peanut Butter Solution, Carnival Magic) before going quiet. Now, they bring us My Grandpa is a Vampire as part of that line on Blu-ray with a new 2K scan of the film’s negative, supervised by David Blyth.
Viewers will immediately notice that My Grandpa is a Vampire employs a lot of extremely visceral lighting – mainly blues, but occasionally reds as well. This transfer captures that with aplomb, and the color work adds a memorable nostalgic quality to the film that reminds of Halloween-esque theatrics. The transfer has a medium-high grain scale, with occasional chunkiness in darker sequences; luckily, this avoids any noticeable compression, and overall the film retains a sharp image without much softness; bitrates show a pretty even 34 mbps throughout. Shadows are very prevalent throughout with no black crush, though due to the intentional lighting choices they occasionally lack delineation. Overall, besides a bit of damage and some noticeable grain increases, this looks very good on Blu-ray.
Audio is presented with both a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track and an DTS-HD MA 2.0 stereo option. I watched with the 5.1 and I found that the film made pretty good use of the surround speakers for music cues and some sound effects; however, both sounded strong with no noticeable drops in volume or other fidelity issues. English subtitles are also included.
Extra features include a new commentary track with director David Blyth and screenwriter Michael Heath, who share a lot of insight into the film and its themes. A new interview with Daniel Roebuck finds the actor – Grandpa in the recent The Munsters remake from Rob Zombie – reminiscing about Al Lewis and his fascination with The Munsters, briefly touching on My Grandpa is a Vampire specifically. Karen Lewis, Al Lewis’ wife, also provides a web interview in somewhat rough quality, which is why Severin has given it a graphical enhancement by presenting it on a vintage TV display; here she talks about their life during the film’s production in New Zealand and Lewis’ late acting roles. Also included is the five-part radio play Moonrise, written by Heath, that inspired the film, as well as a trailer.
This Blu-ray also comes with a booklet featuring writing by John Campopiano; there’s a short segment about the production itself, and then a longer interview with Karen Lewis about Al’s magicality, how he felt about kids’ horror, and a lot more.
Extra Features
- NEW 2K scan from the original negative under the director’s supervision
- NEW Audio Commentary With Director David Blyth And Screenwriter Michael Heath
- NEW Grandpa Remembers Grandpa — Interview With Actor Daniel Roebuck (1080i; 16:32)
- NEW My Husband Was A Vampire — Interview With Karen Lewis (1080p; 17:12)
- Moonrise — Original Five-Episode Radio Play (1080p, 5 episodes; 12:21; 12:17; 12:45; 9:28; 21:22)
- Trailer (1080p; 1:57)
- NEW MOONRISE Booklet
Verdict
For those who love kids’ horror, My Grandpa is a Vampire is an enjoyable experience with a great performance from Al Lewis and themes about death. This Blu-ray features a solid transfer and a number of extra features, including an excellent essay booklet.
