Love at First Bite

PG

Released Apr 27, 1979

1 hr. 36 min.

Romance

Comedy

List

70%

23 Reviews

Tomatometer

55%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

When the government of Transylvania appropriates his castle, Count Dracula (George Hamilton) is obliged to relocate and decides to give New York City a try. He suffers all manner of adjustment problems, but finds solace in a new relationship with Cindy Sondheim (Susan Saint James). Unfortunately, her fiancé, Dr. Jeff Rosenberg (Richard Benjamin), is a direct descendant of Dracula's old nemesis, Van Helsing, and is prepared to do whatever is necessary to stop his undead rival.

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Critics Consensus

Love at First Bite could use some more warm-blooded barbs to liven up its undead comedy, but George Hamilton's campy charisma gives the prince of darkness some welcome pizazz.

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S R

I thought I'd give it a shot, but man that was bad. I think I laughed once. It was on YouTube.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

11/10/23

Full Review

Grumpy Old G

A great time capsule of late 70s comedy.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/04/23

Full Review

Audience Member

another Dracula film but with more laughs and romance thrown into the mix George Hamilton stars the most famous vampire and funny enough he's actually kicked out of his Transylvanian residence now he and his servant Renfield are forced to reside to 1970's New York City life Dracula also intends to track down model Cindy Sondheim (Susan Saint James) in hopes of finding true love, little does he know though that her psychiatrist boyfriend Rosenberg is actually a descendant of his arch enemy Van Helsing her boyfriend is also onto Dracula making things a bit more tricky so even if it means he looks crazy by comparison he'll do whatever it takes to save Cindy the big question is whether or not Cindy wants actual love with someone like Dracula it's actually pretty goofy watching the lord of the undead adjust to the modern urban cityscape but there's something so lovable watching him in this light plus he seems like the only being in the world giving someone like Cindy a new perspective about life and commitment eternity is lonely and loveless, is a woman's career like a man (it's fun for a while but deep down is it what they want), in a world without love it is better to be dead a very likable 70's flick that's not too scary but so full of chuckles putting a modern spin on the prince of darkness

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/28/23

Full Review

Carolyn M

Lots of laughter! George Hamilton nails it as Dracula in a comedy!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/19/23

Full Review

david b a

Very humorous, with quite a few clever lines. Good acting, for a comedy. It is not as sophisticated as, say, "There's Something About Mary", but LaFB has a light touch, clever writing, and an enjoyable cast.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Low budget, low brow, predictable. A couple of funny lines, some fun banter between Hamilton and Benjamin, a bland but passable performance by St. James, decent cameos by Hemsley and Sanford, but overall not very watchable. The movie seems to be inspired by Young Frankenstein from the same time period but is not nearly as smooth or polished.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

Full Review

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Stan Dragoti

Director

George Hamilton

Count Dracula

Susan Saint James

Cindy Soundheim

Richard Benjamin

Doctor Jeff Rosenberg

Dick Shawn

Lieutenant Ferguson

Arte Johnson

Renfield

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Richard Schickel

TIME Magazine

The production's genially tatty air enhances its anarchical mood and encourages one to go with its goofy yet often shrewd comic flow.

Oct 19, 2009

Full Review

Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

Casting Dracula as the Last Romantic, Scott Fitzgerald-style, was a clever idea, but nothing clever remains in the film's hodgepodge of flat one-liners and graceless slapstick.

Oct 19, 2009

Full Review

Variety Staff

Variety

What would happen if Dracula was victimized by life in modern New York City? It's a fun notion and George Hamilton makes it work.

Mar 26, 2009

Full Review

Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

...may have a few regrettable scenes, but there's plenty of comedy meat on these often gnawed bones...

Rated: 3/5

Sep 13, 2021

Full Review

Augusto Martínez Torres

El Pais (Spain)

An entertaining and sarcastic comedy. [Full Review in Spanish]

Aug 7, 2019

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

A mostly likable and spirited Dracula pic, played as a silly spoof.

Rated: B-

Jul 17, 2011

Full Review

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Synopsis

When the government of Transylvania appropriates his castle, Count Dracula (George Hamilton) is obliged to relocate and decides to give New York City a try. He suffers all manner of adjustment problems, but finds solace in a new relationship with Cindy Sondheim (Susan Saint James). Unfortunately, her fiancé, Dr. Jeff Rosenberg (Richard Benjamin), is a direct descendant of Dracula's old nemesis, Van Helsing, and is prepared to do whatever is necessary to stop his undead rival.

Director: Stan Dragoti
Executive Producer: George Hamilton, Robert Kaufman
Screenwriter: Robert Kaufman
Distributor: Vestron Video, Orion Pictures, American International Pictures, Warner Home Vídeo
Production Co: Melvin Simon Productions
Rating: PG
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 27, 1979, Wide
Release Date (DVD): Feb 10, 2015
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)