Over the years, Netflix has delivered on introducing us to spooky titles that can easily become habitual viewing during Halloween season. Mike Flanagan’s chilling The Haunting of Hill House mini series, the cultural phenomenon of Stranger Things and even the fresh Adam Sandler comedy, Hubie Halloween. If you’ve hunted through the depths of the streaming service, you may have stumbled upon SNL writer/director Osmany Rodriguez’s Vampire vs. the Bronx.
The comedic horror movie feels like a modern Goonies meets Attack the Block. It’s not everyday you find a vampire title that is also an adorable story about a group of kids growing up in New York’s Bronx amidst the city’s class conflicts. If you have not checked it out yet, give it a bite over on Netflix. Needless to say, spoilers are ahead! It’s time to break down the ending of Vampire vs. the Bronx and discuss if its franchise material:
How Vampires Vs. The Bronx Ended
In Vampire vs. the Bronx, Miguel, Bobby and Luis find out that there is a secret community of vampires who are literally sucking the life out of their hometown of the Bronx through buying up real estate and taking over for their housing pleasure. Vampires is an apt social commentary for the prevalence of gentrification in many neighborhoods throughout the U.S, including the Bronx, but told through a fun, campy storyline.
The Netflix movie revolves around Miguel’s mission to save his local and beloved bodega when it is threatened by the changing neighborhood’s market change. In other words, the rent is getting too high and it's driving him out of town. Miguel and his friends become at odds with the big-wig of a real estate firm that is behind the changes in the Bronx, Shea Wingham’s Frank Polidori, who is joining the Mission Impossible series in the near future. As the kids start to catch on to the secret of vampires’ underground plan, they learn that their sweet new neighbor, Sarah Gadon’s Vivian of Alias Grace is not only a vampire as well but the “commander” of the bloodsuckers’ gentrification expedition.
Sadly, Vivian unleashes her horror on the kids’ beloved bodega owner and kills him just as the kids are preparing to fight back against them. They sneak into the vampire “nest,” but quickly find out Vivian and her minions are on their trail. She steals the key that was in Miguel’s possession in order to open a chest with the remains of the first vampire. She intends to make more vampires with the ashes, but more citizens of the town begin to fight back with the kids. They serve as a distraction as Miguel comes in on his bike and drives a stake right through Vivian, thus defeating her and saving the Bronx.
The Netflix Movie’s Vampire Mythology Explained
One of the most intriguing elements of Vampires vs. the Bronx was seeing the famed mythology being adapted into a completely new setting than we classically see it being presented. I don’t know about you, but Vampires made me want to dive back into Buffy big time. For the most part, the rules of the vampires in the Netflix movie remain how you remember them, but there are some additions. Garlic, a stake to the heart, crucifixes are all part of the kids defenses against the eternal creatures. One clever addition is that they place holy water into water balloons to throw at the vampires.
Also pertaining to holy water, in Vampires vs. the Bronx, Miguel and his gang learn that the holy water bubbles when it is near a vampire, serving as a good notifier of their presence. As far as I’m aware, this is an amendment to holy water’s use in vampire mythology and a cool one at that. Another classic piece of vampire mythos used in the Netflix film is the idea that bloodsuckers need an invitation in order to enter a residence. Vampires vs. the Bronx uses this in a clever way because it justifies vampires wanting to have a hold over real estate.
The movie also introduces the idea of vampires using the first-ever vampire’s dust as a method to turn more people into vampires, aside from the classic method by bite. It’s an interesting element to add to the modern-day mythos of these Bronx vampires that could be used in a future installment if a sequel is made for Vampire vs. the Bronx. Let’s talk about that next.
The Potential For A Vampires Vs. The Bronx Sequel
Vampires vs. the Bronx could very well remain a one-off Netflix move to revisit Halloween after Halloween, but I think there’s also potential for the film to spin out into a sequel or series. Currently, there are no plans for a sequel, but you never know! If the movie is successful enough for the platform they could decide to build on the story further. As mentioned, Miguel and his community may have defeated Vivian and their plot to take over the Bronx. But, Vivian was surely an important member of the vampire community. I could see her vampire lover or another sect of the vampire cult returning to the Bronx to wreak havoc and revenge on them.
Additionally, the all-powerful vampire dust is still seemingly out there somewhere for the taking. Vampires vs. the Bronx definitely gave off the energy of Stranger Things in some moments… but with vampires. If they live in a world of bloodsuckers, there is room there for the pocket in New York City to be confronted with werewolves, dryads and so forth. We don’t often see the world of vampires being adapted into an urban or city setting, so there’s definitely room for the folklore to be expanded and through the movie’s comedy-horror tone. Netflix has something unique and fun to explore with Vampires vs. the Bronx if they decide to.
Vampires have alway been a successful topic, but in recent years it’s been overtaken by teen-focused love stories like Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight and CW’s The Vampire Diaries. Vampires vs. the Bronx found a witty way to move it back into camp horror. Check out what else is available on Netflix in October with CinemaBlend’s list of new releases.
