Embrace the Darkness (1999)

Vampires and sex seem to be affectionate bedfellows. Around 1999, Cinemax erotica was at an all time high, and softcore was thriving. There was a lot of beautiful women coming and leaving the genre within a few movies. “One hit wonders” came and went, either marrying producers or finding themselves wanting to re-attain their souls (I guess). Some tried soap operas or television that didn’t involved getting buck naked and fake fucking partners on screen. I think Embrace the Darkness (1999) is a good example of this. Madison Clark, who really gets into her sex scenes, is such a case of the actress who skipped out on the occupation not long after Embrace. She looks amazing in the buff, and is perfectly cast as the innocent fawn about to be enveloped by wolves in her midst, with the elegant urban backdrop and vampire affluent decadence luring her in.

The film is 2.8 on the imdb I’m guessing because it is chock full of sex scenes and a choice few vampire-centric horror. There’s neck biting, eyes losing color, the ability to “go invisible” and travel from one place to another just by willing it to be so, and preying upon anyone for sex and blood. Soon Clark will drawn and quartered into this world, herself possibly inducted into it to join the fold. This was Clark’s final film (only appearing in four), as her character Jennifer’s innocence is corrupted, with this lust breeding an enthusiasm that embarks her on quite a journey.

Although Clark certainly leaves quite an impression (truly seared in my fantasies), I think Angelia High steals the film as the vampiress, Miranda. This was also Angelia’s last film, and, like Clark, she certainly leaves the profession branding her body and seductive prowess forever into my subconscious. I believe she was the object of a woman’s growing lesbian desire in an episode of Love Street, one of the small number of sex shows on the competitive premium channel, Showtime. Miranda eyes Jennifer, seemingly falling for her while her lover, Galen (Kevin Spirtas), winds up becoming a rival somewhat unexpectedly. Spiritas will be familiar to Friday the 13^th fans as the male survivor (and love interest to Lar Park Lincoln) in The New Blood (1988), to Full Moon fans for his Subspecies appearances, and to soap opera fans for Days of Our Lives. He goes all in for this film, fully committed as the ladies who agreeably offer their bodies to him…for sex and eventually their blood. Spiritas was also in Craven’s notorious The Hills Have Eyes Part II, considered by many (not me) to be his worst film. The remaining main lead among the principles is softcore regular, Brad Bartram, the recipient of Miranda’s jovial lovemaking…Miranda moves that petite body quite energetically when faux riding him. Bartram is the human lover of Miranda who gets in the way. He is the potential key to saving her from damnation and could very well pay the price for getting in the middle of warring vampires wanting to claim his woman as their own.

I'll tell you, this is the kind of movie that certainly puts its ladies out there to strut their stuff and remain quite actively uninhibited in their roles. Angelia and Madison both share scenes together, with the main men in the film, and are quite attune with their own presence on screen even when not in bed with a partner. Madison is this performance artist who prances around in the nude when alone in her apartment, a rose in hand, and gets so worked up she starts masturbating herself. Angelia and Spiritas spy on her, and rightfully so: she is captivating. It's cliche but Madison does have that innocent face with a definite naughty side she loses herself to...the actress herself really lets go and gets lost in the character's gradual descent into vampirism, at one point manipulated by Angelia into feeding from a friend!