Once Bitten

Once Bitten (1985) is a supernatural teen comedy horror film directed by Howard Storm and starring Lauren Hutton, Jim Carrey, Karen Kopins, and Cleavon Little. The movie follows Mark Kendall (Jim Carrey), a young man whose romantic frustrations lead him into the path of the seductive Countess (Lauren Hutton), a centuries-old vampire determined to preserve her youthful appearance. When the Countess discovers that Mark is a virgin, he becomes the perfect target for her unusual plan to maintain her immortality. Blending vampire horror, 1980s teen comedy, romance, satire, and outrageous supernatural situations, Once Bitten offers a distinctly campy take on the vampire genre.

Mark is eager to take his relationship with his girlfriend Robin Pierce (Karen Kopins) to the next level, but Robin wants to wait until the circumstances feel right. Frustrated, Mark heads to a Hollywood nightclub with his friends Russ and Jamie, where he encounters the mysterious Countess. What Mark does not realize is that she is a 400-year-old vampire who needs the blood of a male virgin to retain her youth and beauty. After the Countess takes Mark back to her mansion and feeds on him, his life begins to change in bizarre ways. He develops an appetite for raw meat, becomes increasingly uncomfortable in daylight, and starts to suspect that his encounter with the mysterious woman has transformed him into something supernatural.

As Mark tries to understand what is happening, his relationship with Robin becomes increasingly complicated. The Countess continues pursuing him because she needs to feed on him three times before Halloween, turning Mark's ordinary teenage concerns into a race against a supernatural deadline. Robin eventually begins investigating the strange events surrounding Mark and learns more about the vampire's method of feeding. The story builds toward Halloween, when Mark and Robin must confront the Countess and her vampire followers before Mark becomes the final ingredient in the Countess's plan. Along the way, Once Bitten delivers eccentric vampire characters, 1980s fashion and nightlife, physical comedy, romantic misunderstandings, and the early screen presence of Jim Carrey, making the film particularly notable for viewers interested in Carrey's pre-breakthrough career.

Released theatrically on November 15, 1985, Once Bitten runs for roughly 93–94 minutes and is rated PG-13. Its combination of vampire mythology, teen comedy, romantic chaos, Halloween atmosphere, and deliberately over-the-top humor has helped it develop a lasting cult following among fans of 1980s horror comedies. For viewers searching for an 80s vampire comedy, an early Jim Carrey movie, a Lauren Hutton vampire movie, or a lighthearted horror comedy from the 1980s, Once Bitten (1985) remains an unusual entry in the decade's supernatural comedy catalog.