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Vampires v The Bronx

Netflix’s “Vampire vs the Bronx” Explores Gentrification Through A Scarily Funny Lens

One evening, I looked for something to watch on Netflix. I was not particular about what I wanted to watch, just something that I never saw before. Mindlessly scrolling through movies that vaguely looked interesting, had me thinking that I should just turn in early. Then, as soon as I had accepted my defeat, I came across a movie titled Vampires vs The Bronx directed by Osmany Rodriguez. Now if you did not know, I was born and raised in the Bronx and I rep it to the fullest every day. It seemed as if it was made specifically for me and I dived in without hesitation.

The Bronx is commonly regarded as a borough full of crime, lower-income communities, and high amounts of trash. It is considered a forgotten borough as the rest of the city has seen massive changes in its infrastructure and properties, while the majority of the Bronx seems to be lagging behind. The idea of gentrification is championed as a savior to the livelihood of the borough. The rapid upscaling of cheap property can be the answer to fast track the borough to match the grandeur of the other parts of the city. However, several inhabitants of the Bronx boast about its highly diverse communities, a vast collection of ethnic food, and having the most open park space in NYC.

Gentrification, while virtuous in theory, only serves middle-class people looking to move into the cheap neighborhoods, rising property taxes and pushing more and more natives out of their homes. Rodriguez writes a hilarious film that examines the phenomena of gentrification from the perspective of children who find their home to be more valuable than prime real estate. The hilarious scenes of Bronx adolescence breathed a fresh realness in a movie about the supernatural. The comedic relief is brilliantly interwoven into the terrifying tale of pale, white bloodsuckers draining the life out of a community.

The title gives away the major premise of the movie; kids living in the South Bronx battle vampires looking to invade their home. The movie also features a slew of great cameos from New York actors and actresses such as Zoe Saldana and Method Man. It even featured Bronx native Joel “The Kid Mero” Martinez, co-host of the podcast Desus and Mero. In the opening scenes, Zoe Saldana plays a nail salon owner who has just sold her store to Murnau Properties, a thriving property development firm that has been buying properties in the Bronx en masse.

The movie’s protagonist, Miguel Martinez played by Jaden Michael, seeks to save his local bodega from the rising property taxes brought on by the new changes. The bodega, run by The Kid Mero’s character Tony, is where Miguel spent most of his time growing up alongside his two best friends, Bobby Carter played by Gerald Jones III and Luis Acosta played by Gregory Diaz IV. However, in their pursuit to save the shop from the clutches of gentrification, Miguel uncovers that the ongoing property development is actually a plot to eradicate his neighborhood of its inhabitants to make a nest for vampires.

In addition to the threat of extinction by vampire, the plot follows more realistic threats found in minority communities. A major one being Bobby’s conflict of following his friends or following in the footsteps of his late father and joining the local gang. Like many others, the character of Bobby saw his mother raising him alone and had little opportunity to help out financially without the aid of affiliating with a gang. It is the presence of these negative influences that push the adult to embrace the gentrification, hoping to use the money they acquired to move to safer communities.

However, while this and many other negative circumstances run rampant in minority communities, children of the community see their environment in primarily a positive light. The gentrification is seen as an invasion on their way of life and the imminent erasure of their culture. Rodriguez does an amazing job of utilizing vampiric lore to directly portray how literally gentrification sucks the soul out of our communities.

This may sound daunting and in reality, it is. Forceful evictions due to rising property taxes and unaffordable rent prices caused by gentrification is a form of modern-day imperialism. However, Rodriguez places the community at the center of the story and allows its good will and humor to flow free despite the danger closing in on their home. While the special effects are a bit over the top and cheesy, it does not take away from the amazing acting done by the cast to bring this comedy horror film to life.

The jokes are non stop from the opening scene and the story joins the newest era of programs that utilize fictitious lore through a racial and socioeconomic lens. The power of community against white supremacy is the theme I love most about this movie. The final fight between the neighborhood and the vampires gave me a sense of pride from seeing people that look like me come out on top. And, while it is just one battle among many others, it is a film that screams our communities are worth fighting for.

Onyekachi Akalonu

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