Will Slayers raise the stakes for vampire comedies?

Vampires have long been the subject of parody, but Slayers is looking to add something new to the bloodsucker-comedy subgenre.

Perhaps the proliferation of vampire movies throughout cinema history – with iconic turns by Max Schreck, Bela Lugosi and Frank Langella, to name a few – led to a saturation point where, like anything else, the most obvious untapped avenue was comedy. Slayers hopes to add something to this subgenre.

Leslie Nielsen played Dracula in Mel Brooks’ Dracula: Dead and Loving It. Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi made the contemporary fan favorite, What We Do in the Shadows (which spawned a TV series). Canadian horror fans may be more familiar with Suck, a rock-and-roll vamp-comedy filtered through the aesthetic of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. And older viewers such as myself may remember the time George Hamilton played the Count in 1979’s Love at First Bite.

I know I’m leaving out many more (Vampires Suck, anyone?). The point being, vampires have provided as much fodder for comedy as horror at this point, and it sounds like Slayers will contain some interesting elements. Deadline has the first details:

"“[the film] follows a group of internet influencers who are drawn to a reclusive, seductive billionaire’s mansion (Malin Akerman), only to find themselves trapped in the lair of an evil vampire.”"

Joining Akerman will be Thomas Jane, who plays the role of a vampire hunter. The actor is joined by Abigail Breslin as a fitness instructor who helps him face off against the creatures of the night.

With a group of characters from such disparate walks of life (and un-death), Slayers sounds like a can’t-miss concept. Better still, the principal cast all have prior experience in films that mix genre sensibilities with comedy: Breslin appeared in Zombieland and its sequel; Akerman starred in The Final Girls; and Jane was a riot in Shane Black’s sci-fi romp, The Predator.

Also of note: the film was previously titled With Teeth, so why not get Nine Inch Nails for a musical cameo?

Will Slayers make your “must see” list? Did you like Abigail Breslin in the Zombieland series? What is your favorite Thomas Jane role? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.