Eddie Murphy's streetwise persona is often at odds here with director Wes Craven's more explicit, doom-laden beastliness, and the intended comedy becomes lost in the horror. Murphy stars as suave Caribbean vampire Maximillian, a master of disguise, who comes to America to find his soul mate - NYPD cop Angela Bassett, who is unaware that she is Murphy's bride-to-be. There are some good moments - Murphy as an alcoholic preacher and as an Italian gangster stand out - but too often Craven puts on the frighteners so heavily that the chuckles get squeezed out.

Detective Rita Veder is assigned to a baffling serial murder case. After examining the crime scene — a corpse-filled ship found adrift at sea — she meets Maximilian, a smooth-talking Caribbean playboy determined to romance her.