"Today’s Vampire Movie"
"As Reported by By Dollyforme"
Wow! Let me tell you one thing I do enjoy a Vampire movie! Yep – the more romantic the better! Because of the hot chick movie “Twilightâ€, currently the vampire flick is on the top of the entertainment world. Both the premium cable series ‘True Blood’ and the box office smash ‘Twilight’, were both derived from highly successful series of novels, the fanged creature of the night is the hottest thing in entertainment at the moment.
Now, some history please - originally vampires were horrible creatures that existed on the blood of the living turning some into their own dark kind. Then over the years the vampire underwent a major makeover. They must have one fantastic public relations firm on speed dial because it has worked.
If you look at the vampire in the twenties and thirties they were misshapen creatures with long protruding fangs dripping with human blood. Now they are the subject of romantic fiction. I suppose there is something sensual about the methods of the vampire. He, or she, comes to their victims under the cloak of night and caress their necks in a deadly embrace. Blood has always been associated with life itself making the vampire something that survives on our most vital fluid. What has happened here is one of the mainstays of horror has been co-opted by the romance genre. Modern vampire flicks are now Gothic romance types intended to seduce the audience instead of scaring them. The change has occurred slowly with the alterations being inserted in many of the incarnations of the Dracula story.
Dracula began as a sophisticated Eastern European able to sway the ladies with a glance or urbane comment. Then the horror aspects began to be minimized in favor of the rugged leading man with that dark and brooding air. One of the recent examples of this new age vampire is the movie ‘Bled’ by Christopher Hutson. Although the vampire mythos is ancient and fairly well established it is so classic that story tellers have the freedom to break away from the expectations of the audience and set their own rules. This is what Hutson has done here. He moves off the beaten path and reinvents the vampire legend. Some die hard fans of the genre may think this is close to blasphemy but this is how q genre survives; changing to meet the new demands and fads embraced by the audience. This film is obviously made cheap and fast and as a result shows some flaws and missteps. In many ways it is an experiment with the genre and it does appear to be an honest attempt at making a descent flick with very limited resources.
With so many independent horror film makers opting for the slash and dash flick consisting solely of some supernatural serial killer dispatching drugged out horny teens in a remote location it is reassuring to see something with a little thought behind it. Even if this type of movie is not your idea of a vampire flick it made a realistic attempt at being different and that goes a long way and should be noted.
The screenplay comes from Sxv'leithan Essex who has one previous script, another horror film, to his name. One of the largest deviations from the classic vampire story here is that these vamps employ qa drug to help in obtaining their victim. This does bring the story more into current times with the proliferation of so called date rape drugs around. It also removes one of the fundamental aspects of a vampire that lends itself to Gothic romance, their ability to seduce with a glance. Dracula never had to slip a roofie into a drink to get the fair maiden in a defenseless state.
This script is light on action tending more for dialogue than anything else. In this Essex may be trying to explore the more psychological elements of the vampire instead of the more visceral classic approach. It is important especially when taking an experimental tack to provide something more familiar to the audience. In this case Essex employs the oldest of all themes; love and jealousy. He is still very new to his craft and is on a learning curve so perfection is not to be expected.
There are a few parts of the story that are too far beyond the usual to work well at this point. He introduced the concept of ‘dimensional’ vampires that live in a plain of existence different from ours. They apparently require the blood of their victims to expedite the vampires ‘crossing over’ to our reality. It is a spin that contains some possibility but is not explained or developed properly here.
Director Christopher Hutson has a few years so far in the business with a thriller and another horror flick already on his resume. Like his script writer Hutson needs some time to develop and hone his abilities. Most of the mistakes made are honest one that appear to steam more from inexperience than lack of talent. He does well in creating the proper dark and foreboding atmosphere to the film but it drifts off course. With a psychologically based story it is vital to build and maintain a sense of impending dread and heighten emotions throughout the movie. Even though the film clocks in at a trim 95 minutes it could have benefited with some judicious editing. There are scenes that go on too long after the point for the shot has been made. Others ramble too much from the start and add little if anything to the furtherance of the plot. There is no sense of anything dreadful on the horizon that could keep the audience engaged.
Sai (Sarah Farooqui) is a young artist living in a loft that anyone here in New York City would pay a small fortune to rent. It is amazing that in films like this money may be discussed but never seems to be too much of a problem. Sai’s paintings are dark in tone and a little bit on the creepy side. This seems to be a point of attraction for a handsome European man, Renfield (Jonathan Oldham). He slowly infuses himself into Sai’s tight circle of friends. These are kindred spirits including a photographer, Royce (Chris Ivan Cevic), aspiring novelist Eric (Alex Petrovitch) and the requisite musician Kerra (Michele Morrow). As is typical in a movie of this sort they are all extremely attractive and have a predilection to experimental substances. This sets them up as the perfect victims when Renfield offers them a new drug. Once in a state of altered consciousness he is able to bring him to his dimension where his kind can have a little feast.
This film started out with a novel idea and did well considering the limitations imposed on its production. There is a lot of talent present here that needs nurturing to develop and I for one sincerely hope that they keep on track. Just keep an open mind with this one and give it a chance.
And if you don’t like it – well, Twilight 2 – “New Moon†is right around the corner and being made as we speak! It will be hitting the silver screen in November!
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