It’s vampire week (because… why not?)! We’ll start off with 2024’s “Drained” and “Little Bites.” We’ll watch a few more older films, “From Dusk Till Dawn” (1996) and “Shadow of the Vampire” (2000). Lately, we’ll watch the very weird “Only Lovers Left Alive” from 2013.
And, of course, we have more excellent short films for you!
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Mainstream Films:
2024 Drained
Directed by Peter Stylianou, Sean Cronin
Written by Peter Stylianou
Stars Ruaridh Aldington, Madalina Bellariu Ion, Craig Conway
Run Time: 1 Hour, 47 Minutes
Trailer:
Spoiler-Free Judgment Zone
This was a pretty novel take on vampires and love, dependency and addiction. The casting is perfect, the script is well written, and all the technical aspects are top notch. Horrorguy Brian liked it some, Horrorguy Kevin liked it a lot.
Spoilery Synopsis
We see a man lying in a hospital bed with a vampire sucking on his arm. “Love is forever,” she says. Credits roll.
Thomas is a struggling artist who lives with his mother. She’s dating John, a pest control man. Thomas is depressed, so he goes to a dance club. There, he spots a woman who looks like the one he’s been drawing repeatedly. He’s enthralled, and so is she. She’s Rhea. Two weeks later, Thomas is still thinking about Rhea. She doesn’t have social media.
John announces at dinner that he’s moving in with Thomas and his mum. They’re kicking Thomas out. “I’m an artist, Mum!” “No, you’re lazy!” Even before he gets moved in, there are bills to pay, but Thomas doesn’t have a job.
Thomas gets a call from Dana, his bartender friend; Rhea has returned. When he arrives, he finds her with another man. She catches up with Thomas a bit later, alone. They go to his place, and he invites her in.
She gets right down to business for sexy time, which surprises Thomas, who hasn’t done this much. By the time he gets to bed, she just wants to sleep. Thomas wakes up later to find Rhea biting his arm and sucking on the blood. She has fangs– vampire! “You taste amazing!” He hides in the bathroom, but she leaves him her home phone number. The bite marks on his arm heal very quickly.
In the morning, Thomas is wary of sunlight, but he’s fine; it doesn’t hurt him. That night, she comes back, and he lets her in again. This time, he lets her suck his blood, and he likes it too, now. In the morning, she gets exposed to sunlight and screams; he freaks out, but she was just playing with him. Sunlight doesn’t bother her much.
He asks her how she became a vampire, and she says, “You have to eat one’s heart. It was a long time ago.”
Thomas starts having pretty serious money problems. His phone has no credits and the power is off. Rhea comes back again, “When the full moon comes, I won’t be able to control it.” They have more good times together.
Every day, Rhea has to go home to tend to her boyfriend, who is not well. He invites her to live with him, and she agrees. They go see Andreas, the man we saw her feeding from in the opening scene; he’s dying. He has no regrets. He’s dying of old age… at 32.
Thomas and Rhea visit Mum and John. They comment on how much weight Thomas has lost. Rhea doesn’t eat. Thomas gets a nosebleed, and Rhea licks the blood off his fingers, which Thomas’s parents think is… odd.
One night, Thomas sees Rhea having some kind of seizure; she knows Andreas has died. She was visiting him and his heart stopped halfway through feeding her.
Thomas is exhausted, but Rhea is hungry. He realizes that she’s slowly sucking the life out of him. She goes out for dinner. At the bar, he sees her with another guy, which results in a fight.
Thomas passes out and goes to the hospital. His mother says there’s something not right about Rhea, and then they take him home.
It’s the night of the full moon, and as Rhea screams in pain, so does Thomas, across town. John gets tired of having Thomas in the house, and they argue. John decides to go back to his apartment, which is where Rhea’s been staying. When John goes inside, Rhea eats him.
Thomas goes over to the flat, as he’s worried about John. Rhea apologizes for killing John, but she’s still hungry. She grabs Thomas and flies away, but she ends up dropping him on a rooftop.
He runs home and tells his mother that Rhea’s a vampire, but she thinks he’s on drugs. Rhea has mind control powers over Thomas, so he cannot help when Rhea kills his mother.
Thomas is arrested for killing John and his mother. He swears Rhea the vampire girl did it, and they think he’s going for an insanity defense.
Thomas is sent to an asylum where he meets a patient who also has bites. “They’re everywhere,” the man laughs. Thomas continues to have dreams and nightmares about her.
The police tell Thomas that there’s no evidence that he killed anyone, so he’s free to go. One of the detectives warns Thomas to quit talking about vampires, and then he flashes his fangs. Thomas is released and goes home.
Thomas goes to John’s flat, where Rhea is chewing on Dana now. He points a knife at her, and she tells him to go ahead and kill her. “I don’t want this anymore,” she begs.
The police saw Thomas with the knife, and the SWAT team arrives at the apartment. They find Dana, unharmed, and Rhea, with her heart cut out. Thomas is eating it. He has fangs now and flies away…
Brian’s Commentary
I don’t understand how Brits pay for electricity. They put a little money on a USB drive and plug it into the breaker box? Thomas was paying a few pounds here and there to keep the power on.
Thomas is useless and pretty unlikable, and Rhea isn’t much better. The situation is interesting, and we were mostly following along just to figure out what the rules of these vampires are.
It was a bit slow at times, but overall, I liked it more than disliked it.
Kevin’s Commentary
I liked this one a lot. I thought the relationship was cool, how Rhea would keep a special donor to keep from killing as much for blood. And it explores the idea of how much was really love and how much was enthrall from vampire powers.
2024 Little Bites
Directed by Spider One
Written by Spider One
Stars Krsy Fox, Jon Sklaroff, Elizabeth Phoenix Caro
Run Time: 1 Hour, 45 Minutes
Trailer:
Spoiler-Free Judgment Zone
How far would or should a mother go to protect her child is one of the questions here. There are some other questions too, and some things seem pretty clear when there’s a monster in the closet that feeds on blood. It’s well made and moves well. But we didn’t understand or appreciate the ending. So we have mixed feelings about it.
Spoilery Synopsis
Mindy, a woman appearing depressed, sits alone and looks upset when a bell rings. She opens the door to a closet room, and something frightening says, “I’m hungry.” “Can you do the leg?” she asks. “I much prefer the arm,” he replies. He insists on her arm, even though it’s infected. “Now, feed me.” She removes her robe, revealing that she’s covered in scars. The creature leaps and bites her as the credits roll.
Mindy gets a call from her daughter, Alice. She wants to come home again, but Mindy knows that won’t be a good idea. Mindy’s mother is bitter and angry that she is not taking care of her daughter. She thinks Mindy is on drugs and gives her a big lecture. Mindy clearly isn’t living her best life. Just as she gets to sleep, the bell rings again.
At the store, Mindy runs into Gail, one of her friends. “You look terrible.” Gail clearly sees that something is wrong, but Mindy is evasive and deceptive. At home, Mindy continues to feed the creature. They talk, and he is not supportive.
Sonya, with Child Protective Services, comes to the door to check on Alice. She’s gotten a call about Alice’s welfare. Sonya threatens police and warrants if Mindy won’t let her in to look around. She wants to meet Alice when she comes home. The bell rings, and Sonya wonders what that is and goes to investigate. There’s a bad smell, but nothing bad happens. Sonya says she’ll come back on Tuesday, and she expects to see Alice then.
Agyar, the monster, wants Mindy to give Alice to him. It’s clear who’s really in charge here. She wants to find him someone else to eat. He… sings her a song.
Mindy picks up a guy at the bus stop. He’s a desperate, nerdy guy, and he’s a little afraid of her. She’s flirty, and he ends up going home with her, but he’s also terrified. She makes him some ice cream, loading it up with tons of pills and drugs. It’s not subtle at all, but she’s insistent on spoon-feeding him. It’s so overpowered that he just pukes it all up– and then keels over.
She slowly drags Paul downstairs and into Agyar’s room. He takes a bite and gags. “It’s no good. It tastes of misery and despair. Take it away.” She drags Paul back upstairs and wakes him. She can’t explain the bite mark on his arm, so he leaves in a panic.
The next day, in the park, an older woman sits next to Mindy and talks about children. Mindy notices that Ellenor has bite marks all down her arms, but they don’t speak of that.
Sonya returns for Alice, who still hasn’t come home. Mindy confirms that Alice is home and downstairs. Sonya walks into the dark room in the basement, and Agyar devours her. Still, Sonya puts up quite a fight, and Agyar loves the treat. Sonya’s dead body is… gone. “You underestimate my capabilities. The rest of this mess will be gone in a minute.”
Mindy calls her mother and tells her to bring Alice home tomorrow. She tells the monster that she won’t be deceived anymore and that this is all over now. He’s not concerned.
Mindy’s mother brings Alice the next day, and she’s not nice at all. When Alice asks why she had to spend so much time at Grandma’s, Mindy can’t explain. “I need to show you something,” she explains. “Monsters are real, and there’s one downstairs.”
The two go downstairs together, but Agyar isn’t there. Alice wonders if Mindy is out of her mind. “He’s gone. It really might be over.”
Finally happy, Mindy tucks Alice into bed. She then goes back downstairs just to be sure. Later, she has a nightmare about Agyar feeding on Alice, but it’s just a dream.
In the morning, Burt, from CPS, comes knocking, looking for Sonya. He’s the office manager, and he wants to talk to Alice. The talk goes well, and he leaves again. There’s a knock on the door. Mindy is in the shower, so Alice answers. It’s Agyar in full creepy mode. He doesn’t do anything but tell Alice to tell her mother that he’s been there. “Tell her Agyar was here for a little visit.”
When Mindy gets out of the shower, Agyar has gotten inside, and it’s obvious to both women that he’s trying to scare them. Then they hear the bell ringing again. “Do you hear him too?” Alice does hear him and says, “I think we just need to kill him.”
Agyar shows up again and dares Mindy to kill him. Instead, she gets down on her knees and crawls to him. He bites her. Alice walks over. “Are you one of us?” he asks. Then Alice bites him, and Mindy bites him, too. They both finish off the monster and eat well.
We cut forward many years, and now Alice is grown up.
Brian’s Commentary
It’s slow-moving and moody, showing us how bleak Mindy’s life is. The big mystery is how she got stuck caring for a vampire in her closet. Agyar is cruel and sadistic but also seems pretty weak and helpless– until he’s not. He’s got all sorts of weird powers beyond the usual vampire stuff. What is he?
The creature design for Agyar is really good. We only see him in the dark, but what we see is pretty cool. He looks more like Nosferatu (1922) than Nosferatu (2024).
It features a fun cast of “horror women,” including Heather Langenkamp, Bonnie Aarons, and Barbara Crampton. We wondered until the very end whether or not Agyar was even real or just Mindy’s insanity manifesting.
Still, I have many questions. We get zero explanations for any of this, and the ending twists everything around, but we still don’t know why. It was doing really well until that ending, and neither of us understood it.
Kevin’s Commentary
Like Brian said, I was fully on board until the ending. Agyar was ridiculously powerful, the situation was horrifying and horrible, and everything was great. I suppose we weren’t supposed to take it so literally, and it was about the power of motherhood and misogyny and woman power over the domination of men or something. Whatever. The ending bugs me more the more I think about it.
1996 From Dusk Till Dawn
Directed by Robert Rodriguez
Written by Robert Kurtzman, Quentin Tarantino
Stars Harvey Keitel, George Clooney, Juliette Lewis
Run Time: 1 Hour, 48 Minutes
Trailer:
Spoiler-Free Judgment Zone
The first chunk of this is a crime spree movie. Then suddenly - vampires! It’s very well put together, often offbeat and over-the-top. It was our second viewing, and we still liked it a lot. If you want a fun movie, check this one out.
Spoilery Synopsis
A Texas ranger stops in at the local liquor store in the desert. He complains about the weather to the clerk. The ranger’s had a bad morning, and goes on and on about how he doesn't like potato head Mongoloids. There was also a bank robbery in Abilene where four people were killed. The robbers might be heading this way toward the border.
When the ranger goes to the restroom, we see that the two robbers and their hostages are right there in the store. Seth Gecko is normal enough, but Richard Gecko seems like a psychopath. This is obvious when he lies about the clerk signalling the cop and shoots them both. Before dying, the clerk manages to shoot Richard in the hand. Together, the brothers are especially lethal. As they leave, the building explodes excessively. Credits roll.
They stop at a cheap motel and unload the bank teller they have in the trunk. Seth explains the rules to the terrified Gloria. We get a news report showing us just how bad the brothers are: sixteen dead so far. FBI Agent Chase is confident that they’ll catch the brothers soon.
We cut to the Fuller family, Jacob, Kate, and Scott, out on a road trip in their RV. Jacob’s a pastor, but he’s recently lost his wife and his faith, and he’s quit his job. He wants to sleep in a real bed, so they take their RV to the motel. They almost run over Seth in the parking lot.
We cut back to the brothers, as Seth returns with food to find that Richard has raped and killed Gloria. Even though he knows his brother’s a lunatic.
Richard knocks on Jacob’s door. He and Seth come in and hold Jacob , Kate, and Scott at gunpoint. Richie immediately becomes obsessed with Kate. Everyone loads into the RV and heads down the road. They encounter a roadblock, but Jacob and Scott play along to stay safe. They pull it off and cross the border into Mexico.
They drive for the rest of the evening and stop at a strip bar. It’s not a subtle place, open dusk till dawn, with bikers all over the place. The guys beat up the doorman and go inside. It’s a stripper bar with lots of naked women, and Jacob and his family aren’t the usual clientele. Seth and Richard, on the other hand, love the place. The bartender says it’s a private bar, and that the brothers need to leave. Once again, Jacob helps out.
As the group drinks, we get a look at the various other patrons of the place: Razor Charlie, Frost, and Sex Machine. Soon, it’s time for the big dance number, Santanico Pandemonium! She comes out and does a whole striptease with a snake. We soon learn why Quentin Tarantino is a well-known foot fetishist.
The doorman, apparently recovered, comes inside and points out the brothers. Soon, there’s shooting and stabbing and things are looking bad as the brothers get violent. None of the patrons seem too upset. Richard’s hand starts bleeding again, and the patrons get excited. They shoot the doorman repeatedly.
Suddenly, Santanico turns into a giant lizard woman and attacks Richard, biting him in the neck. He very quickly dies. Then the doorman and several other corpses get up and attack again; they’re vampires. This whole place is a vampire bar. The vamps turn on the human patrons, and it's a huge, out-of-nowhere brawl. Kate takes the cross off her neck and kills the doorman with it. Frost and Sex Machine are also very good human fighters, and they rack up a bunch of dead vampires, including Razor Charlie and Santanico.
Things eventually calm down just a bit, and Seth, Jacob, Frost, and Sex Machine end up working together against the vampires. All the vampire bodies suddenly self-combust.
Seth says goodbye to his dead brother, but then Richard turns into a vamp and gets up again. Seth stakes him personally. The group is locked inside the place, and they hear millions of bats outside. More of the dead humans turn into vampires, and the battle resumes. Sex Machine gets bitten in the arm, but it’s not bad.
The group discusses the rules of vampires and how to kill them. Seth points out that Jacob is a man of God, and that could be useful. Seth literally gives a pep talk about religion to get Jacob’s faith back. Frost tells us all his old war stories and Sex Machine starts to hear voices, get sweaty, and grow fangs. He soon sneaks up and bites both Frost and Jacob before getting thrown through the door. Frost then turns into a monster very quickly as Seth, Kate, and Scott hide in the back room.
Back in the main room, Jacob faces off against a hundred vampires, with only a cross and a shotgun to help him. He makes his way back to the storeroom with the others. They go through the boxes of stuff to find weapons and useful things. They find all sorts of neat things.
Once they are ready, they open the door and force their way out to the main room. The four humans fight back, and they kill a lot of vampires, including Frost and Sex Machine, who have returned.
The battle ends, and Jacob becomes a vampire. He bites Scott, who melts his father with holy water. Scott’s torn apart by other vamps. There are still a lot of vamps as Seth and Kate notice the sun rising outside.
Seth’s Mexican partners come to the door and break in. They let in enough sunlight to kill the rest of the vamps. Seth and Carlos argue about why they chose this place to meet.
Seth and Carlos complete their business. Kate wants to go with Seth, but he refuses, leaving her behind. Kate drives away in the RV, and we see the backside of the strip club. It’s built on the roof of an ancient pyramid!
Brian’s Commentary
This was a regular old crime thriller for the first hour, with no real weirdness at all other than the two murderous brothers. Not long after getting to the strip club, we learn that there’s a whole lot more going on. It’s got lots of familiar faces, including some nobodies who became much bigger stars later.
Everything inside the club is so ridiculously over-the-top that it’s hard to take too seriously, but that doesn’t keep it from being fun. The creature effects are excellent, and the “hero” vampires are all interesting and fun to watch.
The acting here is all top-notch, especially for a horror film. Somehow, Cheech Marin got to play three roles. Danny Trejo, Fred Williamson, and Tom Savini play patrons and vamps, and those guys are always fun to watch. It was successful enough that it spawned two film sequels and a TV series.
It’s a fun classic!
Kevin’s Commentary
I think I enjoyed it even more on this second viewing. It’s held up very well for entertainment value. It has that Tarantino vibe to it, plus his foot fetish. I’d recommend it for a fun vampire movie with a lot of action.
2000 Shadow of the Vampire
Directed by E. Elias Merhige
Written by Steven Katz
Stars John Malkovich, Willem Dafoe, Udo Kier
Run Time: 1 Hour, 32 Minutes
Trailer:
Spoiler-Free Judgment Zone
There was a real silent movie called “Nosferatu,” made in the 1920s, and this movie portrays many of the real people involved in the process. This film is all about that event, but it’s a horror movie take on it, with a director, crew, and cast wondering if they might have hired a real vampire in the lead role. It’s offbeat and entertaining, with a bit of dark humor. We thought it was really good.
Spoilery Synopsis
After the credits, we see that it’s Berlin in 1921. Friedrich Murnau was denied the rights to film the book Dracula, so he changed a few names and made it anyway.
We watch as Murnau directs some actors in the silent film. The star, Greta, complains that films are stupid and she’d rather be in the theater. Albin, the producer, wants to know who Murnau has cast as the vampire for the film, but Murnau says nothing.
They’re packing up to move the production to Czechoslovakia since they can’t film in Transylvania. They hear about the actor Max Shreck, who has been living there for weeks. He absorbs himself in the character and will only appear to them at night, in full makeup, as he’s always in character.
The crew arrives at the location, and Murneau is very tight-lipped about everything. Night falls, and someone drops off a weasel in a cage, which is promptly eaten by Schreck.
Filming begins, and there is a bit of trouble from some of the locals. They shoot the scene where Gustav, playing the main character, meets Count Orlock for the first time, and this is the first we see of him as well. Gustav is legitimately terrified.
Not long after the scene is finished, they find one of the cameramen, Wolf, passed out in a hallway. Orlock watches in amusement. One of the locals sees Wolf, crosses herself, and says “Nosferatu,” much to Murnau’s amusement.
The next evening, it’s time for more filming, and Schreck shows up, growling and monstrous. He wants some makeup, but Murnau refuses. The scene goes well. Later, the men talk about Schreck’s weird Method acting.
As they film the next day, the power goes off, and Schreck actually bites Wolf. Some of the men want to wrap the production and end the film. After the film crew leaves, Schreck plays with the projector and watches the sun rise on film. Murnau yells at Schreck, “You agreed not to hurt my people!”
Schreck refuses to film his scenes aboard the ship, and they argue about that. They end up building a replica ship on the grounds of the castle.
Albin and Henrik get drunk and ask Schreck a bunch of “vampire questions.” They ask him about the book, Dracula, and Schreck has a unique take on the book. In the middle of the conversation, Schreck grabs a living bat out of midair and eats it. “What an actor. Dedication!”
A new cameraman arrives to replace Wolf as the production moves to a small town. Greta joins them there, and she’s not a fan of small-town life. Schreck senses that she’s arrived in town, and he wants her. Murnau insists that he stay away from her until the ending scene. Murnau is clearly afraid of the actor.
We see that most of the crew is on drugs of one kind or another, except for Schreck, who’s just plain insane (or a vampire). Murnau, while high, confesses that there’s no Max Schreck, he just found him; he’s a real vampire, and he promised Greta to him.
It’s time for the big finale, and Greta wonders why everyone looks so depressed. “Who died?” Then she meets Orlock/Schreck. She sees that he doesn’t have a reflection in the mirror and freaks out, so they sedate her with more morphine; she calms down quickly. They film Orlock’s death scene, and it’s perfect.
Filming down, Schreck wants Greta. As he bites her neck, for real, they continue filming. The men have set a trap for Schreck, but he threatens to kill them all. Fritz shoots Schreck, and Schreck kills him and Albin. The sun comes up, and Murnau continues to film as Schreck melts in the sunlight.
Murnau is pleased with his results.
Brian’s Commentary
Obviously, this is based on the back-and-white, silent, 1922 version of “Nosferatu,” but it’s no documentary. The whole gimmick here is whether or not Schreck is really a vampire or not. Max Schreck was said to be really weird in real life, so it’s not a huge stretch.
I like how the film crew all wears lab coats as if this is some kind of science. Murnau talks the actors through the scenes as it films; it’s a silent film anyway, so why not?
Willem Dafoe uses only some very subtle prosthetics here, Orlock is mostly just… him. He’s really the highlight of the film and steals every scene that he’s in.
Very weird!
Kevin’s Commentary
Max Shreck went on to make several dozen movies after “Nosferatu,” so it appears he was not a real vampire who died for real at the end of the production as this movie would have us think. It was a fun take on things though, and very entertaining with strange characters. Especially Defoe as Shreck.
2013 Only Lovers Left Alive
Directed by Jim Jarmusch
Written by Jim Jarmusch, Marion Bessay
Stars Tilda Swinton, Tom Hiddleston, Mia Wasikowska, Anton Yelchin, Jeffrey Wright, John Hurt
Run Time: 2 Hours, 3 Minutes
Trailer:
Spoiler-Free Judgment Zone
If you wonder what the life of old vampires might be like, this is your chance. It’s very low on action, but we found that to be a feature not a bug. This was our second viewing, and we both liked it even more this time around.
Spoilery Synopsis
Eve sits in her cluttered room and listens to 1960s music. Elsewhere, so does Adam.
Later, Adam has another musician over to his apartment. Adam collects antique guitars, and the other man is Ian, who buys things for Adam. Adam mentions seeing an old-time musician playing, but then corrects himself by saying, “Yeah, on YouTube.” Adam really wants to make music, but he’s super reclusive, which complicates things. He tells Ian he wants a bullet made of wood, and he has some very specific requirements. “It’s for… a project.” Adam is clearly hiding things from Ian.
Eve walks through a middle-eastern town and stops in a cafe. She greets Bilal, who works there. She asks how “He” is, and Bilal talks about keeping “his” secrets, and hers as well. Old man Christopher Marlowe comes in, although he doesn’t want the name said aloud. He was a famous author four hundred years ago. He’s very, very old. She jokes about causing chaos by going public with their secret. He gives her a bag containing bottled blood, the good stuff.
Adam leaves the house dressed like a surgeon, and it’s clear he lives in a very abandoned area of Detroit. He parks and goes into the hospital, wearing a surgical mask. He gets into the blood bank and scares Dr. Watson, who works there. He’s been expecting Adam. Watson takes a bundle of cash and hands over a bunch of blood in Thermoses.
Everyone takes a break and drinks their blood. Adam, Eve, and Christopher are all vampires! Eve picks up her recent-model iPhone and calls Adam, who answers on an antique wireless phone. They do a very weird video call on his cobbled together vintage equipment; she’s his wife. He’s been depressed lately and thinking a lot about death. She agrees to come and see Adam, but traveling is hard for their kind.
Adam records some music, and he’s got a lot of equipment, new and old; he’s kinda stuck in the past. Some men come to the door, but he doesn’t answer. Ian brings the wooden bullet that Adam wanted. Adam whines about the rock-n-roll fanboy kids coming to his door; they know where he lives, which he doesn’t like.
Christopher tells Eve that he had a dream about her sister, Ava. They talk about Adam; when Christopher wrote “Hamlet” he should have used Adam as a role model.
Eve travels by jet at night and arrives at Adam’s house in Detroit. He plays her his latest music, like what he used to play with Schubert. Adam used to love scientists but not so much after what happened to Darwin and Tesla. She has the ability to tell how old something is just by touching it. He takes her through the abandoned neighborhoods of Detroit. It’s all very depressing, which fuels Adam’s mood.
They go back to the house, and Eve has made them O-negative popsicles; he didn’t even realize his freezer worked. He plays some old music for her, but then the power goes out. We see that Adam has built a special generator using technology way beyond anything else; he’s not a complete Luddite after all. He also admits that he had a dream about her sister, Ava.
Adam goes out for more blood, and Eve finds his pistol and wooden bullet. She knows that it’s newly made. She confronts him when he gets home, and he blames it on his fear of what humanity is doing to itself. She reiterates the benefits of immortality, like nature and dancing.
The two return home after a drive and find Ava is there. It's been 87 years, and Adam still holds a grudge. She stays over, and Adam isn’t a fan of having a houseguest. She’s very pushy, and mentions that she heard some of his music in an underground club in L.A. He swears all his music is private.
Ava insists that the three of them go out to a club for some music. They meet up with Ian, and Adam overhears Ian’s conversation with another man; something shady is going on. They pass around a flask of blood, and Ian says he wants to try some, thinking it’s alcohol. Adam snatches it away before he can
Then they hear Adam’s music playing at the club. Adam wants to leave– right now. All of them, Ian included, go back to Adam’s house. Adam and Eve go to bed, leaving Ian with Ava.
The following evening, Eve tells Adam that Ava needs to go, before it’s too late. Eve goes downstairs to find that Ava has totally drained Ian and trashed the place as well. “How many times?” demands Eve. Adam throws Ava and all her stuff out the front door. Eve and Adam then put the body in the car.
They dump the body in an acid pit in an empty garage. The body is gone to skeleton before it even sinks.
Eve books two tickets back to Tangier; it’s time to leave town. When they get there, they head to Christopher Marlowe’s cafe, but they find it closed. Bilal answers the door, and he knows Adam. Christopher is not doing well. The old man says he got some bad blood, contaminated. “Avoid the hospital here,” he warns. Christopher makes it clear that he wrote all Shakespeare’s stuff and just used Shakespeare’s name as a cover. He grouses about Shakespeare being a hack. The old man dies peacefully a moment later.
“What are we gonna do?” They ask each other simultaneously. Eva goes off to get Adam “a present,” and while she’s gone, Adam hears a band in a tiny bar. He likes the music and the singing. Eve comes back with a musical instrument for Adam.
Unfortunately, they’re both starving; they were counting on Christopher’s connections to keep them fed. They watch a couple of lovers on the rooftop and know what’s coming. “We’re just gonna turn them, right?” Adam agrees, and says he gets the girl.
Dinner time!
Brian’s Commentary
What kind of “contaminants” would kill a vampire?
Vampires are immortal. Most vampires, therefore, would be very old, on average. This movie is one of the few to show what realistic “old” vampires would be like, always struggling to keep up with technology and keep up with social things and just keep interested in living.
The scenes in and around Detroit are perfect for the movie; I’m sure that’s where all the vampires hang out in reality. There’s no real action at all; it’s just vampires being vampires and what that really means today.
You’ll either love the details of vampire life or you’ll be bored to death with the lack of action, I don’t see much in between. I liked it a lot.
Kevin’s Commentary
We get some glimpses of their powers - information by touch, low key telepathy, super speed, immortality, and of course drinking blood and fangs. But it’s interesting how low action it is, mostly just old ones going about their nights and letting us see how they live. I thought this was very cool, and very well acted.
Short Films:
2020 Short Film: Night Diner
Directed by Khaled Ridgeway
Written by Khaled Ridgeway
Stars Yves Beneche, Paul Mischeshin, Tisha Banker
Run Time: 9:14
Watch it:
What Happens
A food influencer goes to a diner where he’s heard the burgers are amazing. He gets there moments after ten p.m. and finds them closed. He goes around back, and the waitress and the cook let him in for a last-minute bite. He’s black, and the waitress hints that maybe that’s a problem, but he sticks around for his meal anyway.
Commentary
That really is a tasty burger! You know something is off right away, but it takes a while to find out why exactly.
First of all, who goes to a diner after ten o’clock anyway? Waffle House, sure, but not a place like that. Even so, wanting food after they’re clearly closed is a really bad idea. After the first crack about being out of Kool-Aid, he should have taken the hint and just left. Oh well; he won’t be making that mistake again.
Tasty!
2017 Short Film: Feast on the Young
Directed by Katia Mancuso
Written by Katia Mancuso
Stars Paige E. Joustra, Jena Schaak, Marisa Matear
Run Time: 13 Minutes
Watch it:
What Happens
Big sister Mina gets tired of babysitting her young sister Alice, who is obsessed with a book of fairies given to her by her dead father. When Alice runs off into the woods to sit next to a fairy house they built, Nina follows along. What she finds is not what she expects.
Commentary
This looks really good. The magical fairy circle is very clear in how it works, and even though nothing is explained, it all makes sense. The fairy is terrifying and really well done, and the two sisters act believabnly throughout.
Very good!
2019 Short Film: Lili
Directed by Yfke van Berckelaer
Written by Yfke van Berckelaer
Stars Lisa Smit, Derek de Lint
Run Time: 8:38
Watch it:
What Happens
An actress does an audition for a man who gets increasingly demanding of her skills. She reads over her lines, gets complimented on her performance, and then is instructed to change it up some. This repeats a few times, and she gets more and more uncomfortable each time.
Commentary
Is the director named Harvey, by any chance? It was fun seeing her read the same lines with different emphases and attitudes. I assume that many auditions go something like this, at least until the ending, which is really well done.
It’s a simple short, with only a bit of weirdness right at the end. They did a lot with a little here.
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