Short Film: Scampire

This was a film that runs just under 6-minutes and was directed by Frank Romano III, it was released in 2023. It starts with a large castle and Nina (Keilah Jude) waits, bottle of wine in hand, ready to deny the owner and giving herself a pep-talk.

The door opens and she is met by Rachel (Chena Verony) who, we soon find, goes by Raquel now. She leads her old school friend to the kitchen where there is a group of people Nina doesn’t know.

scampires

They soon make it clear that when Nina was invited to dinner, she was to be the main course, they are all vampires. Nina is relieved, much to the confusion of the vampires, and explains that she was afraid Raquel was trying to scam her into a pyramid scheme – just killing her is a blessed relief. Could the vampires have more than just dinner on their minds though?

resisting

This was a fun little film with a nice sideswipe at pyramid schemes and tying the vampires in with that most unsavoury part of capitalism. Well shot and very well acted from the primaries it is worth your time.

At the time of writing, I could not find an IMDb page.

Countess Dracula – review

Author: Carroll Borland

First Published: 1994

Contains spoilers

The Blurb: Carroll Borland is the legendary star of early cinema, who's portrayal of "Luna" opposite Bela Lugosi in the 1935 motion picture horror classic, "Mark of the Vampire," indelibly etched in the minds of moviegoers the "look, the style and the sexuality of female vampires for generations to come." How did Bela Lugosi inspire the writing of the legendary sequel to Bram Stoker's Dracula? What was the true story behind the infamous "incest scene" rumored to have been cut from "Mark of the Vampire", starring Carroll and Bela? Was Carroll Borland visited by the ghost of Bela Lugosi? What was the secret of their relationship? Learn the answers in Gregory Mank's compelling account of Carroll's life and film career.

The review: Though some may buy this coffee table sized volume for Carroll Borland’s biography, I was more interested in her short novel (actually a novella), a sequel to Stoker’s Dracula. Written when she was fifteen, having seen Lugosi in the stage production of Dracula, it would prove to be her introduction to the actor years before they played opposite each other in Mark of the Vampire.

To some degree it is fanfiction, but it is well written, if a tad sparse, and follows the Stoker story some 50-years on. In doing so it introduces a unique piece of lore that suggests a setback (perhaps the attack by Harker, as the Count turns to dust, or the interruption of an attack and the saving of the victim) can cause the vampire to have to sleep for 50 years (hence the jump forward in time). This also happens to the vampire’s maker – so if the bride must enter the 50-year hiatus, so must the Count. It also suggests Mina did not turn as she died whilst the Count was so indisposed and during the day (prior to the book’s opening, though Jonathan Harker and their son Quincey do make an appearance). The story hints at, though does not explicitly state, a reincarnated love (though this could be a retrospective interpretation).

As for the more biographical side Borland makes a categorical statement that the allegedly lost (to the cutting room floor) incest scenes between Mora and Luna (the vampires), from Mark of the Vampire, were never shot. This is likely the case but whether background story narrated by, say, Professor Zelin (Lionel Barrymore) included it and was cut might not be far-fetched.

For fans of the film, for fans of Borland herself and for those just interested in the rather fun musings of a fifteen-years old Lugosi fan and what it developed into, this is a wonderous curio. Thanks to Sarah, who got me this as a birthday present. 6 out of 10.

In Paperback @ Amazon US

In Paperback @ Amazon UK

Alice and the Vampire Queen – review

Director: Dan Lantz

Release date: 2023

Contains spoilers

Appearing for free (on the film is now YouTube channel), kind of out of nowhere, it feels churlish to be too critical of this film – especially as it does have some interesting ideas. Unfortunately it also has some really rotten choices as well, most notably in accents.

It has a very loose connection to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, not just in the naming of the titular heroine (Shelby Hightower) but also through actually referencing and quoting Carroll’s novel but, unfortunately, that connection really is missing once one scratches below the surface.

Shelby Hightower as Alice

It starts with a beach and a woman, Madeline (Rachel Aspen), enjoying the location as the sun sets. Figures start appearing around her and she runs up a dune but is grabbed… In a greasy spoon, Alice is preparing a burger. She is openly abused by her boss Big Joe (John Groody, Bloodrunners) and has a highly prominent facial scar (which he references). After being threatened with her parole officer, she walks. Outside, in an alley, a stranger, Charles (Graham Wolfe), offers her a light.

Graham Wolfe as Charles

As they speak it becomes clear that Charles knows a lot about her and, as her backstory fills out, we discover that she was a Michelin star chef who was married to another (abusive) chef. It was he who cut her face and she ended up killing him. Her plea bargain kept the fact that she cut out his liver and served it in his restaurant out of the press. Charles is offering her a deal – cook one meal for his boss, Isabella (Brenna Carnuccio), for a ridiculously large sum of money. If the boss likes it, she’ll be offered a job.

eating steak tartare

Unbeknown to Alice, Isabella and her entourage – Fredrick (Xavier Michael) and Sophia (Danielle Muehlen) – pay Big Joe a visit, expose themselves as vampires and kill him. Alice is asked to make steak tartare, which she does. She is taken to meet Queen Isabella, who is suitably impressed and feeds it to Madelaine and Sophia, revealing the restaurant as a vampire place, where Alice, Charles and kitchen hand Gordon (Chris James Boylan, also Bloodrunners) are the only humans and if Alice doesn’t maintain her usefulness and loyalty, well she’ll be dinner.

Aaron Dalla Villa as Kieran

There is a sub-plot about vampire rebel Kieran (Aaron Dalla Villa) and another where Gordon turns out to be an escaped serial killer (the vampires are aware and are using his peculiar tastes to their advantage). It is notable the Michelin star chef never questions the meat type and apparently vampires like a little undercurrent of rot in consumed meat (though meat laced with garlic or holy water could prove deadly). I liked some of the ideas – such as the queen able to cure Alice’s scar (which she literally finds fallen from her face). The idea of having leverage to maintain control of their human servants worked as a concept. Unfortunately, other things didn’t work so well.

attack

The whole rebellious vampire wanting to usurp the queen was under-explored. The film is a standard 90 minutes, and there is much to be said about not overstaying one’s welcome, but this thread desperately needed more exploration. The serial killer part accelerated from nought-to-sixty way too quickly and more building a relationship to betray it would have been useful – especially as Boylan’s performance was one of the better supporting ones.

restaurant feed 

It is in the performances that we are let down the most. To be fair Shelby Hightower is good as Alice and does what she can with what she has, likewise – despite the comment above – Villa is excellent as Kieran, his performance adding a nuance to a character that the narrative didn’t provide. However, most of the vampires were using the most god awfully fake English accents, with a comment suggesting it was because they felt superior to humans and their (American) accents. These accents stifled performance (this was also true of the one human character who affected an accent), making things stagy at best.

another restaurant feed 

There are good ideas in this and whilst the idea of a human chef amongst vampires is not unique (and my mind drifted to Broil as I watched) there was much that could have been done with this. Director Dan Lantz is no stranger to making a vampire movie, having helmed Bloodrunners. This is not as good as that film partially as interesting things are under-explored and mostly because the accent affectation stifled performance badly, killing nuances that should have been there and impeding the actors’ art. 4 out of 10 reflects the fact that, despite this, I found myself quite taken with the good bits of the film.

The imdb page is here.

Don’t Suck – review

Director: RJ Collins

Release date: 2023

Contains spoilers

A comedy about a comedian (and a vampire) to my way of thinking is either going to work for you or not. Comedy is so very subjective, as I have said in plenty of reviews. Luckily I was rather taken with this and found it genuinely funny and also quite endearing despite the primary character being deliberately drawn as a douche.

It starts with the compère of the Pioneer Saloon, a backwater little bar. Outside a man approaches Pete (Jamie Kennedy), the main act comedian for the night, calling him “funny man” as a derogatory (which immediately brought a Bill Hicks story to mind). The support act, Ethan (Matt Rife), intervenes, getting between the two but the man, after telling “Twilight” to step out of the way, doesn’t care and shoots Ethan. He buckles and stands, claiming a miss, so there are more shots and Ethan’s eyes glow as his fangs emerge…

Jamie Kennedy as Pete

Two weeks before and Pete has arrived for a regular slot he performs in the ‘Comedy Cellar’. He’s staying in the casino and footage has gone viral (posted by a receptionist) of his arrival. She badgered him to be funny and so he asked her “What’s the difference between a c*nt and a vagina”. He is unphased by the video. There are jokes backstage about him “storming the capitol” – jokes at his look, I guess. And he is told to watch the kid on stage – he bombs badly each time, he is told.

Ethan bombs

The kid is Ethan and his act is based on being a vampire. The audience don’t get it and he isn’t particularly funny. Backstage he is excited to meet Pete and asks for a tip – which doesn’t go down well. Pete is drawn as a douche; acerbic all the time, he is constantly jealous around his girlfriend Steph (Ellen Hollman) as he demonstrates when he discovers that Ethan has invited her to a party (he invites Pete too, and other people at the club, but is unaware of their relationship) but she knows he sleeps around on the road. She somehow still loves him, though later mentions him breezing into town every six weeks.

Ellen Hollman as Steph

Ethan is rich, ridiculously so, and really wants to learn comedy (later we discover he spent 200 years perfecting harpsichord and then it went out of fashion). He has the same agent as Pete and wants to be the opener on a series of small gigs. Pete opposes the idea but drunk, and with the offer of Ethan picking up all the expenses, he agrees. Of course, Ethan bombs and Pete uses his poor performance within his act but they do draw closer and eventually Pete suggests he be himself and, also, do a trick with his finger and a flame that he showed him. This leads to a watershed performance.

victims turn to dust

Ethan is bombing again and so does the trick and also shows his vampiric eyes and fangs. But the thing that really gets the audience is him turning into a bat… of course the audience think it a trick but Pete realises he is the real thing (he had been saying it all along). We eventually get back to the Pioneer Saloon and the disgruntled man (Pete had dealt with the man heckling a hen night by disparaging his manhood, he was then thrown out). Ethan does kill him and, in an interesting twist to the lore, then puts his hand to the victim and makes him turn to dust.

feeding

The film is a bit of a buddy film, with the two main characters being odd fellows. It is also a redemption film, with Pete as the central role who needs to grow (this is directly commented on in dialogue when he asks to be turned – which happens in this if the vampire wants the person he bites to turn – but Ethan suggests that as a vampire you are eternally stuck, that he is the same young man he was centuries before, implying Pete's requirement for growth). We do discover, regarding Pete's character, that the medical bills he mentions near the beginning were for his deceased eight years-old son who had leukaemia... the debt has kept him working the worst of jobs for any income he can get and the incident informed his attitude. In truth, he doesn’t grow that much, more the character grows on the viewer.

eyes and fangs

Additional lore bits are that vampires can go out in sunlight, so long as it isn’t direct, they do reflect and Ethan’s grandmother was Erzsébet Báthory. Ethan runs into a woman called Scarlett (Lauren Compton), also a vampire, who is trying her hand at being an influencer. He doesn’t recognise her at first but it becomes apparent he may have turned her, but there is no big vampire society displayed within the film and no comeuppance for him revealing himself (though there is a circular moment as he seems to become more like Pete at the end). I liked this, the two main characters amused me, worked well off each other and, as I mentioned, Pete grows on you. 7 out of 10.

The imdb page is here.

On Demand @ Amazon US

On Demand @ Amazon UK

Handbook of the Vampire: Bram Stoker’s Dracula in Context

Written for Handbook of the Vampire by Andrew Smith the Chapter Page can be found here.

A brave chapter as the idea of putting context to Dracula in roughly 8-9000 words, given the complexity of ideas and the amount of literature on the subject, would seem an impossible task. Author Andrew Smith makes a brave attempt that will serve well as an initial primer for new scholars to lead into further reading. There are several themes explored: Masculinity and Degeneration, The Gothic Context, Vampires and Humans, Medicine and Theories of Mind, Colonial Contexts, and Technologies.

Under the Vampires and Humans section Smith posits an interesting thesis that Harker sees Lucy in one of the three vampire women (or projects her onto her, perhaps) – specifically the golden-haired woman. In doing this he quotes the novel in Harker saying “I seemed somehow to know her face”. It is an interesting reading of the encounter though I tend towards the idea that she was, perhaps, the vampire he saw in the expunged Dracula’s Guest. In this section Smith also discusses the symbolism of the blood transfusions from the various men into Lucy – yet ignores as part of that discussion the fact that Van Helsing’s blood is also transfused. I would have liked him to have addressed that in his discussion (and do not think it necessarily undermines his point).

Short Film: Vampire (2024)

 

Directed by Caroline Sheridan and coming in at a smidge under 5 minutes, this 2024 short film is a situational comedy in which one friend (Caroline Sheridan) accuses the other (Grace Larson) of being a vampire.

the friends

There are lots of giveaway signs… they only hang out at night and she’s never seen her friend in the day, clothes that are totally vampire and a daily (or should that be nightly) alarm that says feeding time whilst playing Toccata and Fugue in D minor. All of this is strongly denied by the friend who takes umbrage at being called out for being different.

alarmed

Actually, the apparent gaslighting at play was really well done and the dynamic between the friends is very skilfully handled. Is it a case of vampirism in the circle of friends, mistaken identity with belief in vampires or simply acting like a vampire? Watching the short will tell all.

The imdb page is here.

Use of Tropes: The United States of Horror: Chapter 2

The second part of anthology series the United States of Horror, released in 2022, sees a segment from director Miceal Og O'Donnell entitled The Star in the Mirror.

Set in the 50s this sees a record promoter (Emmy Harrington) going to the house of a date (Jake McMichael) to pick him up – against her better judgement. Her judgement is spot on as, rather than a genuine date, he is a musician trying to get her to promote him and, when she responds badly to the coercion drugs, he binds her.

in the tree

At the start of the segment we have seen an elf (Vera Takemoto) with fangs, who seems to be in (or within) the sitcom playing on TV. We see her crawl out, into our world, taking on colour and as she watches from within the branches of the Christmas tree she suggests “greedy boys go in my belly". It is the fangs and the consuming of the naughty list that leads me to identify a trope in this. It should be remembered that the darker side of Christmas folklore sees vampiric creatures such as the Tomtin preying on the naughty and this fits in with that.

The imdb page is here.

On Demand @ Amazon US

On Demand @ Amazon UK