Midnight Abyss - feature

Director: Stephen Wolfe

Release date: 2011

Contains spoilers

I was contacted recently by Stephen Wolfe regarding this film. I had previously looked at his short film Dracula’s Coffin and this is a previously unreleased film (bar some festivals and conventions). The film has now been put for free view on YouTube.

The film follows Tod (Andy Palmer), whose inner dialogue narrates the film, and he is introspectively obsessed with a dream in which he is pursued – by something dark and monstrous. At school he is a bit of a self-confessed loner – though he does have friends, Lucy (Briannah Korin) and Stan (Justin Herman, Dracula’s Coffin). He is also subject to a degree of bullying. We do see him in class, with teacher Mr Dandrige (Joe Grisaffi, Bloodsucker’s Planet) – no prizes for knowing where that name came from, who is talking about nightmares. Tod has a waking one in class.

Andy Palmer as Tod

Lucy is sick and she has suggested that Tod go over, and they watch a movie together (Stan has teased about it being a date). She’s picked it and she has picked a horror – which he dislikes – indeed she has picked a vampire movie. As they watch it the vampire in it – a rather monstruous looking one – becomes the dark figure of his dreams. She doesn’t know what she’s ill with, she just woke up feeling bad – he jokes about her being the victim of a vampire, and when he leaves the vampire starts appearing.

film within the film

The thing is, as we’ve seen the waking nightmare, we understand Tod is an unreliable witness. He might be followed by a vampire, he might be in a waking nightmare (or just a daydream at times), it may be hallucination or the entire film might be a dream. The narrative is deliberately fluid enough to have the viewer doubt it and for Tod’s fears to be contested. In short it touches into psychodrama. Because of this there is no real lore communicated. Though we do get a staking, which has a lot of spasming, blood from the mouth and then dissolution.

vampire at the window

This isn’t a film I’ll score as it is one that you can watch for free, which is an editorial choice I make from time to time. I liked the night-shooting, it is one where the filmmakers have taken care, using a blue wash, to ensure the night scenes are clear and viewable. The idea behind the narrative is simple, but playing with psychodrama is fun and adds a complexity to the film. My gripe was the character Tod, who is a whiner with an overinflated existential angst. Though he comes across better when speaking to other characters, his voice is predominantly displayed through the inner monologue and the content/timbre made me dislike the character. He was still watchable – but I was cheering for the vampire. All in all, however, go and give it a watch.

The imdb page is here.