I received the opportunity to view a screener of Stoker Hills but I only take on such opportunities if I believe a given film will fit into the premise of the blog. I checked a trailer, which suggested the taking of blood but also read a review that suggested that the film hinted at a vampiric nature because of this blood taking and the title (connecting the name Stoker to Bram). Good enough for me to have a look for the blog.
The fact that I am writing a ‘Vamp or Not?’ suggests it was not that straight forward but, actually it was straight forward – I just think the reviewer I read over-thought that aspect.
So the premise merges found footage with traditional narrative – the footage on camera being found by two police detectives, Stafford (William Lee Scott) and Adams (Eric Etebari, Kiss of the Vampires, Vegas Vampires & Castlevania: Hymn of Blood), who investigate the filmmakers’ disappearance, which is shown in a traditional narrative. The filmmakers – Jake (Vince Hill-Bedford) and Ryan (David Gridley) – are making a school project horror film starring Ryan’s girlfriend Erica (Steffani Brass).
The film goes awry when they are doing a distance shot of her (where she is acting as a prostitute) and a car slows, she gets pulled in and kidnapped. They grab their car and give chase and soon find themselves hunted by the kidnapper who is, it turns out, a serial killer. He does take their blood when captured but does so to test it for specific medical reasons. Having set up the found footage and the narrative around what happens to them when captured, alongside the search for them, the film throws in quite a neat final twist.
This twist neatly smooths aspects you may have found somewhat OTT as you watched (such as a series of traps that just seemed too sophisticated for the killer we meet) and the somewhat outlandish reason for the killing spree. This left me with a satisfying viewing experience, however, in terms of a vampire aspect, this really does not have one. Indeed, it doesn’t particularly use familiar tropes either (with the tropes more being pulled, rightly, from the slasher genre). Definitely worth a watch and though the use of found footage carries the same health warning (about why someone would continue to film in the situation they’re in) that many others of that genre come with, the way it is used is rather neat also. Not Vamp.
The imdb page is here.
On Demand @ Amazon US
On Demand @ Amazon UK
The fact that I am writing a ‘Vamp or Not?’ suggests it was not that straight forward but, actually it was straight forward – I just think the reviewer I read over-thought that aspect.
 |
| Vince Hill-Bedford as Jake |
So the premise merges found footage with traditional narrative – the footage on camera being found by two police detectives, Stafford (William Lee Scott) and Adams (Eric Etebari, Kiss of the Vampires, Vegas Vampires & Castlevania: Hymn of Blood), who investigate the filmmakers’ disappearance, which is shown in a traditional narrative. The filmmakers – Jake (Vince Hill-Bedford) and Ryan (David Gridley) – are making a school project horror film starring Ryan’s girlfriend Erica (Steffani Brass).
 |
| taking blood |
The film goes awry when they are doing a distance shot of her (where she is acting as a prostitute) and a car slows, she gets pulled in and kidnapped. They grab their car and give chase and soon find themselves hunted by the kidnapper who is, it turns out, a serial killer. He does take their blood when captured but does so to test it for specific medical reasons. Having set up the found footage and the narrative around what happens to them when captured, alongside the search for them, the film throws in quite a neat final twist.
 |
| Erica and Ryan in peril |
This twist neatly smooths aspects you may have found somewhat OTT as you watched (such as a series of traps that just seemed too sophisticated for the killer we meet) and the somewhat outlandish reason for the killing spree. This left me with a satisfying viewing experience, however, in terms of a vampire aspect, this really does not have one. Indeed, it doesn’t particularly use familiar tropes either (with the tropes more being pulled, rightly, from the slasher genre). Definitely worth a watch and though the use of found footage carries the same health warning (about why someone would continue to film in the situation they’re in) that many others of that genre come with, the way it is used is rather neat also. Not Vamp.
The imdb page is here.
On Demand @ Amazon US
On Demand @ Amazon UK
No comments:
Post a Comment