The Vampire {2019} – review

Director: Trần Nhân Kiên

Release date: 2019

Contains spoilers

Cậu chủ ma cà rồng is allegedly the first Vietnamese vampire film – and I can’t think of another one that could take that title. This doesn’t feature the traditional vampire form of the region, the ma cà rồng, which is much like the arp of neighbouring Cambodia or the Thai krasue, in that it was a disembodied head with viscera dangling beneath it. However, according to Bane the preferred food of the creature was cow dung (only attacking humans if it could not find the preferred meal). Apparently, the name has been transposed to the traditionally Western vampire and that is exactly what we get in this (and the pretty version of that too).

naga from opening

The film starts with background information on the world we are in – and we are not in Kansas anymore. A place where one of the kingdoms is home to centaurs and elves, and another where merpeople and harpies have been at war. Our story centres on a kingdom where there are humans (and vampires hidden amongst them). It is also a place where folks have the latest smart phones apparently.

Truong Minh Thao as Cuong

Duc Cuong (Truong Minh Thao) cannot remember his life as a human. He is butler to the Master, Huy Long (Vo Dang Duy Luan), and the elder vampire has been injured in one of the supernatural wars. To restore his strength they must perform a ritual using Rh- blood from five women on the night that occurs every 9000 years, when the planets align. To get that blood they have come up with an elaborate plan.

candidates

Five women have been selected to be the new housemaid for his home. They will compete for the honour, but are actually only there because of their blood type. The women also have alternative reasons for being there. One suspects that Long is a vampire and wants immortality, one wishes to become his wife, one, Tu (Mai Ky Han), is a journalist and one, Thien Ngan (Yeye Nhat Ha), has an anti-vampire agenda (and works for a secret society). The film really failed to develop these backgrounds meaningfully.

Vo Dang Duy Luan as Long

They aren’t happy that they have to surrender their phones and follow the rules of the house. The journalist hides a second phone in the woods and uses it to call her editor but Ngan also uses the phone. Tu is caught and sent home, intercepted as she leaves, knocked out with a vampiric click of the fingers and then… Well we don’t work out what happens to those who are ‘sent home’. They aren’t at the ritual and Cuong has taken their blood to use, so why they couldn’t just take the blood of the ladies early on is beyond me. Ngan and Cuong begin to fall in love also.

low key vamp out

So, it’s a bit like a housemaid version of Mean Girls – up to a point – and actual vampire bits come in right at the end (ok there are vampiric reactions early on but fangs, supernatural strength and speed etc are for the finale). The film is well shot, from a photography point of view, its just… well not a whole lot happens. More expansion of their back stories was desperately needed (for one flashback for one woman’s background does not a rich narrative create). It was all a bit incongruous meets dull, to be fair. The cast is pretty, the aim is probably for a young adult audience but, all in all, it isn’t the greatest film. 3 out of 10.

The imdb page is here.

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