Director: Euros Lyn
Release date: 2024
Contains spoilers
Release date: 2024
Contains spoilers
Based on the novel by Matt Haig, which I really rather enjoyed, I procrastinated when it came to watching this film version and, having now watched it, I think I know why. Subconsciously I feared that it would be pretty poor and that’s never a good thing when you like the source material. This came to mind as I found myself being not as disappointed as, I realised, I feared I would be. On the other hand, this didn’t rock my world either – far from it.
With a narration from son of the family, Rowan (Harry Baxendale), we enter a suburban world (set in Whitby) where the Radleys are a seemingly normal family. Dad, Peter (Damian Lewis), is a doctor and a bit of a workaholic, mom, Helen (Kelly Macdonald), keeps herself busy with hobbies and organising, sister Clara (Bo Bragason), is an awkward looking vegan (with a tendency to vomit) and Rowan is as equally socially awkward, called a freak by kids in school and is in the closet gay.
The film starts (after seeing the dog kill a rabbit) with the prep for Peter’s birthday party. Rowan and Clara have planned to escape, with the other teens at the party and booze, to fields near the abbey (where, it looks like a bigger teen party is going on). With them is Tilly (Madeleine Power), more an acquaintance whose parents brought her to the birthday bash, and Evan (Jay Lycurgo), a new neighbour who Rowan is crushing on. Snooping on goings on is Evan’s dad, Jared (Shaun Parkes, Da Vinci’s Demons – the Devil), who is known as a bit of a conspiracy nut, watching through twitched curtains and then following the kids as they go to the teen party.
Eventually Clara has had enough and heads back home, but is followed by one of the kids at the party, the bullish Stuart Harper (Freddie Wise), he tries to force himself on her and chases her when she runs. Eventually he pins her to a tree but she punches him away with astounding strength, fangs appear and she attacks and feeds, killing him. She calls her parents in shock, who find her, get her home, stash the body and explain to the kids that they are vampires but abstainers – vampires off the blood – and the kids are too. To help they call Peter’s twin brother Will (Also Damien Lewis) an active vampire. From that point, things start falling apart for the family, secrets are revealed and cravings start to take hold.
The impact of blood is telling. When using the vampire regains powers such as mind control but also weaknesses (such as an aversion to garlic). Clara after feeding loses her awkward drab demeanour and is clearly confident and projects charisma. There is an abstainer’s handbook and helpline and so the main reason for reaching out to Will would seemingly be to have him dispose of the body. Some of the lore from the book is changed or not explained in enough detail. The film suggests that there are born vampires (Peter and Will) and converted ones (eventually we discover Helen was converted) but goes to pains to suggest a converted vampire will obsess over their maker and thus can never love them – in the book it is explicit that the attachment is two-way. Also, the in book conversion is achieved through a large blood exchange – the film suggests a few drops will do.
Paranoid conspiracy theorist Jared is actually an ex-copper whose wife was killed by a vampire and he has taken the mantle of vampire hunter – though investigator would seem to be a better word, we never see him hunt as such – but how he became so steeped in their world is not adequately explained enough to understand how he ended up with the abstainers’ helpline number. The trouble with the film is that it is competent enough, the actors are all up to the task (though Helen is, through no fault of Kelly Macdonald, depressingly dour through the running length) but it just kind of trudges along. It is far too much family drama (which it has to be) but the vampirism could just be removed and for a film based on a vampire book, it feels tagged on. Obviously, there are similes for addiction and coming of age within the film. All told, not the miss I feared but not doing nearly enough to be a hit. 5 out of 10.
The imdb page is here.
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| Harry Baxendale as Rowan |
With a narration from son of the family, Rowan (Harry Baxendale), we enter a suburban world (set in Whitby) where the Radleys are a seemingly normal family. Dad, Peter (Damian Lewis), is a doctor and a bit of a workaholic, mom, Helen (Kelly Macdonald), keeps herself busy with hobbies and organising, sister Clara (Bo Bragason), is an awkward looking vegan (with a tendency to vomit) and Rowan is as equally socially awkward, called a freak by kids in school and is in the closet gay.
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| at the party |
The film starts (after seeing the dog kill a rabbit) with the prep for Peter’s birthday party. Rowan and Clara have planned to escape, with the other teens at the party and booze, to fields near the abbey (where, it looks like a bigger teen party is going on). With them is Tilly (Madeleine Power), more an acquaintance whose parents brought her to the birthday bash, and Evan (Jay Lycurgo), a new neighbour who Rowan is crushing on. Snooping on goings on is Evan’s dad, Jared (Shaun Parkes, Da Vinci’s Demons – the Devil), who is known as a bit of a conspiracy nut, watching through twitched curtains and then following the kids as they go to the teen party.
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| fangs emerge |
Eventually Clara has had enough and heads back home, but is followed by one of the kids at the party, the bullish Stuart Harper (Freddie Wise), he tries to force himself on her and chases her when she runs. Eventually he pins her to a tree but she punches him away with astounding strength, fangs appear and she attacks and feeds, killing him. She calls her parents in shock, who find her, get her home, stash the body and explain to the kids that they are vampires but abstainers – vampires off the blood – and the kids are too. To help they call Peter’s twin brother Will (Also Damien Lewis) an active vampire. From that point, things start falling apart for the family, secrets are revealed and cravings start to take hold.
 |
| twins |
The impact of blood is telling. When using the vampire regains powers such as mind control but also weaknesses (such as an aversion to garlic). Clara after feeding loses her awkward drab demeanour and is clearly confident and projects charisma. There is an abstainer’s handbook and helpline and so the main reason for reaching out to Will would seemingly be to have him dispose of the body. Some of the lore from the book is changed or not explained in enough detail. The film suggests that there are born vampires (Peter and Will) and converted ones (eventually we discover Helen was converted) but goes to pains to suggest a converted vampire will obsess over their maker and thus can never love them – in the book it is explicit that the attachment is two-way. Also, the in book conversion is achieved through a large blood exchange – the film suggests a few drops will do.
 |
| Shaun Parkes as Jared |
Paranoid conspiracy theorist Jared is actually an ex-copper whose wife was killed by a vampire and he has taken the mantle of vampire hunter – though investigator would seem to be a better word, we never see him hunt as such – but how he became so steeped in their world is not adequately explained enough to understand how he ended up with the abstainers’ helpline number. The trouble with the film is that it is competent enough, the actors are all up to the task (though Helen is, through no fault of Kelly Macdonald, depressingly dour through the running length) but it just kind of trudges along. It is far too much family drama (which it has to be) but the vampirism could just be removed and for a film based on a vampire book, it feels tagged on. Obviously, there are similes for addiction and coming of age within the film. All told, not the miss I feared but not doing nearly enough to be a hit. 5 out of 10.
The imdb page is here.
2 comments:
It was a movie that had potential but to me it fell flat. One interesting thing was that the daughter had fang time while the mother didn't. The other was the character of Jared, reminded me a lot of the character Eric Van Helsing from Young Dracula.
Hi Ghostly, thanks for stopping by. I can't remember the book but perhaps a born vampire had fanhs and a converted didn't? Totally get the Young Dracula point
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