Kombucha – review

Director: Jake Myers

Release date: 2025

Contains spoilers

Another unusual vampire film I first watched at Grimmfest 2025, this one was definitely geared towards vampire lore even if the central creature is a sentient bacteria… I say bacteria, but in truth it is a SCOBY that is to say a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast, which ferments tea to create kombucha. Associating vampires with bacteria isn’t unknown, indeed bacterial infection is the source of the vampirism in I Am Legend.

Magdalena Conway as Rachel

It starts with a worker in an office, Rachel (Magdalena Conway), who seems distressed and has some sort of raw rash on her arm. Her mobile rings and it is her mother, Tammy (Charin Alvarez), who asks where she is. She admits still at work and suggests she is going to be replaced. Ending the call she goes to a kitchen area, opens a fridge and looks at the stock of kombucha and then turns to a supply closet, the camera lingers on bleach. Her boss, Kelsey (Claire McFadden), collects her to go to a HR check-in. There, in a room with a striking (and a tad low-key Lovecraftian) painting, Rachel declares she quits and drinks the mug of bleach….

gig

Luke (Terrence Carey) is playing guitar and singing on stage. It is his last song of the set. After, he goes to where his girlfriend, Elyse (Paige Bourne), is sat with a friend. He is annoyed as the record company representative meant to watch the show didn’t turn up. He is approached by Andy (Jesse Kendall) who he used to be in a band with. They have a beer and it transpires that Andy has gone corporate, no longer missing the endless struggle of being a musician. He gives Luke his card, the company Symbio (the same one Rachael worked for) would offer an entry level salary of $100k to creative types, no experience needed.

Paige Bourne as Elyse

Back at Elyse’s place they end up arguing after she asks whether he will go for the job. He points out that she hasn’t continued with her visual art since getting a job in a lab. She decides they should have a break and he should go home. He returns to his apartment where past due bills are piled up and decides to give the job opportunity a shot. He is shocked to discover he has already got the job off Andy’s recommendation. The company analyse other companies' cultures and introduce rituals and purpose brewed kombucha to help create a corporate unity. Kelsey suggests he try their kombucha, labelled Mother’s Secret – he refuses.

drinking the kombucha

His desk has a memorial to Rachel on it, which Kelsey suggests should have been moved and sweeps it away. At that point Tammy comes in and accuses the company of killing Rachel and warns Luke he is next... So, of course he drinks the kombucha eventually, which has astounding productivity effects but also makes changes; he starts getting the rash, has weird dreams, some violent stomach action and becomes addicted to the stuff. Elyse becomes worried and, researching the company, discovers Tammy – who tells Elyse that they are vampires, though she hasn’t worked out how they can walk in daylight. Elyse gets hold of some of the kombucha and discovers it contains blood.

vampire kit

So, the vampirism is apparent on more than one level. Firstly, we have capitalism as a vampire, with its cult like rituals the company could be said to suck the life and creativity out of the employees. I haven’t seen the short that this was based on but, by the write up, the kombucha in that was eating the employees inside out. In this it is prepping them for turning. It contains the yeast and bacteria but also blood, connecting them to Mother (the main giant SCOBY, which is like a tentacled entity) psychically. The actual turning is more on a body snatcher level (so again, corporate capitalism destroying individuality). Elyse gets biocide and fungicide to deal with it. Tammy has crosses (which don’t work) and garlic, which not only works on Mother but also the turned and is, of course, a more traditional trope.

emerging from Kelsey's nose

I enjoyed this at the festival and also watching it again at home. Luke was a character you could get behind and Claire McFadden neatly balanced corporate speak and a somewhat unhinged cult member. Mother is realised pretty well, especially given the likely low budget, and held till the end of the film so as not to over expose. A neat, thread of the comedic runs through it, but not overwhelming. There is a body horror aspect, with the turned revealing their true nature accidentally sometimes – such as a small tentacle coming out of Kelsey’s nose – and the impact of the kombucha on the original body. 6.5 out of 10.

The imdb page is here.

On Blu-Ray @ Amazon US

On Blu-Ray @ Amazon UK

Short Film: Love American Style Season 2 Episode 36 Love and the Vampire

Not actually a short film, but a segment (one of three) from a Season 2 episode of the series Love American Style, the segment was directed by Charles R. Rondeau and comes in about 10-minutes, first airing in 1971. However, as someone has kindly (as I write this) put the segment on YouTube then it fits neatly into the short film category as a standalone piece.

It starts with newlyweds Mryna (Judy Carne) and Wayne (Robert Reed, Fantasy Island: The Lady and the Longhorn/Vampire) who are stood with the eccentric looking Mr Foss (Tiny Tim). We quickly get the background that their car has broken down during a storm and he is rendering aid by giving them his room for the night – after all he expects to be out all night.

Foss, Myrna and Wayne

Once alone, Myrna starts having worries. Foss’ tongue was red and his face was pale – indeed it was a typical set up, breakdown in a storm – she comes to the conclusion that Foss is a vampire. When she notices that there is a casket (or a trunk, according to Wayne) she becomes convinced. She decides she needs protection.

garlic on honeymoon

That involves Wayne leaving the house and getting garlic, which he does but the smell puts him off Honeymoon nuptials. Noticing a couple of pinpricks on his neck leads her to believe that he has been bitten (he thinks he has, by mosquitos). The viewer is aware, however, that Foss is making himself up, using a mirror, to attend a midnight horror film showing and so can it all be in Myrna’s imagination? The show is very sit-com pitched, Carne and Reed are old hands and know what they’re doing with the material and the show even throws in a werewolf gag.

The imdb page is here.

Vain – review

Director: Justin Bergonzoni

Release date: 2025

Contains spoilers

I am not overly sure about the found footage genre generally, but some examples do work. This film mixes found footage with influencer culture and has some interesting moments, though perhaps struggles with tension when we need it (partly down to the nature of found footage). What is interesting is that, in the credits, the film is called Vain by Halvor1812 (Mike Thompson), suggesting that the film was put together by the film’s antagonist.

Halvor's footage

The film is interspersed with footage from Halvor’s YouTube channel, which seems to be captured on film (rather than video) and has been manipulated often to hide faces with Xs. This footage edited through genuinely adds an atmosphere and an artistry to something that, otherwise, would have been digital filming and the primary digital footage would have struggled to keep the viewer's attention on its own. These added moments, placed without commentary, create an unheimlich texture.

Taylor Kilgore as Elizabeth

The rest of the footage is based around the filming that is carried out by Elizabeth (Taylor Kilgore), for her Monsters and Mysteries channel and footage shot by Russell (Justin Bergonzoni) who is making a documentary about Elizabeth. This then draws in Andrew (Mike Lenzini) who has a conspiracy theory channel but also helps out Elizabeth with her channel (both in terms of research material and appearing on it).

Andrea A. Walter as April

Elizabeth had a featured aspect on UFOs but shifts the focus (through a mock ritual) to vampires for the upcoming month. Andrew has lent her a variety of vampire movies for research. One regular feature on her channel is looking at footage that viewers submit (sent both through email and snail mail). She gets a package through the post from Halvor with both a letter and an SD card. When she shows the footage on the card, broadcast live, she’s confused as it just seems to be travel video of a woman, later identified as April Spencer (Andrea A. Walter). In the chat Halvor asks how she liked his vampire movie – the characters don’t pick up on the significance of this for some time.

Mike Lenzini as Andrew

So, there is an investigative part of this, which includes finding Halvor’s page and working out that the subjects of the holiday videos are either missing (four of them) or have been found murdered, holes in the neck and drained of blood. Andrew, being the conspiracy theorist, does believe in vampires and believes there is a cover-up of their existence. Elizabeth takes information to the police, at Russell's insistence, but they seem less than interested and so she vows, on livestream, to stop Halvor (which seems like a dumb move).

Tom Devlin as himself

There is also an aspect of following the influencer around, for the documentary, and that includes attending Tom Devlin's Monster Museum – a real place where, in this, Andrew works part time. This also means meeting Tom (played by himself) and Elizabeth filming a part in his vampire movie. This was fairly neat as the movie is the After Dark, which Tom Devlin really did direct, and though actress Taylor Kilgore isn’t in the real-world movie, it made for a nice blurring of lines between this film and reality.

kidnapped

The issue, as insinuated above, lies in the building of tension within the found footage format. As a for instance – Elizabeth is kidnapped but we don’t see that, just hear of it, as Russell was not filming. In a more traditional narrative, the filmmakers may have made that a thing and built a tension for the audience visually, rather than relying on third hand notification of the event. Equally, when looking for her, I felt the creation of tension relied on Andrew wandering round a dark area (Russell filming) and that atmosphere didn’t build. A shame as, re the Elizabeth footage, Taylor Kilgore is very personable and the Halvor footage builds that mentioned nice uncanny layer. Aside from the uncanny, this is really a 'cat and mouse' and not a horror but I felt it deserved 6 out of 10.

The imdb page is here.

Abraham’s Boys: A Dracula Story – review

Director: Natasha Kermani

Release date: 2025

Contains spoilers

This Dracula related film was based on a Joe Hill short story and is set in an alternate ending to Dracula. Jonathan Harker died (how is not revealed) and Van Helsing (Titus Welliver, Kindred the Embraced) married Mina (Jocelin Donahue). No mention is made of Quincey – so presumably Mina and Jonathan did not have a son – rather Mina and Abraham have two children, Max (Brady Hepner) and Rudy (Judah Mackey).

Titus Welliver as Van Helsing

Van Helsing left London for Holland and then moved the family from there to America, settling in California. This is to keep away from those things that may come in the night. The boys have been brought up with tales of the vampire and Mina’s blood is said to still be tainted to the point that she is, at times, ill and Van Helsing suggests that *they* can detect her through it, when close.

opening scene

Having opened with an intertitle from Van Helsing’s medical journal about vampirism and the virulence with which it spreads we find ourselves in 1915, some 18 years after the death of Count Dracula. We see a woman who begs a horseman for a ride as she needs to get to town (the interaction and reaction put my mind to Red Dead Redemption 2 and probably suggests I played the game a tad too often). After he has ridden past a black blur tackles her to off screen.

Brady Hepner as Max

One of the issues with the film is that it is ponderous. We get time with the family – Abraham is hard on Max as he seems not to apply himself to his lessons, whereas Rudy is wilful. Near the homestead surveyors plot for a branch to the railway – and an accident brings them into Van Helsing’s orbit as he has to render medical aid. The boys wonder what is in the forbidden study and Rudy complains that there are noises in the night (and, so what if *they* need inviting in? What if *they* are inside already?)

Mina bitten

We get vampiric moments in Max’s dreams where he sees a pale man (Forrest McClain) but are the dreams born of the stories he’s been told or more prophetic in nature? Mina gives some lovely turn of phrase when describing the past, “The others never saw his true face. He held me so close. I could feel his cold breath on my cheek. So strange to have cold breath. Long, white limbs, white teeth, and a terrible, thin, soft mouth… …He moved like a ghost.” She becomes more and more ill, though Max wonders whether his father’s treatments do more harm than good.

burying the undead

Inevitably Van Helsing wants to train his children in the ‘family business’ whether they wish to or not. Via this we get some lore, as he explains how to stake the undead and suggests they can “pass from shadow to shadow.” We also get a visit from Arthur Holmwood (Jonathan Howard), though he is a man wracked with guilt and doubts, and all that is to say that we drudge through this without a tension building that we need as a viewer. It is a shame, as a tension could have been found and would have kept the viewer's attention as the film slowly builds to its denouement that explores the nature of monsters. However, without that tension 4 out of 10 is generous.

The imdb page is here.

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.

Die drei ??? - Erbe des Drachen – review

Director: Tim Dünschede

Release date: 2023

Contains spoilers

In English, The Three Investigators – Heir of the Dragon, this is a kids’ film about three young amateur detectives from Rocky Beach California and based on the long running American book series. This is based on the German editions and therefore Jupiter Jones was renamed Justus Jonas (Julius Weckauf), Peter Crenshaw was renamed Peter Shaw (Nevio Wendt), with only Bob Andrews (Levi Brandl) retaining his original series name.

The Three Investigators

At the head of the film, it is the day before the boys take a trip to Transylvania. Justus is helping his uncle Titus (Florian Lukas) and his Aunt Mathilda (Jördis Triebel) wants him to get her actor Steven Yates (Gedeon Burkhard) autograph whilst over there. Bob is working as a library assistant and is given a go-pro by librarian Miss Bennett (Dela Dabulamanzi) for his trip – she got it from lost and found. Finally Peter is at a race but his father (Mark Waschke) is a no-show to watch it, that is because he is busy making finishing touches for the trip – they are interning with him whilst he does sfx on a horror film. Peter sees the end of a video call where a hysterical maid, at the castle, is screaming about Vlad.

acting the vampire

The Vlad they mention is, of course, Vlad Ţepeş and we get a little history about Draculea but mostly it is fictionalised, talking about a maid he fell in love with and the tomb he made for her that myth suggests contains his treasure – which is a blood red ruby. The movie being filmed is a vampire movie (indeed a Dracula one). When the film crew are welcomed by the Countess (Gudrun Landgrebe) the lights blow and she explains that the castle is old but caretaker Repta (Valentin Popescu) does his best to keep it going – Peter comments that the man is pale as a vampire. There is a commotion when the maid leaves the castle screaming about a family curse.

Mark Waschke as the dad

So, there is a curse, a fear of vampires/Dracula, a hidden treasure and then the mystery of the Countess’ brother vanishing in the 1950s when being forced to stay in the castle crypt overnight as part of being initiated into a Vlad obsessed secret society (and heirs, one guesses, to the Order of the Dragon). However, there are tensions between Peter and his father, which lead to tensions amongst the investigators themselves. This main mystery has a genre interest due to Vlad Ţepeş and a belief in vampires (mostly on Peter’s part and, of course, the departed maid). Beyond this we get acting as a vampire, with Steven Yates playing the vampire in the film, with a classic look bedroom scene and a stabbing a cross with sword, causing it to bleed, scene lifted, of course, from Dracula (1992).

Vlad and his dead bride

The film itself is ok. It is a kids’ movie and so peril is mild, and the young actors hold their own and manage to stay on the right side of the annoying line. However, it doesn’t do anything overly special either. Maybe one for die hard fans of the books, but certainly one for German speaking kids who like detective flicks. Perhaps not so much for those who fall outside of those categories. But it is perfectly competent. 5 out of 10.

The imdb page is here.

On Blu-Ray @ Amazon UK

First Impression: Various Vampires at Grimmfest 2025

I have just got back from Grimmfest 2025 and have set to writing up my first impressions of the vampire and vampire adjacent films I saw over a great festival weekend. However, firstly, a shout out to the festival organisers and volunteers who make it such a great event year after year. A shout out to Hellbound Media, particularly Mark Adams for the chat, and also to Catherine Green who was at the festival on the Saturday. I will, of course, offer full thoughts when the films become available for home viewing.

The first film I want to offer an impression of was Landlord, which was the most traditionally vampire-genre film of those I intend to cover.

Directed and written by Remington Smith, the film follows an unnamed bounty hunter (Adama Abramson) and one of the strengths of the film was in the great characterisation with this unnamed protagonist. She arrives at an apartment complex on foot and rents a room for a week, no questions asked. She is there tracking down someone, or more accurately a briefcase he carries, but soon notices strange things.

Investigating, what sounds like, a domestic disturbance she is blocked by manager Christopher (Lance Gerard), who seems in cahoots with the local sheriff (J. Barrett Cooper), and the next day follows the manager as he removes the apartment contents and takes them to a farmstead owned by the Lawrence family. She discovers that the residents of the apartment have been dismembered and are being fed to the pigs.

Alex and the Bounty Hunter

Back at the apartment complex she discovers that the apartment with young resident Alex (Cohen Cooper) has been targeted. She enters, too late to save Alex’s mother but intervening in an attack on Alex himself. It is, of course, a vampire attack. The conceit of this being, as listed by Grimmfest, “If vampires can’t come into your home without being invited in, what would happen if they owned your housing?” The vampire, John Lawrence (William McKinney), owns the apartment complex and many residents are transient in the slum housing, easy to disappear. There is a commentary here about the landlord class as vampiric.

bitten

The bounty hunter and Alex become loose ends to tie up, of course. A nice touch came about in her not even recognising what the vampire is - despite getting up from a head shot and biting her neck, Alex is the observant one, though their knowledge of lore is limited. I liked the grittiness of this and, as mentioned, the characterisation that was built around the bounty hunter. If I had a criticism, it would be in the lighting, as I felt that the night scenes were overly dark – though that might be a screening issue rather than a production issue. The imdb page is here.

The next film to mention is Spanish offering Lily’s Ritual, directed by Manu Herrera. Possibly best described as “vampire adjacent” it starts off as a witchcraft film with three witches, Lola (Patricia Peñalver), Leo (Elena Gallardo) and Laura (Eve Ryan) taking Lily (Maggie García) out into the countryside for initiation into witchcraft as their fourth – which, of course, has overtones of the Craft. Unlike that, however, which had a power corrupts theme, these witches already had a darker purpose in mind.

Lilith

Rather than initiation, Lily was to be used as a centrepiece for a dedication to Lilith – this could be a spoiler except it is listed in the film’s blurb. As to whether they will succeed and whether Lily can survive – well that is a spoiler too far. However, I will say that this was probably my favourite film of the festival and, of course, the use of Lilith makes it of genre interest. The imdb page is here.

The third film to mention is Jake Myers’s Kombucha. I did not go into this expecting a vampire element, although the film does aim at the vampiric nature of corporations. It follows Luke (Terrence Carey) a struggling musician who is tempted – due to pressure from girlfriend Elyse (Paige Bourne) and a recommendation from ex-bandmate Andy (Jesse Kendall) – into signing up to a corporate job. The corporation, Symbio, is more than a little cult-like and forces everyone to drink a specific kombucha.

As Luke starts to change, Elyse meets the mother (Charin Alvarez) of a previous employee (Magdalena Conway) who believes that the corporation is made up of vampires – and it is that belief in vampires that puts this firmly on the radar, as well as the use of a tropes such as blood in the kombucha and the efficacy of garlic as a weapon to combat the sentient scoby at the heart of the film. A genuinely funny side-swipe at corporate mentality. The imdb page is here.

The final film to mention is Sergio Pinheiro’s Wormtown. This very much uses tropes and the Grimmfest synopsis suggested it had “just a pinch of classic vampire lore and a sly tip of the hat to Richard Matheson’s I AM LEGEND.” Set in a town where the vast majority of inhabitants are infected by worms, which have infiltrated their entire system, with a large “heart worm” that feeds on their blood and “brain worms” that alter their minds, the worms that burrow and infect are reminiscent of the blood worms in the Strain.

caught in the sun

The worms are impacted by loud sounds, modern signals (such as Bluetooth) and bright light. This is one of our tropes as being caught in the sun is deadly, with the worms quickly turning on their host. The similes with I am Legend mentioned are there and, more so, I felt a homage to the Omega Man in the scarring of infected flesh, the retreat from technology (although not as radical), and the cult-like behaviours. I also felt it tonally had a bit of a feel of Stake Land and I did really enjoy this one. The imdb page is here.

Valerie – review

Director: Jay Lind

Release date: 2002

Contains spoilers

Not to be confused with the director’s 1992 film of the same name, this was a straight to video, zero budget flick that has received Blu-ray treatment in a collection of five of his films, released by SRS video.

When I got the set, I was conflicted, after all I didn’t particularly think the films would be masterpieces but there were at least two vampire features (this and Carmilla). I watched this first and was pleasantly surprised. Yes, it is low budget and has plenty wrong with it, but it was also a very watchable psychosexual drama.

bite

It starts with Nosferatu on TV and then cuts to a graveyard and, in a crypt, led on top of the tomb is Valerie (Maggi Horseman). She rises and does a slow amble through the graveyard – a note that the night lighting is well done but the shots seem out of focus, probably deliberately so to give a dreamlike feel. A couple are in the car and the lady (I think Crissy Madarang) hears something, she sends the guy out. He is killed by Valerie, who gets in the car with the, now topless, girl and feeds from her.

Maggi Horseman as Valerie

Valerie’s mom (Kelley Rouse) wakes her, with Valerie complaining that she is an adult (she’s 18). Her mom notices that she has had a nosebleed in her sleep and her face is smeared with blood. She goes to her therapist and talks about her dream and how excited it has left her. She works at a boutique, then takes lunch on a boardwalk and finally goes to dance class. She disassociates whilst in class, reliving memories of a violent sexual assault that leaves her screaming and comforted by her friend Lori (Mellani Love).

pick up

So, we discover that she was assaulted, immediately after believing she had been followed home. She cannot remember the assailant and refers to him as a vampire. Her step-father doesn’t believe it was an assault, rather she invited it and essentially victim blames. She is also self-harming. She regularly dreams of being a vampire, with Lori and the girl from the first dream (who is a person she has seen in real life) taking victim and vampire roles in the dreams. There is some evidence that she has killed someone she picked up, but that could be a dream also (and a serial killer called the moonlight maniac is mentioned occasionally to obfuscate the truth further).

Lori with fangs

As the film progresses, she meets an older artist, Jack (Jay Lind), who she falls for and who falls for her. Lori is less than pleased but it seems that she has sapphic feelings for her friend (these are unreciprocated in real life, but the fact that she and the other woman feature in her vampire dreams suggests that subconsciously Valerie entertains the notion). The whole film moves towards the realisation of who the attacker was.

projecting the vampire

The dialogue is sometimes off – I couldn’t believe that two 18-year-olds would be that coy around sexual language. However, aspects like Valerie’s ofttimes bluntness, worked well with the character and the performance suited that. There was no shying from nudity and some of the themes were very dark (rape, self-harm and attempted suicide). One poor aspect was the chosen soundtrack, which I felt was too bombastic. The film is more belief in vampires and acting like a vampire, though the projection of a vampire persona (the only male vampire) on her attacker kind of makes for a vampire and Valerie is an untrustworthy witness to her own narrative. However, surprisingly entertaining and worth watching 5.5 out of 10.

The imdb page is here.

Classic Literature: The Vampire: Novel from Bulgaria

The fact that Hans Wachenhusen published this in 1878 has led me to posting this under the “Classic Literature” label rather than the “honourable mention” it should be. Though titled The Vampire there is little in the way of vampires in the book until the final chapter – so it is more a fleeting visitation. The 2023 translation was by Rade Kolbas.

The first chapter reads like a travelogue and indeed that is what it is – Wachenhusen was known in Germany as a travel writer. But the yarn then spins into a tale of Government corruption (on the part of the Ottoman Mudessarif) and politics, dashing heroes and love. The first almost reference to vampires was in calling the Ottoman Pasha a bloodsucker – but this was in relation to him siphoning off wealth.

The next mention is about actual vampires and a suggestion that they are associated with a particular place in the mountains. They are described as holding nightly meetings there, where they were able to “suck new life from the moonlight”.

As I mentioned, the final chapter is concerned with a vampire describing a certain character, thought killed by the hero, returning and attacking a bride on her wedding night. Whether he is, in reality, a vampire or is just assumed to be by the locals, as he was left for dead and unburied in the mountains, is really left to reader interpretation but it does appear he was going to bite her neck before being stopped and killed (again?), after which the good local folk stake him through the heart to prevent any further visitations. A big thanks to Sarah who got me this for my birthday.

In Hardback @ Amazon US

In Hardback @ Amazon UK

Mimì - Il principe delle tenebre – review

Director: Brando De Sica

Release date: 2023

Contains spoilers

In English the title is Mimì, the Prince of Darkness and this is a strangely effective Italian movie and one in which you question whether there is a vampire but the megatext is front and centre of the story. It has some strong themes and, whilst admittedly dragging in the middle act just a tad, it has a wonderfully explosive ending.

The film opens with footsteps over the credits and laboured breathing. We get a cityscape and then see a pizza delivery van drive along a winding road. It stops outside a large house and we see that the driver, Mimì (Domenico Cuomo), walks with an awkward gait but scales the gate into the property with ease. We see him drop into a swimming pool in just his tidy whities and notice that his feel are unusually large. A resident gets up and lights come on, Mimì has skedaddled leaving behind large, wet footprints.

Domenico Cuomo as Mimì

Mimì works in the pizzeria owned by Nando (Mimmo Borrelli), later we hear that Mimì was brought up by nuns in an orphanage until Nando took him in as an adolescent, raised him and gave him the job. Nando has gone to deliver a pizza to regular customer Giusi (Abril Zamora), who is a tad resentful that Mimì hasn’t brought it – she talls Nando she had a dream of the young man, scared in a corner and hissing like a cat. Meanwhile Mimì is having a cigarette when he sees some young men approaching.

bullied

He ducks in the pizzeria and pulls the shutter down but they are rattling on it and, despite him saying that they are closed and the oven is off, they open the shutter and demand feeding. The leader of this gang is Bastianello (Giuseppe Brunetti), and though it isn’t said outright, it would appear he is the son of a local crime boss. Bastianello is acting out towards a young Goth girl (Sara Ciocca) and it appears Mimì has had his active bystander training as he tries to distract him. This just makes them turn on him, they pull his shoes off to reveal his deformed feet calling him a freak and a monster.

Mimmo Borrelli as Nando

Later Mimì hears a phone ringing. He climbs the stairs from his basement room and finds a dropped phone. The caller is the girl and it is her phone and he drives to the docks to return it. She actually takes Mimì’s number, gives hers and says that he can call her Carmilla. The following day Nando sees the bruised eye Mimì has been left with, and goes to see Bastianello’s father who seems to be in a medical pod and is clearly extremely unwell. In the night Bastianello sees Mimì in his van, chases him down and pursues him into the cemetery. He beats the crap out of Mimì for talking to his father.

Sara Ciocca as Carmilla

After Bastianello has left, a gang of Goths emerge from the shadows, including Carmilla. They take Mimì to the house they are squatting in. From here Mimì and Carmilla draw closer and become a couple even. The problem is they are not reliable narrators. Carmilla is a fantasist, she suggests that she is the daughter of a Romanian princess, and her surname is Vlad (after Vlad Ţepeş), she also tells Mimì that Dracula is buried there in Naples. Her fantasy life hides the fact that she is an underaged runaway. For his part, Mimì is naïve to the point of credulity. He hires Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens and seems to believe the yarn the video shop guy spins about Schreck actually being a vampire. Getting jealous of her dancing with a guy with fangs, he gets fangs but they actually rip teeth out and replace them with cemented in fangs. We see them kiss and fly, but it is likely the drugs she has provided.

the vampire and Mimì

The film follows their romance, which comes to an abrupt halt when Bastinello and his pal Rocco (Daniele Vicorito) attack him again, whilst Carmilla is performing a rite of devotion over “Dracula’s grave”. Unconscious, Mimì sees the vampire and believes he has been bitten by him. Mimì also goes into a coma for a month and a half. I won’t spoil further forward. The film is well acted with the two leads giving good performances and the film clearly loves the vampire genre. It did, as mentioned, feel to drag a little in the middle section but it didn’t spoil the film and the ending sequences are absolutely worth sticking around for. Despite the pacing moments, 7 out of 10.

The imdb page is here.