Short Film: Fair Prey

Viewed at the 2020 IVFAF, this is a short film directed by Ryan Rosenblum and is listed on IMDb (at time of writing) as 2021, though this is clearly in error. The film comes in at 2.5 minutes and writes a good narrative text for such a short film and does so whilst eschewing dialogue.

A man, Julien (Sam Uehling), wakes by his wife and, as he fiddles with his wedding ring, we can tell he has an itch. Next thing he is driving into the city, he parks and removes the ring before entering a bar.

fangs

In the bar we see him meet a woman, Anne (Lexi Simonsen), and we see them flirt and that flirtation become something more solid, before he leaves the bar with her and goes back to hers. This film contrasts predators, with him being a sexual predator, clearly, but her… well it isn’t a spoiler as it states she’s a vampire in the IMDb synopsis.

The afore mentioned imdb page is here.

Short Film: A Mother’s Love

Viewed at the 2020 IVFAF. Sometimes, when it comes to short films, simplicity is the best strategy. A Mother’s Love comes out just shy of the 5-minute mark and was directed by Adam H Stewart. I’d guess this was a 2020 release but there is no IMDb page at the time of writing.

The film concentrates on a mother (Dee Stewart) who is sat folding nappies as her daughter Florence sleeps off camera, a baby monitor sits on the table. The mother tells us about the birth and her experience of new motherhood. Some things don’t chime well at first, however.

Dee Stewart as the mother

She speaks about the hope for a child, despite her difficulties conceiving, and suggests that her sister told her to stay away from the hospital – but provided her with herbs and a pocket watch for good luck – as she had a home birth with birthing pool. Her sister apparently knows more about what is going on than the mother, as her conversation comes back to her suggesting that she feed the baby blood when she wouldn’t latch on. All well and good, we think as she hears the baby stir and goes upstairs, but what happens when the baby teethes…

Short Film: Elysia

Viewed at the 2020 IVFAF, this 2020 short was directed by Wesley Mellott and comes in at 10 minutes. At the head of the film, we meet Elysia (Rachel Donahue), a human who is in a relationship with vampire Molly (Chloe Carroll). Elysia narrates for us.

As we first see them, they are together, Molly the more sexually dominant, it appears. Her fangs bared and she moves towards the neck. She doesn’t bite, however. Rather she pricks the neck with a finger sheath and then drinks the blood. Why? To prevent turning? Possibly, though the short never says. With blood welling from her mouth she goes to kiss Elysia, making blood play part of their sexuality (later we also see a bandage rack that may be for victims or them, but the bed certainly has handcuffs attached).

the lovers

We then see an elderly man, Henry (Robert D. Heath Jr.), dying. He is, Elysia informs us, Molly’s son. He, like Elysia, never wanted to turn and Molly respected his wishes but she takes his death hard and she wants a child. Presumably Henry was born before she was turned and so Molly’s solution is to kidnap a child, Ryan (Wesley Holloway). Elysia is concerned, obviously it is a crime but more she is worried for Ryan’s safety in case Molly slips. The introduction of Ryan changes the relationship and makes Elysia see Molly in a different light…

blood at mouth

This was a well-rounded little short that managed to cram emotional buy-in within the ten-minute running time. The central relationship was well thought out and, of course, queered the film. However, a reading of the film might also be anti-lgbt – I don’t think that was what the filmmakers set out to achieve but nevertheless it could be interpreted that way. There is also a domestic abuse commentary that can be read into it. These various readings add layers to a well-made short.

The imdb page is here.

Short Film: The First Taste

Viewed at the 2020 IVFAF. This was a 2018 short film directed by Amanda Violetto and Kai Pacifico Eng that came in at just under the nine-minute mark. It played with embarrassment around sexuality quite nicely within that short time frame and, of course, was vampire themed.

As the film starts, we meet Lucien (Jan Rajmont) who is carrying a wine glass – though the liquid seems too thick to be red wine. He hands the glass to his mother, Isadora (Daisy Kosmider). He sits by her, biting nervously on his nails, which leads his mother to remark about how many germs are on his hands.

with mother

He does retort, but for the viewer it is his mother who sounds both nagging and domineering. She puts his “hysteria” down to nervousness about the next day. He feels he is being thrown to the wolves; he can’t just go around killing who he likes. Her advice is to go for the sweetest smelling girl – it is a case of pheromones. In the conversation we discover their surname is Bathory. However, when in bed and watching a cowboy movie we see him indulging in onanism whilst biting his own arm and sucking the blood.

meeting Issac

It was a nice way to telegraph to us about his sexual preference. Mother, the next day, can’t remain positive and suggests he not wear his hair the way it is as it is too feminine. With mother’s words ringing in his ears, he spots a girl (Iveta Elizabeth Lit) but his attempt to draw her attention (reaching a book she can’t get to, but silently, and then paying for it whilst offering “creepy stalker vibe”) fails. Sat alone on a park bench he is approached by Isaac (Nikita Pronin) and they begin to hit it off… but what would mother say?

self-biting

The answer is embedded below, and this makes for an amusing look at parental pressure on sexuality and the pressure expectation and unsupportive posturing causes, with a vampire twist that implies that for some parents their child’s sexuality is a bigger issue than them being a killer. At the time of writing I couldn’t find an IMDb page.

The First Taste - FAMU International 2018 from Amanda Violetto on Vimeo.

Short film: Vampire Foxes… from SPACE!

Viewed at the 2020 IVFAF. This was a 22-minute long short directed by Kyle Murphy and, whilst fun, it was ultimately style over substance.

Starting off at a comic book store, a patron (Riley Taylor) finds the comic book of Vampire Foxes… from SPACE! in the reduced section and starts to read it. The film proper is then the comic-book.

We start with Harry (James McLain), the scene starting in colour and then quickly turning to black and white. Harry is filling a container with various things, including a film and a picture of the Earth’s position in the galaxy – it is a time capsule of sorts. Ben (Justin Stewart) gets there and asks if it is *it*… a confirmation and they head outside (the scene starting in black and white then quickly changing to colour). The container is a nose cone for a rocket, launched by a big red button… Harry warns Ben, telling him not to press it… can you guess what accidentally happens?

foxes

The rocket drifts., for decades, out of the solar system and crash lands on a planet full of fox women. They realise the earth may be an answer to their dwindling food stocks and so the Queen (Dorene M. Lorenz) sends three foxes (Briana Marie Thibodeaux, Bekah Halat & Alexa Schnoblen) to earth, their attire based on the go-go film from the 60s that Harry had put in the nose cone. Their trip is much faster than that of Harry’s rocket and they land in Alaska, where a couple of guys happened to be – Luke (Carl Weber) and Dave (Stephen Waalkes). Dave accidentally shoots Luke in the leg – leaving a sample of human blood to taste…

fangs and blood

As I said at the beginning, style over substance as the story was really very simple. There is a lot of sfx workaround, a necessity of budget but it gives this an antiquated feel that works for it. There is blood, silliness and a post-credit sequence that reminded me of Goke: Bodysnatcher from Hell. The imdb page is here.

Short Film: That Very Special Night

Viewed at the 2020 IVFAF. So, this 2018 short by Mark C. Pollock comes in at under 5 minutes and is pretty simple in structure.

Starting with a country road, we see headlights and in the car are Ed (Tom Sephakis) and Sally (Terri Coleman). She wonders whether he is having a mid-life crisis as she recognises the spot… After all it was the first time.

This leads to a conversation around that first time, which touches on gender roles and personal fears. It also becomes clear that the two are married, just not to each other. However, another car comes along and Ed decides to go and check it out, leaving Sally alone… And that’s about as far as I’ll go, for an idea of what befalls the pair then head over to see the film on Vimeo.

The imdb page is here.

Short Film: Online Order

Viewed at the 2020 IVFAF. This was a 2020 short by Johan Nayar that comes in at just under 5 minutes. It was inevitable that lockdown and how people cope with it would become a theme within films and that is what is explored in this.

It starts at day 7 of a lockdown that sounds as though it was well policed. Vincent (Luis David Rodriguez) thinks about a girl he met just before lockdown started, Sia (Karolina Kula) and, eventually, decides to ring her (by then it is day 22).

online date

Sia recognises him and they chat for a while until he eventually asks if she wants a cyber date – a video call where they both crack a bottle of wine. Sia jokes that he is very forward but probably should have taken stock when he demands she wears a dress. As they chat online (her drinking wine, him not) he tells her about going for a walk and the police stopping him, yelling at him. He then suggests that, as she lives close, they meet up. She isn’t sure but he continues, reasoning that she only has to cross the street and get into the park…

What will happen. I think you can guess but, in case, I have embedded the short below. The imdb page is here.

Short Film: The Not so Bright Vampire

Viewed at the 2020 IVFAF, this is a film by Jim & Nick Zounis that is just under 2.5 minutes and is incredibly simple in format.

The film has been treated to look like is has base scratching and is sepia. It portrays a vampire, at first in crap bat form (and it really, deliberately, is crap) and later in human form and an encounter with a rake.

 

the vampire

That isn’t a spoiler as the slapstick is telegraphed ahead, but there isn’t much more to write either. It really is that simple.

At the time of writing there is no IMDb page.

Short Film: Nom

Viewed at the 2020 IVFAF. This is a 2019 short film from Ángel Hernández that comes in at just over 10 minutes and, normally, when I share these short films, I do my darndest not to spoil. Not so in this case as the film is simple but plays with a particular trope that deserves exploring here.

The film starts with a record being put on a turntable and we meet an older gentleman, grey of hair, who is prepping a bicycle; oiling the chain, tightening bolts, putting the rear wheel on. After the prep of the bike, he then fills a syringe, dons cycling clothes and puts on a chain with a razor blade attached.

on yer bike

We see him cycling, the area is mountainous and the going hard but he cycles determinedly anyway. Eventually he stops, upturns his bike and removes the rear wheel. He seems to take in the sounds of nature but then hears another bike approaching – this stops and the cyclist offers help. As the newcomer bends to look at the frame, the older cyclist stabs him with the syringe and drugs him.

drinking blood

Off the beaten track and the good Samaritan is unconscious, the cyclist stood over him. He tears the razor free and cuts the man’s neck, placing his drink bottle to capture the blood. Once full he drinks some and then starts to coat his own face with blood. We then see him cycling with renewed vigour until he stops above a lake – he carries the bike down, strips and skinny dips.

lake of blood

In the water, he says some words (not subtitled, unlike the earlier exchange with the other cyclist), perhaps a prayer or incantation and allows himself to sink below the surface. Blood seems to fill the lake, turning the waters red. This was interesting as it reminded me of Byzantium. In that the waters of a waterfall turn red to mark a vampire being created and in this we get a connection with nature, one might say. When we see the cyclist return to his home, he is a young man – a portrait of him indicates this has been a centuries long ritual.

working on his bike

The growing younger is a staple of the genre, of course, and a central point of Dracula. We can also, in this case, look to the myths around Erzsébet Báthory as him washing in the blood seems as necessary as drinking it. According to the director the title "NOM" comes from "Nunquam Omnis Moriar" (I shall never wholly die), a quotation from Horace. This was a well-made little short, with the story simple but effectively told. At the time of writing there is no IMDb page.

Short Film: Another Nail in the Coffin

Viewed at the 2020 IVFAF, this Australian short comes in at 12 and a half minutes and was directed by Nadia Russell, and I was really rather taken with it, if I’m honest.

So an intertitle tells us that our vampire in this, Brad (Matthew James French), has been searching for 100 years for ‘the one’ and, at last he thinks he has found her… her being Megan (Georgia Mckevitt).

It starts with the sound of sex… Megan demands to be bitten and Brad admits he can’t. She gets upset and suggests its because she’s a vegan. He denies this and admits that he is a vampire, the time hadn’t been right to tell her before. She is dismissive of this. To prove it he gets a bag of blood out of a bedside fridge and drinks it. She calls him a monster (later it is made clear that this is not because he is a vampire but because he deigned to consume his foodstuff in front of a vegan) and leaves him.

Brad is despondent. He goes to a bookstore and finds a book on vampires to find ways of killing himself. In there, drinking from a boy, is another vampire, Ingrid (Vanesa Everett). She becomes a witness to his suicide attempts by sunlight and crosses (his attempt by immersing himself in a bathtub full of silver cutlery is solo) and then, after managing to get himself beaten by a priest, openly accompanies him when he tries to die through fire and garlic. Asking people to stake him fails too. But there is a method in her madness and perhaps she can pull him back from the brink…

This was witty and fun, Brad was a bit of a wet lettuce – though amusingly so – but Ingrid was all sorts of cool. Worth tracking down.

The imdb page is here.

Short Film: Things we Dig

Viewed at the 2020 IVFAF. This is a short, listed as 2019 on IMDb but copyright listed as 2020 on the film, that is just under 19 minutes and was directed by Pia Thrasher. The director is on record as saying the film was inspired by What we do in the Shadows and whilst it shows (a filming crew present and a bunch of vampires living together) it has its own conceits and builds into an amusing little film.

The film crew consisting of a cameraman/director, sound engineer Deanna (Stephanie Scurry) and production assistant Scott (Patrick Russell Burton) have been contracted to make a commercial for the darkweb and have been offered safety so long as they do not disclose the location of the house. The vampires have their own victim clean-up business – InstaGravediggers.com – and the video is to support the enterprise.

the crew

Having ensured that they have crosses and have poured holy water on themselves they knock and the door opens a crack, there is a hiss and it slams. However it then opens and they are met by Lucretia (Jennifer Larson) or Lucy. In the hallway she introduces herself and Helgi (Cat Forrest) who notes their crosses. Lucy explains that Helgi was born in the Viking era and was a pagan, therefore Christian trappings do not affect her.

the vampires

Next they meet Kuni von Stechen (Pia Thrasher) who is still in her body bag. Kuni’s hair is long and Helgi has to cut it every night for her (with it growing back during the day). The crew are also warned about drawing attention to her mouth as she is very self-conscious about the fact that one fang is noticeably longer than the other. Finally they meet Bryn (Morgan Marlow) a child vampire and daughter of Helgi (though she turned Helgi into a vampire) who hunts child molesters through the internet. She is nicknamed the Hacker – and it isn’t for her e-skills.

filming

So, as things progress, we discover a bit more about the vampires (through interview moments), see a (failed) full moon magic ritual – the vampires mention that they are susceptible to moonburn. We also get a visit from the overly amorous vampire Mona (Deepti Kingra), who is looking to get her latest victim disposed of. The questions are, of course, will the crew make it out intact and will the advert get made?

This was fun. It wasn’t as funny as WWDITS (film or series) but it was genuinely amusing, it had a charm, it had interesting characters and was worth watching. The imdb page is here.

Short Film: Dépression saisonnière

Viewed at the 2020 IVFAF, Dépression saisonnière, or Seasonal Depression, is just under 8-minutes long and was directed by Yohann Thiou.

Elisa (Vanessa Larose) is watching TV (Night of the Living Dead) when there is an insistent knocking at her door. Reluctantly she answers, letting in her friend Vincent (Mathieu Lorain Dignard), who wants to know why she isn’t coming to the party; indeed, she hasn’t been to any parties lately. Elisa is depressed and, having checked on Google, she thinks it's due to the winter season. Vincent is incredulous – winter is the perfect time of the year. It is, she states, due to the lack of sun.

fangs

To convince her that it isn’t depression (certainly not related to a lack of sun) Vincent does what any self-respecting friend would do. He kidnaps a psychiatrist (Carmen Sylvestre) so that she can listen to Elisa and put her straight. He does, during the session, come up with the idea that her lowered mood might be down to the fact that all the blood in Elisa’s fridge is of the negative type. For he and Elisa are vampires… So, what will the psychologist diagnose, could a vampire be impacted by Seasonal Depression and will the psychologist get out alive? This is a neat little short that might use a mental health impairment at its core but is certainly not disrespectful to it.

The imdb page is here.

Short Film: Taking Shelter

Viewed at the 2020 IVFAF, this is a 2011 short film directed by Jason Gregg and is just over 11 minutes in length.

It begins with a man, William (Jason Gregg, Being Human) lighting candles in his Anderson Shelter as air raid sirens pierce the night – we are, of course, in the Blitz. His wife, Kathleen (Mel Hayward), comes in with their young daughter May (Freya Gillson). There is clearly tension there as she berates him for not waiting. He responds suggesting that he wanted to light the candles but the retort is that May is not scared of the dark.

the family

William walks with a limp and a cane, and later we discover he has a bullet wound, hence not currently conscripted. May is uncomfortable with her gas mask and scared of spiders, as her ear-piercing scream when she sees one is testament to. William believes that May should have been evacuated to the countryside but Kathleen insists she is better off with her parents. However, it is what happens after the air raid that really interests us.

the vampire

There is a knock at the shelter door and, whilst William wants to ignore the visitor, Kathleen invites him in. A man (Tony Banham) enters, wearing an army tunic. He wants to ask them a question – do they want to live through the night. His proposition is simple, he is a vampire and he wants to take May. He infers that he will feed from her, but won’t kill her and after using her as a companion, when she comes of age, he will turn her. Refuse and he will kill them all – as with everything we have seen thus far, husband and wife have very different replies…

in gasmasks

This is really interesting. Putting us in the midst of imminent danger from above (May reminds us how deadly the blitz was by, in a matter of fact tone, mentioning that her friend's house (and her friend) from down the road is no longer there). The pressures of this, and perhaps more, are clearly causing a marital fracturing. Added to the mix, of course, is the supernatural element.

The imdb page is here.

La Rose de Sang – review

Director: Klaudia Lanka

Release date: 2014

Contains spoilers

Viewed at the 2020 IVFAF, this feature can be summed up in a single word, melodrama. Not that there is anything wrong with melodrama when done right, and this was certainly a good melodrama. A romance, most definitely, with a fairy-tale heritage.

It also boasted, as we will see, some wonderful sets, the strangest of idiosyncrasies and a central performance which managed to single-handedly bring Jean Rollins’ work to mind.

victim

We see a brooding, Byronic figure in the woods. He is Wladislas (Julien Belon) and a wolf pads up to him. He continues, attending a village ball but staying separate from the villagers. He visualises himself with a woman, Apollina (Jennifer Brigant), a bitter sweet memory. Eventually he drifts off to a gypsy camp, where a group of gypsy women dance. One spins off into the woods and he is by her, she thinks his overture sexual but soon his teeth are in her neck. She struggles but soon is dead. He returns home to his castle and converses with his servant Tobiec (Philippe Bataille), it is clear he is compelled to kill but is deathly tired of his undead existence.

Benjamin Lhommas as Joseph

In the village, the next day, we see a young man named Joseph (Benjamin Lhommas), sneak up on Lucyllia (also Jennifer Brigant), as she washes laundry. They are cousins, with Joseph’s mother (Fran V.) having taken Lucyllia in. It appears that he, perhaps, suffers from learning difficulties, his dialogue appearing much younger than his apparent age. They are called home and are told about the gypsy woman and Lucyllia’s aunt blames the Count in the dreadful castle. She also seems to see the interest that Joseph takes in his cousin, that Lucyllia herself is ignorant of.

Apollina in sunlight

Wladislas goes out and feeds on prostitutes (I’ll come back to them/her). When he returns to the castle, he speaks with Tobiec again, who suggests that he needs to make himself a companion. He cannot though. He remembers Apollina, who allowed herself to be captured, two centuries before (in a commonly remembered purge of vampires), and met the sun. She made him promise not to turn another and Wladilas is the last of their kind. Tobiec remembers a crazy man in the mountains who may know how Wladislas might regain his humanity.

the crazy old man

The crazy old man does indeed. Wladislas must love and inspire love in another, and then consummate that love. All is lost thinks Wladislas, as he always loses control during the sexual act, but the old man suggests that love might prevail (though it didn’t for the vampire, in his books, who previously tried this). Returning to the castle he sees Lucyllia leaving and realises she is the image of Apollonia (it isn’t ever stated that she is the reincarnation of her, but the genre trope this relies on implies so). Tobiec says that she came to look for a job but he sent her away. Angry, Wladislas tells him to find her and give her employment – Tobiec makes him promise he won’t harm her before agreeing.

Julien Belon as Wladislas

So, she gets a job and Wladislas looks to woo her. He is also a bit creepy, with it. Early on he spies on her undressing (I’ll come back to this, too) and she becomes aware she is being watched but doesn’t actually see him. However, he also teaches her to read and they do begin to fall in love. Meanwhile a stranger (Thierry Moralès) has arrived at the village who clearly means Wladislas no good (and yet does little until months have passed). Joseph, of course, is jealous (and seems to miss the magnificent moment of friend zoning he is subjected to). Will love prevail? Indeed will love prevail over the vampire’s base hunger?

idiosyncratic underwear

This is thick with melodrama, but it is really well done. I loved the locations the film was shot in, but there was a massive idiosyncrasy. Whilst the bits of village and castle we see look marvellous, and the costumes fit the pre-industrial setting we seem to be in, the underwear worn by both the prostitute(s) and Lucyllia seemed utterly modern. It just kind of sat out like a sore thumb (and also made you wonder how this peasant girl, newly installed as a maid, could afford posh lingerie). I guess the filmmakers thought it added a sexiness and erotic aspect to the romance, however.

attack

The performances are generally good – Julien Belon is dark and brooding, Jennifer Brigant is bright and pleasant and Philippe Bataille is particularly good as the earnest and sincere servant. It is Belon’s performance that reminds me of the kind of lead you might see in a jean Rollin film, with a generally soft delivery, though that can be underscored with a strong angry outburst where needed. I called him Byronic at the head, but this is more in look than temperament. He is no Heathcliffe, being drawn as a good man fighting his bestial nature. The story itself owes something to Beauty and the Beast, of course.

Philippe Bataille as Tobiec

If you like your melodrama then this is well put together, well shot and worth a look. 

6.5 out of 10.

The imdb page is here.

Dracula is not Dead – review

Director: Luizo Vega

Release date: 2020*

Contains spoilers

Viewed at the 2020 IVFAF (I have used the date as the release date therefore, as I have no evidence as to an earlier release). This is a really tough film to review as it is more a piece of performance art than a film with structured narrative. This is looking at fashion, influence, celebrity culture etc through the vampiric lens and to me it is a good lens to critique this through as the entire thing seems vampiric. Dare I say that if Voltaire were writing today then his 1764 statement that “We never heard a word of vampires in London, nor even at Paris. I confess that in both these cities there were stock-jobbers, brokers, and men of business, who sucked the blood of the people in broad daylight; but they were not dead, though corrupted. These true suckers lived not in cemeteries, but in very agreeable palaces”, would likely list influencers and celebrities as the corrupted sucking the very life out of society.

Dracula

The film itself is set in Paris and takes the form of a live-feed, following Vlad Dracula through his last 24-hours of undeath – hosted by Vampyra and entitled Dracula is not Dead. The film’s conceit is that vampires are now out of the coffin, as it were, and Dracula is the world’s biggest influencer, Nosferatu a producer, and Dracula’s wife Lilith has made the cover of Vogue 1000 times. However, Dracula is dying and needs virgin blood to stave off death. It is a plot point lifted from Blood for Dracula, although the timescales are vastly tightened. The question, where in this Paris would one find a virgin?

Akash-A

Of course, Blood for Dracula was produced by Andy Warhol, who also, famously, said, “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.” Despite the longevity of vampires, this is still true of the fame most of the vampires in this could hope for and, to strengthen that, the film tells us that Dracula, Lilith and Nosferatu have created an art factory and this references Warhol’s The Factory. The film mentions lots of vampires from the media genre with their names slightly altered – be that Akash-A or Leztat, for example.

photoshoot

There is, however, not much storyline. It is glitzy, graphically well put together but reflects the world it critiques by having minimal narrative depth and, ultimately, projects as soulless – though perhaps deliberately so, aping its subject; both the narrative subject and the vampire itself. We get snippets of story – the most substantial being Dracula drinking of his (locked up) father, Dragon, to be able to go out into the sunlight as he chases down the last virgin in Paris, whilst she is stalked for deflowering by Van Helsing (and by rape, it appears). But this sequence, again, is naught but a series of well photographed images and interactions that are stretched for art's sake, and perhaps too stretched, but bereft of narrative.

Nosferatu

That might be unfair, in that the lack of narrative speaks volumes in and of itself. It doesn’t make it easy to watch as a film. It is perhaps the natural progression of a metanarrative, wherein this film explains the world of celebrity, of fashion, of influencers, by failing to carry a traditional narrative forward. This looks beautiful but tells us nothing and in doing so tells us everything about its subject. Not easy, therefore, to score either, especially as although I like the conceit I was not enamoured of the execution. I think this looks beautiful, sounds fabulous, is very clever but it left me cold. I also recognise that others may not be left so cold, after all someone allows an influencer to influence. 5 out of 10.

At the time of writing there is no IMDb page.