Rating: C
Dir: Sean Cronin
Star: Arifin Putra, Eloise Lovell Anderson, Jonathan Hansler, Sean Cronin
This is the second vampire movie involving Cronin in just a few months, coming hot on the heels of Drained, which he co-directed. This is a little less successful. I think the idea might be somewhat stronger, but the execution leaves a bit to be desired. I have to admire the ambition of trying to recreate the American South, in what looks like a slightly disreputable Surrey caravan park. Add a number of cast members whose “American” accents suggest they checked that box on their resume, believing they never be asked to deliver, and… Actually, I might have preferred it, if this had been set in a Surrey caravan park.
Mechanic Ham (Putra) and his moll Jody (Anderson) have had enough of life in small-town Georgia and hit the road. It’s not long before the road hits back, and an accident leaves them stranded. They make their way to the Bogieville trailer park, a run-down location overseen – for some loose definition of the term – by Crawford (Hansler), who offers them room and board in exchange for helping out around the place. Eventually, they discover the park’s dark secret. It’s home to a nest of vampires, under the control of Madison (Cronin). But the trail of dead bodies has attracted the attention of the police, who believe Ham is responsible. Though their pathologist is increasingly of the belief there’s more at work. If she can just convince her boss.
Once you get past the ropey accents and generally dodgy sense of place, there are positives. The cinematography is impressive: crisp when it needs to be, atmospheric at other times. The make-up is also effective, and the fiery deaths when the vampires meet sunlight are well done, less obviously CGI than you would expect on a small budget. It’s good to see a vampire movie where they are feral and animalistic: Madison and his clan don’t sparkle, put it that way. An interesting addition to the lore is that once they have your scent, they can track you anywhere – you can never escape. Perhaps the most memorable among them is Lily, a child vampire (on the poster) who could give Abigail a run for her money. Among the humans, Crawford comes across best: a dead man walking.
But there’s too much chit-chat. The copious dialogue was rarely good enough to hold my attention, and often seemed intent on checking off every redneck cliché available. It didn’t help that the vampires’ impressive teeth looked considerably better than it made them sound. The split focus between Bogieville and the authorities never quite works, proving more of an annoyance than an enhancement, while Ham was rarely interesting enough to be a compelling lead character. And finally, I must mention a glorious 10/10 “review” on the IMDb which I suspect perhaps was AI generated. The clue? It begins, “Sure, I can help with that. Here’s a 600-word review of why you liked the horror movie.” I get film-makers wanting to stuff the ballot-box, but c’mon… Put some effort into it.
The film is available on demand now.