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The Vampires of Bloody Island (2009)
Sucking Fang-tastic!
God, do I love this stuff. A real breath of fresh air to the vampire genre and watching it you really feel it could (nay should) be a big cult hit. In glorious top-notch B-Movie tradition it starts with a pumping catchy theme-tune and a monster carrying a dead girl along a beach, then we get a Vampiress languishing in her coffin in a deliciously cobweb-strewn, candle-lit castle. Then Boom, you're into a sharp-toothed and hilariously entertaining story of two bickering office workers and a camp English vampire hunter - which I won't tell you about here 'cos you've really got to see this gem of a film for yourself! The script is hilarious and kept me royally entertained from start to finish. Almost every line of dialogue is a work of comic genius so you'll be laughing your head off all the way through and no doubt quoting some of the lines the next day with your mates. Gotta say, I was impressed with the actors who come off as having a ton of fun here. The characters in the film are damn funny and very well developed - the vampires, vampire-hunters, werewolves and virgins all have a delightful comic twist! Pamela Kempthorne obviously relishes her role as the lead Vampiress. Being directed by her husband Allin Kempthorne has obviously put a real chemistry on the screen, especially noticeable in a certain bloodsucking bed scene! And Marcus Fernando (who I looked up, he's in the Royal Shakespeare Company!) makes a wonderfully funny appearance as a green-skinned demonic Army General. Big thumbs up to the soundtrack which kicks serious ass and is very impressive for a B-Movie, with tracks from big indie Goth bands like Inkubus Sukkubus and Theatres des Vampires all the way through. Awesome!
Really can't figure out the budget for this. On the surface it looks very low budget, but the opening helicopter shot and vampires castle probably cost a bit, and the story runs around so many great locations the film was probably nothing like as cheap as it looks. In fact, the creepy old-world locations look straight out of the best of the Hammer Horror films. The special effects are a mixed bag though and this, to me, is the film's main weakness. The explosions are obviously mainly digital, and the smoke machine's used a lot. A dying vampire slowly crumbling into skeletal ash though looks straight out of the Hammer films and gave me a real spine-tingling sensation remembering all the late-night monster films I used to sneakily watch as a kid.
This film isn't for everybody of course. If you want a high-brow Oscar winner then this clearly isn't it, so go find yourself a tear filled Anthony Hopkins epic and stop looking at B-Movie reviews! But if you want to be seriously entertained by a perfect Friday night popcorn muncher that you'll keep reaching for every time you've friends round, The Vampires of Bloody Island really is a big, big winner and I loved every well written, brilliantly paced, hilarious minute of it!
Give it a try yourself, it's much better than most comedies produced by Hollywood these days. Totally refreshing B-Movie gold.
Låt den rätte komma in (2008)
Like Pans Labyrinth - with snow!
LAT DEN RATTE KOMMA IN, or in English LET THE RIGHT ONE IN was the underground hit of 2009. Very chilling in both the snowy Scandinavian scenery and the slow creeping menace of a mysterious disturbed child with a penchant for blood. If you enjoyed the Spanish film Pan's Labyrinth, this will have a lot going for you. The same element of a fantasy world slowly creeping in on the real life of a lone child with problems. Slow and thoughtful, this is the sort of film that Hollywood could never risk making. Of course, now it's proving such an cult hit Hollywood has bought the English language rights and will soon be destroying it under the name LET ME IN.