“Ain’t nothing like a fang gang”, as The Sensational Alex Harvey Band almost sang, many years ago. It has so often been the case, in books and in films, that vampires have lived among us, negotiating truces with various factions (be they humans, other vampires, is something else). And those truces always seem to fall apart at some point.
Jorge Lendeborg Jr. plays Benny, a chilled-out student who offers to cover a shift as a driver for his brother, Jay (Raul Castillo). He picks up two young women, Blaire (Debby Ryan) and Zoe (Lucy Fry), and begins taking them from one party to another. What he doesn’t realise, initially, is that Blaire and Zoe are working for Victor (Alfie Allen), and Victor is a vampire who plans to become the head honcho overnight by taking out all of the competition. Blaire and Zoe are also vampires, and they were expecting Jay to be their driver, as Jay is also a target, albeit a human one).
A debut script from Brent Dillon is given some due care and attention from director Adam Randall (delivering his second feature after the excellent I See You), and the end result is an enjoyable, horror-tinged, teen flick. Benny may be in a lot of trouble, and it could end up being his last night, but he gets to experience some good times along the way, achieving a status and level of cool previously unattainable. He also finds himself quite attracted to Blaire, so it’s far from all bad. The threat of being bitten and having his blood drained may put a dampener on things, but there’s always a chance that Benny might eventually be released. He is just the wrong guy in the wrong place, and maybe killer vampires will take that into consideration.
There’s nothing special here, in either the style or the material itself. Locations vary from luxury homes to private members clubs, from a busy nightclub to a villain’s swanky HQ, complete with “blood bank”. And the characters are usually either unfazed and calm, or trying to find the nearest exit once they have seem some bloodshed. It’s all very familiar, but the leads help make it work.
Lendeborg Jr. is very likeable in the role of Benny, a guy so laidback that he could make a fantastic carpet. Ryan and Fry are both fine for their characters, with the former being a bit more sweet and lovely while the latter is the one rushing to enjoy some killing. Allen is a decent head baddie, Castillo is okay, but a bit bland, and there’s a decent little enjoyable cameo for Megan Fox.
If you are after a fun vampire movie then I would recommend many others ahead of this (from Vamp to We Are The Night, with so many others also in immediate contention). But if you’re after a fun NEW vampire movie then I would happily recommend this. It’s an easily enjoyable bit of bitey entertainment.
7/10
If you have enjoyed this, or any other, review on the blog then do consider the following ways to show your appreciation. A subscription/follow costs nothing.
It also costs nothing to like/subscribe to the YouTube channel attached to the podcast I am part of - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCErkxBO0xds5qd_rhjFgDmA
Or you may have a couple of quid to throw at me, in Ko-fi form - https://ko-fi.com/kevinmatthews
No comments:
Post a Comment