From Venezuela, amidst the chaos, comes a based-on-life police procedural/bloodsucker movie, Carl Zitelmann's THE LAKE VAMPIRE

Back in the mid-1970s, in a healthier (compared only to the past few years) Venezuela, a serial killer by the name of Zacarías Ortega was narrowing down the population, body by body.

Ortega may be little more than a footnote in Venezuelan history today, but an industrious  filmmaker, Carl Zitelmann, in his full-length debut, has brought Ortega's tale -- sort of -- to the screen in the new film titled THE LAKE VAMPIRE (El vampiro del lago).

As director and writer, who adapted his screenplay from a novel by Norberto José Olivar, Señor Zitelmann (shown at right) has no doubt added some of his own "liberties" to those already taken by Olivar in telling this true-life tale via his novel, A Vampire in Maracaibo.

The result, TrustMovies opines, is a film that quickly engulfs us by offering up the news (but fortunately not the views) of decapitated corpses and severed heads -- often those of children -- and the simultaneous introduction of a novelist named Ernesto (Sócrates Serrano, below) trying awfully hard to find a subject for his second book. Oh-oh: Could he be on to something here?

Indeed, yes, and so Ernesto tracks down the police investigator, Jeremias (Miguel Ángel Landa, below), who handled that initial case back in the 70s -- one that these new killings would seem to imitate -- and together the two men begin to bond and then to investigate.

As Jeremias tells Ernesto the story of how he tracked down the earlier killer, we are given a number of scenes devoted to those distant days (Jeremias' younger self is played by Abilio Torres, below), even as we are also learning about the current spate of killings.

The filmmaker competently juggles his police procedural, serial killer and vampire genres, as well as his past and present time frames, though we do grow a little weary of things by the point the movie has reached its pretty-much foregone conclusion. The identity of one or two characters, past and present, may carry a surprise, though for fans for either the serial killer or vampire genres, the bigger "reveals" will have probably revealed themselves awhile back.

What saves the film is its visual style -- atmospheric and almost always compelling --  along with it's mostly excellent pacing, and the fine performances from its entire cast.

As good as everyone is, the top acting honors actually go to the actor who plays the three "vampire" roles in distant past, not-so-distant past and present day: Eduardo Gulino (shown above and below), who is by turns crazy scary, sublimely creepy, and quite classy.

One of the more interesting things about this film is how male-centric it consistently is. The single female character of any note (other than one of  the killer's victims, below) exists simply for the most prominent male to use for work and sex purposes; otherwise, it's all men all the time. And not particularly nice men, at that. By the time of the very downbeat finale, you may feel, well, fuck 'em all: They got what they deserved. (Even if the people of Venezuela, then and now, certainly have not.)

From Uncork’d Entertainment and Dark Star Pictures, The Lake Vampire will have its U.S. theatrical premiere tomorrow, Friday, September 27, in Los Angeles at Laemmle's Glendale -- with a VOD release to follow later this fall.

Vampires are back -- and LIVING AMONG US -- in Brian A. Metcalf's new mockumentary

Don't even for a moment think of comparing LIVING AMONG US -- the new film that attempts to offer a faux documentary look at the home of a family of vampires in Los Angeles, once the bloodsuckers have been "outed" via their connection to and use of a local blood bank -- with that great New Zealand mockumentary from 2015, What We Do in the Shadows, which remains one of the best, as well as the funniest, vampire films of all time. No, this sad little undead wanna-be, which is fang-free (despite the very unreliable poster image above) is instead one of those supposedly "found footage" films purporting to show us what happens when an intrepid news crew sets up shop in the vampire home in order to show the world "the real thing."

After a short beginning that looks like it might be a relatively professional job of movie-making (giving us tons of exposition via the "breaking nightly news"), the writer/director Brian A. Metcalf (shown at left) begins pushing our don't-believe-this button over and over for his 87-minute running time. Even if you accept that these vampires would actually invite the news crew into their home as public relations stunt, you must then accept the fact that thee vampires hand out a list of ground rules (no crosses, holy water, wooden stakes, garlic, etc.), every last one of which the crew breaks -- without their hosts ever bothering to check the crew's luggage. Yes, it's that kind of dumb-ass movie.

It is also one of those films in which, although the characters being filmed ask repeatedly for the camera to be shut off, it never is. And they never notice this fact. Also, our news crew can manage to install camera equipment all around the house without its ever being detected. Wow. Yes, these must be the dumbest set of of bloodsuckers in the history of the genre. With that news crew not far behind.

The dialog occasionally rings interesting and pointed, which is a blessing, especially since some very good actors -- including William Sadler (above) and the late John Heard (below, to whom the film is dedicated) are doing what they can with the script.

The most energy and fun is provided by one of the younger vamps (Andrew Keegan, below) who gooses the movie into action whenever he appears. Otherwise, degeneration sets in early and continues throughout, until we get the de rigueur scene of running through a basement full of corpses while spouting some really awful dialog. Ah, well: I guess it's good to know that some things never change.

There is one particularly ugly scene (below) of a vampire ritual featuring a nearly nude and very voluptuous young woman (could they have found an actress with a larger set of fake tits? I don't think so) as the poor sacrificial victim. So be warned. For those of us still waiting for a good modern vampire tale, well, the wait grows ever longer....

From Red Compass Media, Living Among Us opens this Friday, February 2, at the Cinema Village, New York City; Laemmle's Music Hall 3, and other theaters across the country. Click here to view the full list of playdates, cities and venues. 

Michael O'Shea's THE TRANSFIGURATION offers a new twist to vampire tales

The vampire movie, even more than most genres, can always benefit from new blood. Unfortunately, the red stuff provided by a film opening this week and titled THE TRANSFIGURATION, written and directed by Michael O'Shea, is mostly anemic. What we have here isn't merely low-budget film-making. it is also low-end and very low-energy. 

The movie begins in a public rest-room stall where something that sounds (and then looks, to the fellow taking a piss nearby who hears what's going on and so kneels way down to take a peek under the stall door) like sex. It's something else, however, but already this movie is coming up sloppy and unbelievable.

Would a rest-room occupant go to that much trouble for a view unless he were also interested in the sex? Doubtful. If he were worried about the health of the stall's occupant, wouldn't he instead call out, "Are you OK in there?" Yet our guy goes to all that trouble to get a view and then simply leaves, once he sees what he thinks he sees. OK: We'll let that one pass. 

Mr. O'Shea, pictured at right, whose first full-length film this is, has certainly cast his movie well. The performers look their part and, as actors, are also quite believable and real. 

The tale told is one of a young man named Milo (played by Eric Ruffin, above) with a vampire fixation. Or obsession. For some very odd and never adequately explained or even properly imagined reason, he has decided that he can become a vampire by killing folk and drinking their blood. Otherwise, he's a sweet kid who is, of course, bullied by the neighborhood toughs and who meets an equally sweet young girl named Sophie (Chloe Levine, below) who lives in his building in a housing project in the city, who is herself also bullied into sex by the local boys.  

Are you getting flashes of Let the Right One In, with the genders reversed? No surprise, as that excellent vampire film is mentioned a few times in the course of this one -- along with a number of other landmarks of the genre -- both good and bad. Milo is a fan of Near Dark, while Chloe prefers Twilight. Can this relationship last? More important: Can this would-be vampire tale make any kind of logical sense so that we have a reason to keep watching.

The answer unfortunately is no because this isn't a vampire tale at all. Instead it's the story of what might be the sweetest nutty-serial-killer of all time, one whose exploits repel without fascinating and whose story finally makes too little psychological sense to be at all convincing. The most believable character in the movie turns out to be Milo's brother, Lewis, played very well by Aaron Moten, who becomes more interesting (and sad) the more we learn about him.

Chloe and Milo are paper-cut-out characters, and even though both actors give it their all, there's too little detail in their conception and characterization from which they can create much. In the supporting cast we find the likes of Larry Fessenden, wasted and barely seen facially, as one of Milo's victims.

Movie-making skills are at a minimum here, too, with the visuals noticeably low-budget without being at all interesting (there are a couple of OK compositions now and again, as above and below), but O'Shea is so lax at times that we can too easily miss a would-be important moment, as when our hero checks to see if his girl has absconded with his loot. Was it there or not? We had to go back, via rewind, to make certain. Finally, the energy level is so low that we had to keep pinching ourselves to stay alert and on board. This is no way to make a vampire movie, certainly, nor for that matter a serial killer film.

From Strand Releasing and running a too-long 97 minutes, the movie opens this Friday in New York City at the Angelika Film Center and on Friday, April 21 in Los Angeles at Landmark's NuArt. To view all currently scheduled playdates, with cities and theaters listed, click here.

VAMP: Richard Wenk's cult classic horror-comedy hits Blu-ray; Grace Jones: Yikes!

When the surprise scares-with-laughs movie, VAMP, first opened in theaters -- in the summer of 1986 -- audiences were taken with its original combination of vampire horror and charming college-kids-in-danger plot. TrustMovies had not seen it since its theatrical release (and then again when it hit videotape not long after), so he was primed to take another look, 30 years later, via the new Blu-ray release of the film from Arrow Video and MVD Entertainment. It does not disappoint.

As written and directed by Richard Wenk, shown at left (this was his first foray into full-length filmmaking), the movie has a funny, bouncy sense of humor coupled to a wealth of scares, little and large.

Many of these creepy moments come from the film's star, musical performer Grace Jones -- shown below and further below -- who was then at her peak and has the perfect role here: one that calls for no dialog, but offers a terrific dance number/performance art piece, followed by some spectacular vampire make-up. Ms Jones delivers every bit as well as does the movie itself.

The plot has to do with a couple of friends -- the sweet and silly Chris Makepeace and the uber sexy Robert Rusler -- who, in order to get into the fraternity of their choice, must arrange for some good-time girls to perform for the upper classmen. They manage to borrow the car of the class nerd, a rich kid longing for acceptance and played to goofy perfection by Gedde Watanabe, who comes along as part of the deal.

One of the great charms of this film is how it uses its tiny budget so smartly and gets much of its ambience from, of all things, colored lights and gels. It one major special effect -- other than the terrific vampire make-up -- is the way in which the little group manages to enter the netherworld. This occurs via the sudden spinning around of a car gone out of control. The effect produced is original, simple and smart.

Once in this very weird "other" place, the group encounters an adorable young woman (Dedee Pfeiffer) who seems to know the character played by Makepeace. Ms Pfeiffer turns what could be silly or too cute into something original, sassy, and very sweet. Along the way we get a rogue elevator, a family of nasty albinos (led by Billy Drago), a sad little girl with her doll (below), an ultra-skeevey club manager (Sandy Baron), some attractive strippers (the film may put you in mind of From Dusk til Dawn, though it got there a full decade before Mr. Tarantino).

The consistent alternating of laughs and scares works quite well, and the movie builds nicely to a tingly climax, with its last laugh providing a low-key but very funny moment. How sweet it is to see a film one remembers so fondly that actually holds up decades later.

From the ever-productive British firm of Arrow Video and released here in the USA via MVD Entertainment, Vamp's beautifully transferred Blu-ray disc, available now, is awash in fabulous extras, my favorite of which is a present-day interview with the film's director, Mr .Wenk, and three of its stars: Mr. Rusler, Mr. Watanabe and Ms Pfeiffer. There's also a blooper reel, image gallery, subtitles for the hard-of-hearing, plus Mr Wenk's earlier short film, Dracula Bites the Big Apple, which helped lead the filmmaker into Vamp.

Fun with the fanged undead in David Rühm's chuckle-worthy THERAPY FOR A VAMPIRE

Genuine scares and originality are in such short supply these days regarding zombie and vampire movies that we mostly must rely on humorous riffs on these genres to bring us decent entertainment. Zombies don't lend themselves much to humor (though you might want to try the very funny, clever and low-budget Stalled), but vampires, being a lot more versatile than zombies, do occasionally provide some fun (witness last year's New Zealand mockdoc miracle, What We Do in the Shadows).

Now comes the latest bit of very funny nonsense regarding these particular undead, and it's a little ditty from Austria/Switzerland -- in German with English subtitles -- called THERAPY FOR A VAMPIRE. This particular Count (not Dracula, but one, Geza von Közsnöm) has been married now for some 500 years and is growing bored with this lengthy state of matrimony. Writer/director David Rühm, shown at right, has cobbled together a short, swift, full-of-laughs riff on many of the vampire themes and lore that we vamp-lovers have come to appreciate. His "take" on it all proves charming and refreshingly light on its feet.

The very idea of a vampire needing therapy due to marital problems is clever enough, and while Herr Rühm makes some fun out of Sigmund Freud's encounter with our Count (Karl Fisher -- above, left -- does a fine job as our famous "first shrink"), the most sustained laughter in the film comes from the way in which the filmmaker deals with vampire habits like flying, climbing walls, and not being able to reflect in mirrors.

The last of these characteristics is responsible for the appearance of our vampire Count's wife (Jeanette Hain, above, right) at the door of a talented young artist (Dominic Oley, above, left), whom she needs to paint her portrait (since she can't see herself in any of her mansion's many mirrors).

The Count, meanwhile (a lovely and humorous faux-Drac rendition by Tobias Moretti, above), has become smitten with the artist's girlfriend, Lucy (Cornelia Ivancan, below, left), who quite resembles his old girlfriend who, thousands of years ago, turned him into the bloodsucker he remains.

The rondelay in which these four indulge keeps the plot ticking, but it is how certain characters react to their newly acquired -- and then, oh, no! loss of -- vampire skills that makes the movie so much fun. These moments are as oddly "real" as they are enchanting and hilarious, and they'll keep that grin across your face for most of the movie's 87-minute running time.

The requisite blood and gore? Oh, it's there, all right, but it's done with short, sharp and relatively subtle bravura, so that we get the point while also getting the humour/satire implicit. Meanwhile, themes of identity, feminism and vampirism all get their due, too, and we finish the film with that satisfied smile still on our faces.

Therapy for a Vampire, from Music Box Films, opens this Friday, June 10, in Los Angeles at the Landmark NuArt and in New York City at the Landmark Sunshine Cinema, and then, in the weeks following, hits another 15 cities around the country. To see all currently scheduled playdates, click here and then click on THEATERS on the task bar midway down the screen.

Bayou vampires reign, as Buz Alexander's NOCTURNA hits Blu-ray/DVD/VOD and EEST

Oh, boy, a new vampire movie! We haven't seen too many of this genre lately, perhaps because HBO's True Blood cornered the market on the fang-mouths, and then (as often happens when a series overstays its welcome) bled it dry. So, we should not be too hard on NOCTURNA, the newest entry into eternal life mode, which makes its straight-to-home-video debut next Tuesday. If this film breaks no genuine "new ground," at least it rings a few changes on stuff we've seen plenty of already.

Novice writer/director (he was also one of the executive-producers on the film) Buz Alexander -- shown, left, and photographed within a closed coffin. Try as we might, we could not find a photo of this guy -- has cobbled together in pretty professional fashion many of the standard tropes of the genre, then given them a tidy and interesting plot on which to hang. The result is a movie that holds your interest, provides some excitement (if not a lot of suspense) and offers enough gore and special effects to induce a few scares.

We're in New Orleans (though the film was actually shot in Baton Rouge and St. Francisville), in a broken-down shack on what looks like a bayou. The tenant hears a noise, the source of which then terrorizes and hypnotizes him into a suicide of sorts (above) -- all because of a missing young girl (below).

We soon learn that New Orleans has quite a number of vampires, all living (whoops: that's not quite the right word) under the nose and even the protection of the local police -- especially the higher-ups, who turn a blind eye to the blood-letting.

There is also on display a mix of really-bad vampires and not-so-bad vampires. The former drink the blood of innocent children, while the latter only drain murderers, child molesters and other of society's dregs. Oh, yes -- and they all use guard dogs (above) as protectors,

Into this mix arrives a new young cop (played with a rather charming sense of incredulity by Danny Agha) , untutored in the ways of the not-quite-dead, who is taken under the wing of an older cop (Mike Doyle, above), who himself lost a wife to the bloodsuckers some time back. Ex-pretty-boy Johnathon Schaech (below) plays the lead vampire. The film's best scene takes place in a hospital, and might just recall some of the glories -- the shock and violence -- found in one of, if not the best of the vampire movies, Near Dark.

The movie's reinvention of certain cliches includes using the usual Christian cross (here seen as a tattoo!) as a way to resist a vampire's hypnotic powers, and "voice recognition" as a new skill among the undead. This is the plus side. On the negative are some very poorly-staged action sequences, and the complete omission of any closure regarding our two heroes' "quest" -- to locate the place where those really-bad vampires sleep by day. This seems to have fallen off the filmmaker's agenda.  Or maybe he's saving it for the sequel. (That's Estella Warren, below, as the "romance connection" among the good vampire group.)

Overall, Nocturna is at least good enough to sate the appetite of those who must have a vampire movie in their diet every now and again. It's reasonably entertaining, lasts only 95 minutes, and offers a surprise or two up its well-worn sleeve.

From Alchemy, the distributor that seems to be releasing every second movie these days, Nocturna hits the street this coming Tuesday, October 6, on Blu-ray, DVD, VOD and EEST (that's Early Electronic Sell-Through, for those of you -- like me -- untutored in the new technology). If you want to learn just about everything regarding EEST, click here to read an eye-opening article from Variety. 

New Zealand vampires at play in Clement & Waititi's WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS

When vampires arrive in New Zealand, I guess you've got to admit that they've done it: They have finally and thoroughly covered the globe. There may have been another New Zealand-made vampire movie or two, but I think it's safe to say that there has never been a funnier one -- from anywhere on earth -- than WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS, the new comic mockumentary about a quartet of the undead who inhabit a very rundown house in some suburb or other (if I'm not mistaken, it's around Wellington, on the southern end of the north island).

The writers/directors of this sublime piece of nonsense are Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi (shown above, right and left, respectively), the guys responsible for, among other things, the cable series Flight of the Conchords, and while there have been other comic vampire movies over the decades, even the best of these don't come near the delights reached by this one.

Rather than ruin your surprise and appreciation by giving away the plot, the funny bits and all else that moviegoers should experience firsthand, I'll just concentrate on some of the reasons the movie works so well, then leave you to it. The premise, the knowing of which will not spoil a thing, involves a documentary crew invited in to film the household. This, of course, is the biggest crock of them all: No self-respecting vampire would ever OK something like this. The film's title, in fact, belies it completely, else they'd have called the movie We Live in the Bright Lights of the VideoCam. So you must simply stomp on your disbelief and go with the premise. It's worth it -- just to meet and spend some time with these guys.

How these four -- plus the couple of additions they add along the way -- manage and scramble the typical vampire's life and concerns makes for pretty consistent hilarity. The filmmakers certainly know their vampire lore and how to upend it with humor and surprise. They also understand the important of creating unusually rich and rounded (for this genre, anyway) characters for each of their four roommates and their two new friends.

While each fellow has his special and often spectacular characteristic, it's Mr. Waititi (above) as our host and sort-of narrator/guide who proves the most delightful. How he manages to capture so much charm and sweetness, as well as the sadness about what a vampire has to do (below), adds up to one of the great performances of this or really any other year. It's original and memorable.

Mr. Clement plays his character, Vlad (below), as the sexiest of the bunch, and does a number of nice turns along the way, while the the other two flatmates, Deacon and Petyr,  plus new arrivals Nick and Stu add to the oddity and jest.

Petyr is an ancient Nosferatu type (pictured in the second and third photos above, and at bottom), while Deacon has a difficult time keeping up his part of the bargain (which entails his doing the dishes -- which look to have been sitting in the sink for eons). Nick (a recently "turned" vampire) and Stu (Nick's best friend and a mere human who is tolerated by our boys for reasons that become funnier and funnier as the movie progresses) join another human enabler named Jackie (I believe she is what is called a "familiar") who has been promised eternal life but is beginning to wonder if she's ever actually going to get it.

In so many of these would-be comic vampire tales -- from the Polanski debacle to Love at First Bite and Dracula: Dead and Loving It -- the humor is occasionally funny and always obvious. Here, it bounces off what we know and expect, instantly becoming something new and different -- used in a manner that relates hilariously well to the way we live now.

How do vampires prepare to dress up and go out, since mirrors won't work for them? What happens when they go clubbing but must first be invited in before entering that club?

Oh, yes, and what about those werewolves? What We Do in the Shadows puts utterly to shame the used-to-near-distraction "rumbles" of those tiresome Twilight movies. I can't go on, or I'll start giving away even more. So just hie your little tush to the nearest theater showing this treat, or see it soon via VOD or streaming.

From Paladin and Unison Films and running a swift 86 minutes, the movie opens this Friday, February 13 in New York City at the Landmark Sunshine Cinema and in Los Angeles at the Arclight Hollywood. It hits another dozen cities the following week. Click here and scroll down to see all currently scheduled playdates, cities and theaters.

Clement and Waititi, by the way, will be doing personal appearances in both NYC and L.A. -- at NY's Sunshine on Friday, Feb 13 after the 7 and 9 pm shows, and in L.A. on Sat. and Sun. after the 7:05 & 9:40 shows.