No Sparkles Needed

No doubt, the film Twilight will change vampire movies forever, and not for the better. I normally stay away from vampire movies, as I find they are he same film over and over again, but after the deluge of Twilight related media, I decided to re-evaluate my feelings. I was sure there were actually GOOD and WELL MADE vampire films out there that weren’t embarrassing or silly or overly romantic, and most of all…didn’t sparkle. Now keep in mind, I’m not a professional vampire film expert, but a GOOD vampire movie is like obscenity: You know it when you see it.

To begin with, I’ve always maintained that one of the best vampire films I’ve ever seen is 1987’s Near Dark. It’s dark and suspenseful and incredibly moody. A young man (Caleb) meets a hitchhiker on a lonesome road one night. Soon, he meets her “family”, a seemingly insane dirty biker gang, and Caleb soon learns why there are untold dangers in the night. They live off blood, burn in the sunlight, and have lived for centuries this way and now Caleb has a choice to make: Become one of them or become lunch.

What’s important to remember about this film is the word “vampire” is never spoken. By use of dialogue and special effects, you develop a sense of what they are. They begin to smoke in sunlight, recall events from the past like they were there, and of course, feast on the blood of the innocent. With a little western flair, such as the use of guns and tough guy quips, Near Dark creates a near perfect vampire film with out all the silliness and hokum usually associated with the genre. The bloodsuckers here are dirty. They do not care how people see them, or even if they are seen. They kill unmercifully and actually enjoy themselves doing it. They may be tortured by their affliction, but they sure have a good time in mourning.

This next film, in essence, isn’t just a vampire movie, it’s a fantasy film, but vampires play a huge role. Night Watch is a Russian film from 2004. It concerns the goings on in a sort of necromantic police agency in post-Communism Russia. The case that holds the film together concerns a young boy who is heeding the “call” of a female vampire, and a Night Watch investigator who, in order to save the boy, must become a vampire partially to protect him. The vampires here need licenses to kill, literally. They can also exist during the day and hold jobs (Butchers, mostly), and drink animal and human donor blood to survive. But in order to make a fresh kill, they need a license from the Night Watch, an agency that polices the actions of Werewolves, Vampires, and other Dark Others during the night. And during the day, the policed people watch the Shape Shifters, Warlocks, and Seers and form the Day Watch. If I tell you any more, it could just confuse you. Here, the vampires are working stiffs (pardon the pun), just like any other supernatural being. Also, almost everything we believe to be true about stopping vampires is false having been put out there by vampires as a little joke. So stake through the heart, that’ll kill them. Garlic? Not such much. It’s an interesting take on the idea that though immortals live among us, they need stable jobs like everyone else.

Finally, I want to discuss possibly the most lyrical, beautiful, heart wrenching vampire movie I’ve ever seen. Let the Right One In is a Swedish vampire movie from last year. It tells the story of Eli, a child vampire and her quest for love and acceptance in a weary and cold world. Eli is an anomaly in vampire movies. Eli, at one time, was biologically a boy, but presents as a girl and answers to ‘she’. At age 12, since being right there on the cusp of puberty, it’s perfectly normal for people to mistake her for a girl. Though explained in the book why this is, the movie chooses not to, and it makes for better viewing, because it never gets in the way of the story. Ultimately the story is about how hard and torturous life can be for children. If they have no one to turn to in life, no one to trust, it’s a much harder road to hoe. In this story, a young man named Oscar who is teased , unmerciful, at school, makes friends with Eli, the new kid in the neighborhood, all while a rash of ritual killings around the area has made everyone nervous. Oscar is obsessed by these killings, wondering if he’ll be next, and intrigued by Eli, who even in the coldest weather, wears a light sweater and only comes out at night.

What makes this film beautiful is how the vampirism is handled. It’s not seen as either a good or a bad thing. It’s just an affliction that this young child has and has had for years. There is a definite sadness to this film, but also a definite beauty when it comes to the children and their love for one another. The title also refers to the concept that vampires cannot be let in somewhere without being first invited, which is a brilliant sequence when Eli must prove that it is indeed true.

Vampire films are an interesting genre. Like the zombie film, the market is flooded with them. To find good ones, you have to go by word of mouth, as most of them are all interchangeable with one another. Hopefully I have helped you in this task. You’ll know it when you see it.

Until then, I remain yours in Horror.

by Henri Cheramie

~ by themissingink on June 16, 2009.