A twisted little black comedy and mockumentary.
ACMI’s Freaky Friday program continues apace with this low budget Belgium film from writer/director Vincent Lannoo that comes across as something of a wickedly subversive variation on Neil Jordan’s Interview With The Vampire.
A Belgian television documentary crew seek to film a family of vampires living in suburban Belgium. Previous television crews have mysteriously disappeared whilst trying to produce a film about the vampires living amongst us. However, Georges (Carlo Ferrante) seems quite welcoming and open to the idea of being filmed. They seem like a normal family except for the fact that they sleep in coffins during the day and at night come out to feed on blood. Georges is the family patriarch, who gives some insights into the lore and rules of the vampire subculture.
His wife Bertha (Vera Van Dooren) is a bit batty and bloodthirsty, mainly because she has grown bored with being immortal, while their two children – the sexually precocious Samson (Pierre Lognay) and Grace (Fleur Lise Heuet) – add to the dynamics of this dysfunctional family. Living in the basement is another vampire couple – the rules prohibit vampires without children from actually being able to own a house – and they are occasionally a source of conflict.
Vampires is a mockumentary that blends pitch-black humour with the usual tropes of the horror genre. In many ways this film is reminiscent of the satirical Man Bites Dog (1992), a cult movie from Belgium in which a film crew followed a serial killer who happily demonstrated his craft for the cameras. The camera crew remain non-judgemental even as they follow the family on a bloody killing spree or watch them prepare their victims for sacrifice. The film is largely shot in muted, washed out colours that effectively creates an unsettling mood, but there is one scene that explodes into a burst of colours.
The script is quite clever in its subversion of the accepted cliches of the vampire genre, although little of it is genuinely scary. Lannoo includes plenty of cheeky asides and cryptic filmic references that savvy audiences will pick up on. He also avoids travelling down the path of the faux “found footage” documentary that has become popular with a slew of low budget Hollywood films in the wake of The Blair Witch Project.
The small but effective cast plays the material straight, which adds to its realistic nature. Ferrante especially is superbly creepy as Georges.
However, the film seems to have run out of fresh ideas well before the end, and it does eventually test the viewer’s patience. Vampires is a twisted little film that will not be to everyone’s tastes. It will certainly not appeal to fans of the wholesome and comparatively bland Twilight series. But those seeking something a bit more edgy will find plenty to whet their appetite here.
Vampires screens at ACMI Cinemas as part of the Freaky Friday program on Friday April 1 and April 8. Check the ACMI website or newspapers for screening details.
