Chemical Entertainment brings forth a very interesting film from the hands of director and actor Daniel Falicki (Accidental Exorcist [2016]) and the creative minds of Warren Croyle (2 Jennifer [2016]) and Ryan Lieske (Awaken the Devil [2014]) that contains a premise of Neil Jordan’s Interview of a Vampire (1994) style yet excels in a theology horror manner. The storyline contains a simple outline, the world has ended, through some sort of indescribable calamity, hinted later as a nuclear holocaust ending the existence of all species on the Earth.
Daniel brings a new version the age-old sub-genre of vampires with a miniscule budget, centered in one location and lacking much bloodlust, nevertheless his character Aeon, is not that of suave perfect looking creatures of Twilight, rather homage to Radu of Ted Nicolau’s Subspecies (1991). Croyle’s and Lieske’s script provides a compelling intimacy of a live stage performance, with the gothic qualities not overtaking the scenes especially from the character Aeon.
Catherine Murnau (April Basile) flees into a crumbling warehouse and into the wounded clutches of Aeon (Daniel Falicki) a government project released unintentionally from its imprisoned cell, however this project is more than a mere biological weapon, rather a Vampire, weakened from decades of slow starvation. Herein the plot goes from a simple horror standpoint to more of a psychological and theological thriller delving into the realities of both species – vampire and human, and their true intentions and hidden preying lusts. The depth of comparisons and similarities to both species is unique and catches the audience’s attention, with opposing viewpoints, from an alarmed woman who just survived the end of world and then facing the bloodlust creature. The debate swirls around the human soul, as Aeon, tries coaxing Catherine, to allow him to feed upon and informing her that he lives forever, and she will only wither away turn to dust and no remains will exist of her and her species, but in his blood she lives. An excellent point that Daniel’s character makes, and the shaken status of the remark shows itself in Catherine, with an implied view of her society as cannibalistic, lacking true understanding of faith. After all who destroys the planet, a lone Vampire imprisoned by a government which sought to use his genetic coding for combative modes, or the venomous vipers known herein as Humans. The conceptual beliefs expounded on the screen, expand into one’s own moral code, as it discusses that there is no difference with the human race and vampires, both monsters consume with no regard or concern about each other or the next day. The central characters battle over the praises and wretched outcomes of both, the examination of the human race, as the earth smolders in fires of damnation and hideous aftermaths, in carefully played game of cat versus mouse, rather than a calculated chess match. The film gives references to God as the creator of both Catherine and Aeon, something that may offend Christians in general, God creating evil, nevertheless the questioning of the meaning of life, and last days on Earth.
The acting between Catherine and Aeon, leans more to Falicki, than Basile, her talent to become more lies within, however the conviction of her tone, lets the film falter slightly, yet her eyes conveyed the intention that the human race strives for superiority. Most horror fans, though know that humans remain as the true monsters of the world, for all the worthy charities and kindness a level of vicious lies beneath the flesh, as shown on the television show Criminal Minds. Another sad downside, of the film comes from Daniel’s lack of apocalyptic conditions, aside from sounds of crashing buildings, the sense of horrors never enters into chamber that holds his characters, no screams, no longing sounds of whimpers, cries, pleas all of that appears absence from the film.
In a genre, where the paranormal dances in a waltz with the living dead, a few serial killers stalk the guests, the vampire films find themselves as outcasts, however, Aeon, prepares to crash that party, while the film hones itself more to Vincent Price’s film The Last Man on Earth (1964) than to The Lost Boys (1987).
A final trickle of tasty blood for one to indulge themselves with, the writers give honor to one the greatest horror films, with Catherine’s last name, Murnau, reference to F.W. Murnau, the director of his 1922 film Nosferatu and then with Aeon, a name that means age forever – all eternity.
This review was originally published in May 2013 on Rogue Cinema’s website and had a view count of 811.
TAGLINE:
- The Exorcist meets Interview with the Vampire
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2854990/
IMDb Rating: 4.4/10
Baron’s Rating: 4.0/10