"Vampire Journals" pulls off a neat trick - it's elegant and trashy at the same time. The opening credits set the scene nicely with images of snow-covered tombs and statues, accompanied by a lovely Gothic theme. Then we get the first scene, which features an in-your-face exposed breast and a gory beheading. That's what I mean by elegance and trash going hand-in-hand.
Thankfully, the film's tacky excesses don't detract too much from what is, on the whole, a superior example of horror. It's a low-budget enterprise, of course, but I'm impressed by how lavish it is. The Romanian locations are beautiful, and perfectly lit - the film's "look," as director Ted Nicolau puts it in the making-of special, is like that of an old painting. The special effects are sparse but effective; I admire the nifty "shadow" trick used for the vampires' teleportation, and they decay into dust by means of decent CGI.
The cast is another pretty strong point. Jonathon Morris is a standout as Ash, the decadent vampire master. On a first viewing, I thought David Gunn's Zachery a bit weak, but now I don't mind him; he's almost laughably sincere, but that's pretty much what the part demands.
The film hits a lull in the second act, when the action is confined to Ash's lair. There's also a bit too much sadism on display for my liking; in scene after scene, attractive semi-nude girls get their various limbs chomped on by Ash and his minions. It's repetitive and somewhat gross. Frankly, I enjoy Ted Nicolau's "Subspecies" films more, even if they aren't as well made. Radu and Mummy camping it up like loons is closer to my idea of entertainment than watching a nice character like Sophia suffer at length in a vampire brothel.
That said, this is very well done. The sad piano music alone puts "Vampire Journals" above par for the genre. But, if you're looking for so-bad-it's-funny horror, steer clear; this is a most serious effort. Probably too serious for its own good, but I do appreciate any film that treats vampires with respect.
Thankfully, the film's tacky excesses don't detract too much from what is, on the whole, a superior example of horror. It's a low-budget enterprise, of course, but I'm impressed by how lavish it is. The Romanian locations are beautiful, and perfectly lit - the film's "look," as director Ted Nicolau puts it in the making-of special, is like that of an old painting. The special effects are sparse but effective; I admire the nifty "shadow" trick used for the vampires' teleportation, and they decay into dust by means of decent CGI.
The cast is another pretty strong point. Jonathon Morris is a standout as Ash, the decadent vampire master. On a first viewing, I thought David Gunn's Zachery a bit weak, but now I don't mind him; he's almost laughably sincere, but that's pretty much what the part demands.
The film hits a lull in the second act, when the action is confined to Ash's lair. There's also a bit too much sadism on display for my liking; in scene after scene, attractive semi-nude girls get their various limbs chomped on by Ash and his minions. It's repetitive and somewhat gross. Frankly, I enjoy Ted Nicolau's "Subspecies" films more, even if they aren't as well made. Radu and Mummy camping it up like loons is closer to my idea of entertainment than watching a nice character like Sophia suffer at length in a vampire brothel.
That said, this is very well done. The sad piano music alone puts "Vampire Journals" above par for the genre. But, if you're looking for so-bad-it's-funny horror, steer clear; this is a most serious effort. Probably too serious for its own good, but I do appreciate any film that treats vampires with respect.