Vampire Carnival is a steamy and creative take on a familiar monster
At this point, it's really difficult to make vampires interesting. Bram Stoker's seminal novel Dracula was published nearly 130 years ago, and since then, vampires have been a staple of horror movies and even TV shows. We've had the rat-like Count Orlok in Nosferatu, Bella Lugosi's iconic performance as Dracula for the Universal Monster movies, and more romantic iterations of the bloodsucker in True Blood and Twilight.
So, credit needs to be given to Vampire Carnival for trying something slightly different. Directed by David Charbonier and Justin Powell, the duo behind The Djinn and The Boy Behind the Door, Vampire Carnival alters the typical vampire premise. Instead of feeding on anyone, the movie's fanged creatures target those who grieve. That's why Gemma (Nell Verlaque) ends up on their radar. Her father committed suicide, and she can't shake the memory from her mind of the moment she discovered his body, and the movie shows this in various flashbacks in rather gruesome detail.
Gemma encounters the vampires after her friends encourage her to get out and enjoy a carnival that just rolled into town. The catch is that all of the carnies, and the ringleader, the long and gray-haired Toussaint (Jason Isaacs), are vamps. Again, this is another really interesting premise that makes Vampire Carnival distinct. Carnivals also make a great setting to showcase such a familiar monster. What else are carnivals other than displays of deception and trickery? It makes perfect sense that vampires would use such a setting to lure in humans to feed.
Some of the film's absolute best sequences include the razzle and dazzle of the carnival, including a scene when the movie's central villain, Eric (Kieron Moore), Gemma's old flame, shows an attentive audience that he can't feel any pain. He's burned and stabbed and heals immediately. Additionally, there's another scene where several of the vampires feed on humans, and to put it bluntly, it looks like an orgy. Yet, there's something beautiful about the way it was filmed and how ecstatic the humans look, even as pointy teeth sink into their flesh. It's like they're on a high that they don't want to end, and vampirism has long been associated with addiction. This particular scene underscores that well.
The film's other strength lies in some of its performances. Verlaque is quite good in the lead role. She portrays Gemma's profound grief really well and eventually evolves into a more strong-willed character who does what she must to fend off Eric and preserve her humanity. Meanwhile, Gemma's friends, especially Paulina Chavez's performance as Olivia, are not one-note, background characters. They're interesting in their own right. Isaacs, best known for playing Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter movies, is always great to watch on screen. Here, he upholds a sense of ethics and order as the oldest vampire, ensuring the carnies in his family don't actually kill the humans, while still using them to feed.
The film falters, however, late in its runtime when it veers into too much melodrama. This is especially true when Eric and another vampire, Sebastian (Alvise Rigo), fight over Gemma. This really leads to some cringe-worthy dialogue and a fairly cheesy last act. The rest of the movie is stylish and interesting, so this feels like quite a letdown, especially some of the lines that Eric delivers.
Despite some of the flaws in its last act, Vampire Carnival is an entertaining watch with some steamy scenes. The film mostly works because it dares to do something different with an overly used monster. The carnival is a great setting for the bloodsuckers to really showcase their allure and trickery, and there are some stunning, eye-popping visuals in this feature, coupled with a strong performance by Verlaque in the lead role. The ending stumbles, but not enough to weigh down what otherwise works well.
Vampire Carnival will be available on VOD on October 30.
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