MovieChat Forums > Midnight Son Discussion > Originality Counts

Originality Counts

posted 10 years ago by eyesmalloy
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It's comforting to find a new take on an old idea. Midnight Son is a low-budget, personal film that chronicles the life of 24-year-old Jacob who suddenly finds he has an uncontrollable craving for blood. Similar to what Ginger Snaps did with the werewolf, this film presuppposes that age-related physical changes (e.g. puberty) can cause a person to develop into a vampire. It is the first time I've seen that approach applied to vamps and the filmmakers did a good job.

The story is set in a familiar world and focuses on the relationships between the characters rather than the effects, which only makes the effects more believable. So long as you're not hung up on every shot being perfectly framed and all the effects being ILM-caliber, you will likely enjoy this little movie. It's original, intelligent, and interesting: the three best qualities a movie can have.

Here are a few other vampire films I recommend:

1. Near Dark - a gang of biker-esque vampires tear through a small town. Ever wanted to see Bill Paxton with fangs? Here's your chance!

2. Innocent Blood - a gorgeous French vampire stalks the Italian mafia in New York City while an undercover cop tries to stop her. Lots of fun!

3. Daybreakers - the world has become overrun by vampires and the dwindling number of humans has caused a blood shortage. Awesome!

4. Let The Right One In - a young boy, bullied at school, meets a "girl" who isn't what she seems. DO NOT see the ghastly American remake Let Me In!

[–] antvolley 9 years ago

I bloody love Near Dark and, of course, Let The Right One In (isn't it known as "Morse" or "Morse Code" in it's original Scandinavian (?) title?! It took me a while to realise it referred to the tapping through their shared wall which the main characters use to communicate....yes...I'm a bit thick!). Quite enjoyed Daybreakers, it's more of an action/horror film in the vein of Blade, or something, but better obviously. A more satisfying extrapolation of the Underworld style vampire tropes, I reckon (those were awful films with too much action and not enough horror!). Haven't seen Innocent Blood, I'll try to find it. Also I enjoyed Addiction and the fun Fright Night remake with David Tennant and Colin Farrell. Not amazing but a good laugh with some rollicking action scenes. Ah, Near Dark, though!, Lance Henrikson and Jenette Goldstein are brilliant in it! Apart from the whole reverse blood transfusion thing being a bit of a cop out (I expected Caleb and his vampire girlfriend to live out their days as "good" vampire protectors, or something) the whole thing works well..and Kathyrn Bigelow always puts an intelligent spin on genre conventions, she utterly deserves her Academy recognition.

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