BARE BONES: VAMPIRES vs. THE BRONX (2020)

VAMPIRES vs. THE BRONX (2020)

Fun flick has three friends, Miguel “Little Mayor” Martinez (Jaden Michael), Bobby (Gerald W. Jones III) and Luis (Gregory Diaz IV) having more to worry about than the mysterious Murnau Properties realty company buying up homes and businesses all over town. Miguel and his friends come to believe the new folks moving into the Bronx are vampires and their plans are far more sinister than simply gentrifying the neighborhood.

Horror comedy is directed with a nice balance of both by Oz Rodriguez from his script with Blaise Hemingway. It also adds a nice dose of ethnic flavor from the varied peoples of this Bronx neighborhood and a strong sense of community. Rodriguez presents his story seriously enough, so the vampires have threat and the themes of urban gentrification and the dangers of inner city life are not lost. At the same time, we are entertained, as “Little Mayor” and his buds try to convince everyone that vampires have come to the Bronx and, of course, no one believes them. Michael, Jones and Diaz make an endearing trio of good friends turned vampire hunters, trying to preserve the only life they know, while Sarah Gadon makes a sexy and sinister vampire lord trying to take it from them. All the cast are good, with those portraying neighbors adding character and bringing cultural nuances to their roles, while those playing vampires are threatening enough to give their bloodsuckers menace. A fun and family friendly kids vs. monsters movie that may be predictable at times, but is still a really good time nonetheless. Also stars Shea Whigham as a vampire familiar realtor, Cliff “Method Man” Smith as the local priest and a cameo by Zoe Saldana as a nail salon owner. Vampires vs. The Bronx can be found streaming on Netflix!

-MonsterZero NJ

HORROR YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED: THE MOTH DIARIES (2012)

THE MOTH DIARIES (2012)

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The Moth Diaries is a supernatural horror set at an all-girl boarding school where young Rebecca (Sarah Bolger from Emelie) is sent after the suicide of her writer father. She befriends the pretty Lucy (Sarah Gadon) and all seems well until the arrival of strange new student Ernessa (Lily Cole). Lucy is drawn to Ernessa and the more Rebecca tries to find out who this mysterious new girl really is, the more she begins to believe that she is faced with the very type of vampiric creature that she is reading about in her literature class. As the bodies pile up and everyone attributes Rebecca’s suspicions as a product of the troubled emotions left over from her father’s death, Rebecca decides she must deal with this monster herself. But is Ernessa truly a creature of darkness, or is Rebecca suffering delusions born of her grief over her father’s suicide?

Based on Rachel Klein’s novel, Moth Diaries is one of those movies that tries hard, but sometimes too hard for it’s own good. There is a very gothic mood to it and writer and director Mary Harron tries to give it the same period feel of a Dracula story despite being set in modern day. There are some nice visuals and effective scenes and the cast all perform well. But sometimes the film is a bit too obvious for it’s own good. Some of the scenes come across as a bit silly when maybe a bit more subtlety would have been better. Some of the voice narration by Rebecca comes across as forced, telling us things we already have figured out for ourselves. The film probably could have benefited from some of the sly humor that Harron used to perfection in the classic American Psycho, but here the tone comes across as a little too serious and it also can’t decide whether it wants to be a straight horror or something more along the lines of a Twilight movie with it’s melodramatics.

Moth Diaries is not a complete failure by any means and it has  entertainment value, but it could have been a lot better if the filmmakers weren’t trying too hard to create a goth classic in the same vein (sorry, had to) as Dracula, but with the melodramatics of the Bella and Edward saga. Maybe trying to appeal to both the Twilight crowd and the gothic horror crowd, but sometimes you can’t have it both ways. Certainly worth a look, just go in with moderate expectations. Also stars the Underworld saga’s Scott Speedman.

-MonsterZero NJ

2 and 1/2 fangs.