★★
Directed by: Jon Jacobs
Written by: Jon Jacobs
Starring: Christina Fulton, Isaac Turner, Leon Herbert, Susan Rhodes
This supernatural horror film was inspired by the short story of the same name by Fritz Leiber.
In nineteen thirties Miami a young woman named Louise (Fulton) takes her own life in the glamorous hotel 'The Tides'. In the nineties she is resurrected in the same hotel, which has now been abandoned. Now she is something sinister. She has fangs and special abilities. She can read people's thoughts and hears mysterious voices inside her head. She proceeds to murder local residents for their blood and she meets a young photographer named Carlos (Turner), for whom she poses for pictures and develops a relationship with him.
In short this is a vampire slasher film. The mood is generally dark, with plenty of scenes taking place without much light. There is also plenty of gore, nudity and sex and a very disturbing sex scene that involves a great deal of blood. The pace is rather slow and at times can seem boring. The highlights occur when Fulton's character pursues and kills her victims.
The performances are not very realistic. Fulton is the one who steals the show as a deadly, supernatural individual, but still her acting gives the impression that she is just insane and not a creation of evil powers. The supporting cast portray overall uninteresting characters.
The image is windowboxed, with a black border all around. This technique makes the film appear darker, which serves it well, as it is a rather dark movie. The footage appears damaged and scratched, which goes with the gloomy atmosphere.
The sound effects are effective and the filmmakers make a satisfactory job with the use of voice-over in the scenes where Louise hears sinister voices inside her head and when she hears peoples' thoughts. The soundtrack is generally amusing.
The narrative consists of two plotlines: Louise as she goes about her killing spree and the life of Carlos, who is unwillingly involved with bad people. The two plots intertwine as the two meet and spend time together.
This picture is multiple genres. It is a slasher horror film. A vampire film. An erotic thriller and a love story. However, in spite of a concept that appears promising, the narrative is not particularly thrilling and the acting leaves a lot to be desired. Unfortunately this feature is unlikely to make a positive impression.
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