An absolute waste of money

Amateur movie with Big budget

Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

...but nonetheless praiseworthy, writer/director Scott Leberecht's debut feature ought to surely lead to bigger and better projects, not just for Leberecht, but his leads as well; without their solid portrayals, "Midnight Son" wouldn't have worked nearly as well as it does. This one reminded me of "Zombie Honeymoon," another lo-fi genre feature that managed to transcend its budget.Zak "Zombie Strippers" Kilberg plays the heliophobic protagonist with just the right touch of pathos, while Maya Parish usually keeps up with him as the smitten love interest. A variety of well-established (Tracey "I Spit On Your Grave" Walter, Larry "Deadwood" Cedar, and Juanita "Meet the Browns" Jennings) and contending (Jo D. "Next Day Air" Jonz, Arlen "Final Destination 5" Escarpeta, and Kevin "The Amazing Spider-Man" McCorkle) character actors lend extra authority to the proceedings. One might question the likelihood of the misbegotten romance (Parish is noticeably older than pretty boy Kilberg), the back stories aren't terribly well fleshed out, and a few of the plot devices feel forced (cf. the crooked hospital worker with a secret), but overall "Midnight Son" plays nicely. It may not be as memorable as its obvious (and superior) progenitors like "Near Dark" and "Vampire's Kiss," but it does the job with no shortage of heart. And, thankfully, it makes no attempt to lampoon or even acknowledge that sparkly vampire potboiler that dealt such a noxious blow to the genre. Recommended.

Making an absorbing drama film in this day in age is a tough job, let alone a Vampire drama.In an age where the mainstream craves for constant action and visual effects, or shallow drama's with their favorite teen stars, Midnight Son is a burning example of an emotional and captivating drama.It isn't flashy, it isn't filled with actors you would know, it is instead filled with grounded performances, and people, instead of caricatures.First, i want to address the comparison to Twilight. Don't worry, this is NOTHING like Twilight, and i wont spoil anything, but i have to admit, the setting is pretty similar, even the main character looks eerily like Jasper.In Twilight, we have Edward, a vampire masquerading as a teenager to fit in, in which he falls in love with Bella, beginning 4 novels of shallow wants and needs, without ever showing what it means to be a vampire.In Midnight Sons case, its the same premise, except without the fake glamor, and watered down drama. It focuses on the transformation, and the slow realization of the impossible happening, as well as the consequences.Midnight Son for the most part, is a character study on its lead,Jacob.Jacob is an outsider.He sleeps in the day, works the night shift as security. Since young, he developed a disease in which sunlight hurts his skin. As a result, loneliness became his daily function. For the bulk of the film, it isn't just an exploration of the vampire lore, it explore the people behind them.On one of his nights, his rare conditions starts acting up, he seeks help, after exhausting common methods, he goes for more drastic measures.A slow realistic buildup is the name of the game here.Midnight Son never feels false, Jacob is entirely self aware of how ridiculous being a vampire sounds. So he proceeds with caution. Upon a chance encounter, he meets a local bartender, who is just as broken as he is.The performances all around are brilliant, with a strangely personal performance by Zak Kilberg, Jacob. He balances dread, danger and sincerity flawlessly, and becomes the films driving force. Pacing is strong as well, we never delve too long on a plot point, and the story never stalls.The supporting cast is uniformly strong as well, from the love interest to the smallest roles, the craftsmanship here is impressive, and not just from a low budget perspective.Again, the less you know of this film, the better. Jacobs journey is one of both warmth and sadness. The tones switch masterfully, due in no small part to its atmospheric score, and the love plot has a constant danger to it, something the entire Twilight series lacked. Filmed in a documentary style, this is a no nonsense, at times brutal approach to vampire lore.Its mature serious atmosphere is reminiscent of other greats like Let The Right One In.There aren't much flaws to this gem, other than the fact its a small scale film, and the realistic art style isn't the most attractive, and visually, it could be more inventive, as its the only aspect that comes off as low budget. Though it does lend to the films realistic tone.Other than its visuals, its low budget aesthetic never distracts.In a perfect world, this would be the cultural phenomenon that Twilight is. If you want an adult drama about real people, with real emotions, consequences and danger, pick this one up. Even if you aren't into vampire lore, the drama here is certainly for anyone who can stomach it.Hopefully it finds the right audiences and is appreciated for the mature, sincere adult drama that it is.Highly recommended.

MIDNIGHT SON (2011) ***1/2 Zak Kilberg, Maya Parish, Larry Cedar, Jo D. Jonz, Tracey Walter, Arlen Escarpeta. Newcomer filmmaker Scott Leberecht has skillfully concocted one of the best, scariest and most 'human' vampire films I've seen in years (since "LET ME IN", the American remake of "LET THE RIGHT ONE IN" with its clever and original premise : an introverted young man (nicely and conflictingly portrayed by the handsome Kilberg who has a slight resemblance to Jude Law), an overnite security guard in LA whose sudden health issues unleashes an unearthly hunger that cannot be appeased until his desire to slake this sudden onset craving for blood (!) To add insult to injury he meets a beautiful club girl (the ethereally sexy Parish who has some serious acting chops on display here!) whose cocaine habit also adds peril to their budding relationship as the two strangers. What will finally divide them – her addiction, or his (!) – is what the stakes raised in this beautifully tragic romantic thriller that wisely avoids the "TWILIGHT"-ization bastardization of the genre and sharply gets under the skin with its all-too real/surreal look at what makes a person come into their own: fear, acceptance and the thread of connecting with another. Case in point on the latter : the sequence when Parish and Kilberg bond over her noticing his artistic talent with some very vividly haunting paintings sold this movie to me as being REAL and investing myself in their pain and loneliness ; truly some master acting. Leberecht weaves a finely attuned tapestry of humor, heartbreak and horror with élan and the cast as a whole works wonders (i.e. Jonz' as a sinister and unlikely aide-de-camp to Kilberg's scoring of human blood : a disgruntled hospital attendee with some dark, brooding undercurrents and the film's true kudo to casting veteran character actor Walter as Kilberg's janitor co-worker who truly sums up the film in his metaphor of the doomed young man's 'transformation' ala the butterfly from chrysalis!) Echoes of Romero's "MARTIN" and Cronenberg (the tenderhooks romance of "THE FLY" ; seriously Parish has hypnotized me with her gentle-yet-tough exterior turn that rivals Geena Davis). A must see(k) for horror film aficionados and just plain film lovers in general! One of the year's best!

This played at the 2011 Minneapolis/St. Paul Film Festival as one of the "Late Night" offerings, and its labeling as a "vampire" movie probably discouraged some potential viewers. Let's face it, vampire movies have been done to death with all the creative juices long since having been drained out of them -- right? Writer-director Scott Leberecht, however, has somehow found a way to approach this material in such a way that, almost without your realizing it, and without resorting to any of the usual gimmicks, he's created a small, quiet movie that slowly gets under your skin and haunts the corners of your mind. The final image, resembling a Mayan frieze, will burn into your memory. Praise goes to lead actors Zak Kilberg and Maya Parish with a special nod to Jo D. Jonz as the worker in a hospital blood lab. While not as good as last year's "The Revenant," this can at least be mentioned in the same breath and that's high praise indeed.