Powerful

An Exercise In Nonsense

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

An interesting Gothic film that is more creepy than outright terrifying. There's quite a bit of blood, and it should be remembered that in Styria as well as other parts of the Old Country there is no difference between a vampire and a witch. The word used for both, interchangeably, is 'striga', plural 'strigoi'. This is a great study for anyone even remotely interested in vampire lore, but more questions are asked here than are answered--something some like, I however do not. The plight of abused women seems to be the primary theme, and what an abused woman can do about her predicament. Familial love, though, wins out in the end and the striga is forced to leave because of the intensity of that love. J.S. Le Fanu wrote quite a different story, but this is a nice adaptation or inspired piece, and the lesbian theme is really downplayed and made to look more like what Le Fanu intended and wrote as opposed to what today's critics like to repeat for the masses. The cinematography and acting are excellent. I only give this film a seven because the phantasmagoria wasn't phantasmagoric enough, possibly because the reality scenes were too real and interspersed with the nightmare far too often.

I missed the first half hour of this horror film that I guess is an updated version of Sheridan LeFanu's precursor of "Dracula", so these few comments must be qualified.It's a gloomy and atmospheric film, shot with deliberate artiness in a cold and inhospitable castle in wintry Hungary. The land is sparsely populated with superstitious villagers who always dress in black and are hostile to the point of menace. There are few daylight scenes and they're photographed through a chill fog. It makes you not want to visit Hungary and to hell with the tokay.Living in the castle for some reason are Steven Rhea and his daughter Eleanor Tomlinson. The castle also appears to be the home of Carmilla, Julia Pietrucha, who befriends Tomlinson and more or less seduces her. Don't worry -- no nudity, alas. Nobody else seems to be able to see Carmilla so she may be a ghost.The general idea is that if you kill yourself you become a vampire -- or something. I missed that half hour but I'm not sure it would have cleared up this turgid plot.Steven Rhea has always had an expressively droopy face, but time seems to have carried his features closer to the Platonic ideal of droopiness. It's a magnificent face.Eleanor Tomlinson's face is pretty good too. She's innocent, winsome, and it adds to her charm. But there is so much cutting with glass, cannibalism, spades through the hearts of corpses that then spout blood, that I can't explain how Tomlinson wound up with blood smeared across her lips as she and Rhea manage to escape the tumult at the end.The atmosphere is great but the plot is even more elliptical. I couldn't see watching it just in order to capture than missing half hour.

Made by Foreign Directors, Mauricio Chernovetzky, Mark Devendorf, in a Foreign Land, this Update of Carmella looks and Feels Foreign when Compared to Stateside Movies of its Type.It is Better because of it. The Film is Dark, Dank, and Depressingly Decaying with its use of a Remote Castle in a Far Away Land of an Era Gone by. The Good Cast also Lend some Eeriness to the Proceedings.The Organic Sets, that needed No Embellishment, and the Classic Story of a Lesbian Vampire is right at Home in the Undergrowth. The Movie always seems Disconnected from Modern Times, even though the Soundtrack, the Troubled Teen, and other things are Distinctively Today. More like a Crack in Space-Time Existing Simultaneously. This lends the Film an Other Worldly Template that befits the Gothic Subject Matter. It Echoes Universal and Hammer Horror at Times.The Third Act opens up to some Serious Bloodletting and the Storytelling may Lose a bit Over the Course of the Movie. But, Overall it is an Oddity of a Film that is surely Worth a Watch for Vampire, and Horror Movie Fans in general. Others Might Even Enjoy it because it is Anything but Typical.Note...Also known as "Angels of Darkness".

I watched this on itunes. Completely not what I had expected. It's starts out slow and this may frustrate some viewers, but the rhythm works to create a hypnotic mood. At it's core, the story is about a young woman who needs a connection. It's a universal theme, imbued here with a very spooky atmosphere. This is a subtle thriller. And if you stick to it, it will definitely yield its rewards. The castle where most of the film takes place feels truly haunted. And the faces of the villagers are just incredible. I wish I could watch this film on the big screen. It must be a real treat to see some of those hypnotic images. If you like films that respect you as a viewer and allow you to experience something different, this movie is for you! I know I will be watching it again soon!