Ever since The Blair Witch Project, filmmakers around the world have found that low-budget hand-held films don't necessarily turn audiences away. Though the style has been embraced by such auteur films as Festen, these low-budget films are most successful in the horror genre.
From blockbusters like Cloverfield to cult films like Diary of the Dead and Zombie Diaries, a hand-held point-of-view film is a cheap and easy way to bring the film to the audiences level, help viewers relate to and care about the main characters, and (most importantly to Hollywood) save lots of money in the process.
However, a good horror films always has an original idea or an original spin on a classic idea. Cloverfield worked as a monster movie because those holding the camera were filming out of sheer awe at what was happening. Zombie Diaries existed as a compilation of several video diaries kept by those wishing to chronicle the events of the often-seen zombie apocalypse scenario. But how to utilize this technique within the genre of vampire films?
The Plot of Mark James and Phil O'Shea's Vampire Diary
The answer comes in the form of Vampire Diary, a unique film from the UK that centers around Holly, a documentarian out filming her friends, self-styled "Weekend Vampires," vampire fans who don makeup and fangs to go party at the local goth clubs and enjoy tasting each others blood by making small incisions on one another with razors.
While filming at a club, Holly finds herself being filmed by Vicki, a seductive woman who works her way into Holly's life, eventually revealing herself to be a real vampire. As vampire-related crimes being to be reported in the area, Holly must try to curb Vicki's appetite for blood or find a way to keep her new lover from being caught.
Why See Vampire Diary?
Vampire Diary is a nice treat for vampire fans, as it takes the classic story of the vampire friend and gives it a nice twist, setting itself in the UK's goth scene. As with many hand-held films, finding ways to have all of your dialogue shot is a task, but directors Mark James and Phil O'Shea were able to handle it well, using Holly's near-obsessive compulsion to film her daily life and her artistic inclinations to still have interesting enough shots to keep the viewer interested, especially during the few points in the film where the plot tends to drag.
Winner of four awards at the Milan Internaitonal Film Festival, including "Best Cinematography" and "Best Film," Vampire Diary doesn't have to rely on the inclusion of a lesbian love affair to draw viewers, which is a nice change from many vampire films.
The Last Word on Vampire Diary
Vampire Diary has just the right amount of sex, blood and tension to satisfy conventional horror fans, but remains an obvious low-budget film, made more obvious by a pace that might be too slow for Hollywood buffs. For Vampire fans, though, Vampire Diary is an interesting find and worth watching.
From blockbusters like Cloverfield to cult films like Diary of the Dead and Zombie Diaries, a hand-held point-of-view film is a cheap and easy way to bring the film to the audiences level, help viewers relate to and care about the main characters, and (most importantly to Hollywood) save lots of money in the process.
However, a good horror films always has an original idea or an original spin on a classic idea. Cloverfield worked as a monster movie because those holding the camera were filming out of sheer awe at what was happening. Zombie Diaries existed as a compilation of several video diaries kept by those wishing to chronicle the events of the often-seen zombie apocalypse scenario. But how to utilize this technique within the genre of vampire films?
The Plot of Mark James and Phil O'Shea's Vampire Diary
The answer comes in the form of Vampire Diary, a unique film from the UK that centers around Holly, a documentarian out filming her friends, self-styled "Weekend Vampires," vampire fans who don makeup and fangs to go party at the local goth clubs and enjoy tasting each others blood by making small incisions on one another with razors.
While filming at a club, Holly finds herself being filmed by Vicki, a seductive woman who works her way into Holly's life, eventually revealing herself to be a real vampire. As vampire-related crimes being to be reported in the area, Holly must try to curb Vicki's appetite for blood or find a way to keep her new lover from being caught.
Why See Vampire Diary?
Vampire Diary is a nice treat for vampire fans, as it takes the classic story of the vampire friend and gives it a nice twist, setting itself in the UK's goth scene. As with many hand-held films, finding ways to have all of your dialogue shot is a task, but directors Mark James and Phil O'Shea were able to handle it well, using Holly's near-obsessive compulsion to film her daily life and her artistic inclinations to still have interesting enough shots to keep the viewer interested, especially during the few points in the film where the plot tends to drag.
Winner of four awards at the Milan Internaitonal Film Festival, including "Best Cinematography" and "Best Film," Vampire Diary doesn't have to rely on the inclusion of a lesbian love affair to draw viewers, which is a nice change from many vampire films.
The Last Word on Vampire Diary
Vampire Diary has just the right amount of sex, blood and tension to satisfy conventional horror fans, but remains an obvious low-budget film, made more obvious by a pace that might be too slow for Hollywood buffs. For Vampire fans, though, Vampire Diary is an interesting find and worth watching.
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