Midnight Son

I went to a screening of this not expecting much. It's got its rough spots, but on a whole I liked it. The idea is fresh (for a vampire flick) and the performances are fairly good. Maya Parish acts outside the box and Jo D. Jonz makes some interesting choices. It's got the look of film shot on the cheap, probably flying under the radar a few times sans permits, but for the most part that serves the overall grittiness of the thing. This is actually one I'd like to see revisited à la EVIL DEAD. I'd be curious to see what could come of it with more cash, a little script polish, etc. Hope to see this create some more opportunities for these film makers. Curious to see what's next. Totally worth checking this one out.

An excellent, atmospheric and brooding horror film with a soul. This is not a cheap and tacky gore fest, it is a sharply written and engaging story of a young man who develops a condition that utterly changes his life.

The lead actor, Zac Killberg, inhabits his role totally. He is surely a massive name in the making, the other parts are all solid and convincing. The director, Scott Leberecht is now on my film stalker list. I'll hunt down his next film eagerly.

It is appalling that a film like this is barely heard of while utter drivel like "Transformers" rakes in the millions.

It deserves to be widely seen, so see it.

Got to see this at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival. Wasn't really expecting a whole lot, as these are generally low budget movies. Except, this film ended up being the type that transcends the need for a large budget.

Can a movie about Vampires feel plausible? This one can. Everything was done with subtlety and grace, there was no need for suspension of disbelief. There were no unbelievable premises, sparkles or holy water.

Ultimately, there are lots of issues that could be applied allegorically to this particular brand of vampirism. It could have been a story about AIDS, Drug Addiction or Religious Zealots. Any condition, communicable, debilitating and ostracizing.

The casting was great, characters seemed organic and multifaceted. Everyone has their flaws and they are better for it. This is a gritty, raw film which never treats the audience like idiots. Never causes one to ask why, or shake their head in idle disbelief. It is smart and honest, authentic and unyielding.

A great first full length effort which will hopefully propel the careers of all involved.

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.

I have been a fan of vampire films since I was young, and grew up with the classic vampire myths, no day walkers, no fighting werewolf's and no teenage never die over the top Hollywood type of films. Sure there are some great films about bloodsuckers that had huge budgets, great cast. great script, and then there are all those oh so forgettable cheap teen kiss love over the top vampire films of late, but this small budget B grade film fits in with the better ones.

Don't sit there and wait for a well know actor to show up, the acting is kind of stiff at times, not to much blood, but those short comings are well made up for with a fresh new story line, sure it sort of grabs bits of other films, but it still stands by it self.

It is well paced, direct to the point, and a whole lot better then some of the garbage of late, give it a go! I gave it a 7 out of 10