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DARKNESS: THE VAMPIRE VERSION

Leif Jonker's DARKNESS: THE VAMPIRE VERSION is a testament to independent - truly independent - filmmaking. It is one of the greatest horror films of the 1990s and a brilliant reminder that filmmaking doesn't require thousands or millions of dollars, top-of-the-line equipment or professional actors. All it requires is a director with vision, determination and the bravado to carry the film from conception to release. It is a tremendous little film, full of raw energy and ingenuity. If ever there were such a thing as an unsung classic, DARKNESS: THE VAMPIRE VERSION would easily qualify.

As someone who would regularly get together with his high school chums and churn out ridiculous, pathetic home movies, DARKNESS: THE VAMPIRE VERSION - though it wasn't known by that full title yet; I first encountered it with the subtitle THE VAMPIRE CUT on the rental box - was a huge inspiration. I knew next to nothing about filmmaking or directing - even less about screen writing, now my main area of activity - but I knew that if Jonker and his crew could piece something together out of virtually nothing, I could too. Unfortunately for myself and everyone else around me, I had about 1/10th of his skill and even less of his know-how. But still, Jonker's film re-enforced the idea that I didn't need to have a Platinum Mastercard or a professional crew to make a film. When I did create my first feature-length film - the now long-lost, thankfully-forgotten killer doll epic LITTLE PLASTIC DEMONS - I felt what I can only imagine Jonker felt on the day he wrapped principle photography: a real sense of achievement. Thankfully, DARKNESS: THE VAMPIRE VERSION has survived to this day for all to see. The effort put into it shows through every step of the way. I love this film in the same way I loved my own. Not because my film was any good but because it, like Jonker's film, was a labor of love.

Vampire films have undergone a massive revival in the past five years with the TWILIGHT boom and shows like TRUE BLOOD becoming huge audience favorites. Truthfully, I've never been a fan of vampire films, novels or stories. Aside from Dark Shadows, NOSFERATU - both versions - and the Hammer vampire films, I could leave the whole damned sub-genre to rot. I simply don't care about vampires. I find them completely uninteresting. When I encounter a vampire film I do like, it tends to be of the lesbian erotic variety - I am a man, after all - or the gruesome, blood frenzy type of vampirism found in the work of Steve Niles. I have little patience for meandering Emo-type males that sit in trees or wander aimlessly moaning about lost loves and the pain of immortality. It all makes me want to swallow my own tongue and choke.

DARKNESS: THE VAMPIRE VERSION is a unique kind of vampire story. It features a predominantly teenage cast trying to survive an outbreak of vampirism in their town. The vampires on display here remind me more of the infected psychos of Danny Boyle's 28 DAYS LATER then the sodden, sulking vampires of today's films. They are quick, brutal and vicious. They don't sprout fangs, change forms or attempt to seduce or emotionally manipulate anyone. They simply chase them down and begin feasting. This change in the details allows for Jonker to construct some truly great action scenes that amp up the tension nicely. The film doesn't have a very involving plot but a very involving plot simply isn't necessary here. We have a handful of likable characters trying to escape a very serious threat. That's all we really need. Jonker allows for the action to carry the film all the way through. No moments of moralizing or self-pity, no unnecessary complications or plot twists. Just pure, balls-to-the-wall horror action.

It is also impressively gory. For the record, I couldn't care less about the gore quotient in horror films. It isn't something I give a shit about. For me, a film is either good or bad because of what the film accomplishes. Whether or not a single drop of blood is spilled doesn't enter into the equation. It obviously mattered a great deal to Jonker. DARKNESS: THE VAMPIRE VERSION is filled with gushing blood, bullet hits, melting corpses and exploding heads. It is a great DIY gorefest and all the sight gags and gory bits are pulled off with an impressive amount of skill. It makes THE EVIL DEAD look downright anemic.

But I could go on forever about how much I adore this movie. The only real point to writing these reviews is to tell you, the reader, whether or not I would recommend you see a certain movie or not. It's obvious by now that I highly recommend DARKNESS: THE VAMPIRE VERSION but I don't just recommend this film to horror fans. I recommend this film to anyone who has even a passing interest in filmmaking. It's truly inspiring stuff.

Essential viewing.