The legend of Nosferatu never ceases to amaze, though it’s rare that a vampire movie is exciting anymore. The genre has been handed over to tweens and housewives and rabid bastions of non-taste in favor of safe-bets and box office revenue. The raw sex appeal, style, and yes, horror, three key factors that make these tales so alluring, have systematically been stripped away in favor of puppy-love and cutsie PG rated innuendoes. The vampire, it seems, has finally died.
But fans of this horror subgenre know that the vampire never really dies, it just goes back into the coffin for a while. It lurks beneath the floorboards, brooding and waiting, dreaming up new ways in which to fascinate and terrify a new generation. And good thing, because the best stories of the erotically undead come out of this brooding period.
One of those films is the curious, awesome Kiss of the Damned. It stars the inappropriately hot Milo Ventimiglia as Paolo, a successful writer who has escaped the city to a cottage in a small, upstate town. He’s sought tranquility from the crazy New York streets to focus on writing his next big hit, a film that everyone back home seems to be eager for.
Paolo isn’t there long before he crosses paths with Djuna, played by the haunting Josephine de La Baume, a mysterious, sexual creature whom he cannot control himself around. Things only get more complicated when she at first invites him home for a casual fuck, then denies him when her ravenous urges take over. You see, Djuna is a vampire.
I won’t give too much of the plot away, but wouldn’t be ruining much if I did. It follows along with an acceptably semi-predictable narrative, though the ride is never unenjoyable. The character’s reactions to these familiar plot twists are what’s really refreshing, though, and make it that much better. Oh, and the sex scenes are serious business.
Things get even more interesting when the mesmerizingly cunty Mimi, played by beauty Roxane Mesquida, shows up to wreak havoc on these “newlyweds” newfound solace. The film is sexy, always intriguing, and artful, a rarity among genre offerings.
One of the things that truly sets this movie apart is its gothic, 70s Euro-trash aesthetic. You can almost hear characters’ heartbeats, the wetness in their whispers, and you feel the icy tone of each night scene across the wilderness. And the score is some badass shit. If Mondo doesn’t steal the rights for a sick ass vinyl pressing, I’d be shocked.
Kiss of the Damned is directed by Alexandra Cassavetes, or “Xan” Cassavetes, daughter of the famed actor-director John Cassavetes and actress Gena Rowlands. Considering her influences, it’s no wonder the movie is so memorable.
Full of hot sex, blood, secret societies, and mysterious housekeepers, horror fans don’t want to miss this movie. And if you’re not a fan of horror, but just honest-to-god stylish storytelling, then give it a go.
I give it a five Devil Heads