by Joseph Perry and Mike Imboden
In our “The Good, the Bad, and the Verdict” film reviews, Joseph and Mike give their thoughts on a slice of cinema. For this installment, it’s Danish vampire flick, Bloodsucker (Blodsuger) by Kasper Juhl courtesy of the Dark Nights Film Festival.
Synopsis
Brutish vampire Viktor (Frederik Carlsen), controlled by his ruthless maker, navigates Denmark's streets, feeding and searching for an apprentice while a relentless documentarian captures the violent, manipulative world of vampirism in all its raw, dark reality.
The Good
Joseph: Forget the noble-count approach to vampires and Hammer-glamor vampire victims with Bloodsucker. Plenty of films have considered vampirism as a form of addiction, but writer/director/cinematographer Kasper Juhl takes matters another step further in presenting his version of the undead as hedonistic, lowlife, criminal junkies not above raping women and killing animals out of jealousy and on power trips. The performers are as committed to their roles as Juhl is in presenting his unrelentingly brutal vision, for which the cinéma vérité format he uses works well.
Mike: Kudos to Kasper Juhl who had a violent, bloody, and misogynistic idea and got it all onto film. Juhl never flinches from showing the worst side of what being a vampire could be like (which is certainly not what most people will expect it to be). The use of a “found footage” style of capturing the story works quite well in adding a grittiness to the proceedings which certainly adds to the overall atmosphere the film requires.
The Bad
Joseph: As I mentioned in my Sayara review, I don’t approve of rape scenes and gratuitous graphic violence toward female characters in films, and Bloodsucker revels in these. With two rape scenes and repeated excessive violence against women characters — Does a vampire really need to bash in a women’s face, even using brass knuckles in some cases to strike them? — the film feels simply like it is going for mere shock value, and that’s something that doesn’t work for me. Regular readers of The Good, the Bad, and the Verdict also know that when a film solely presents unlikable characters with no one to root for, I have a difficult time with it, and that is certainly the case here.
Mike: Joe will probably have mentioned his dislike of a movie with irredeemable main characters, a point I don’t normally share with him as I can generally find something about the “bad guys” to stand behind (maybe this comes from my years as pulling for the heels in professional wrestling). However, assuming he mentions Viktor here, I can’t help but agree that as a main character he sucks (no pun intended). Who’s to “root” for here? The victims? Nah, that just doesn’t work. As a result, with such a vile focus, the entire film felt like a slog with one violent act blurring into the next with no real rhyme or reason.
The Verdict
Joseph: As the old adage goes, “ People who like this sort of thing will find this the sort of thing they like.” As I mentioned earlier, the acting is all-in, and Juhl certainly commits to presenting a bleak, harrowing vision. Viewers who like their horror on the dark and seedy side will want to give this a watch, but Bloodsucker is not my sort of thing.
Mike: Bloodsucker is certainly not your father’s vampire movie, and that’s not meant as a compliment. Maybe it’s because I have fifty years of watching things like Dracula, Fright Night, and Let The Right One In, that I see vampires as charming, misunderstood, or vulnerable (in their own way), but watching Viktor beat his prey into submission with brass knuckles and generally act like a criminal thug didn’t appeal to me. It’s not the violence or brutality (I have no problems with films that also portray vampires as actual creatures like 30 Days of Night).
In short, Blooduscker brings nothing new to the table aside from pointless violence and and brutality towards women.
Bloodsucker
Directed By: Kasper Juhl
Written By: Kasper Juhl
Starring: Amanda Svane, Louise Hylland, Frederik Carlsen
Run Time: 1h 42m
Rating: Unclassified 18+
Release Date: 2024
No trailer was available at the time of this review
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