Bodies at the threshold Movies like this are confusing to me. On the one hand, this low-budget creation of Harry Basil looks, to put it mildly, wretched against the background of most of the films related to the vampire theme. Sometimes kitsch, sometimes unprofessional and almost everywhere very cheap. Standard straight-to-dvd set. But then fans of such a Movie righteously outraged and righteously do. Because these very fans are quite a lot, and they love this movie very, very much. They love the peculiar atmosphere of non-blockbuster coziness and the way the mainstream clichés polished to shine here, without stars, money and sequins, look refreshingly interesting.
Mr. Basil himself, in addition to this picture, boasts a couple of similar to her and a dozen script and acting serial works. Generally speaking, there are three ways to get to Midnight Souls: you’re a fan of ten vampire movies for the price of one, you’re a fan of all vampire movies regardless of their level of promotion, or you’re a fan of Armand Assante. In fact, there is no one else here besides him. Assante is an actor significant and widely known in narrow circles, he has all sorts of nominations and awards, but sometimes he does not mind acting as the head of the clan of American ghouls and flaunting plastic fangs. And if the prospect of playing a bloodsucker is not tempting enough for almost any actor, then I think the acquaintance with Basil since the days of Mad Money with Chevy Chase and the relative pickiness in the choice of work finally convinced the main star. Of course, Assante does not give anything radically new, he is in good shape, and all his methods of the villain-seducer have been worked out for a long time and on conscience, so here he includes them exactly so that he convincingly looks like the head of an old hotel with mafia habits from the vampire world. He has a sexual partner, two dozen figures in dark hoods for the ritual of the resurrection of Satan are also available, the hotel has a wonderful cemetery, and the sun sets in such films faster than you have time to sharpen the stake. While Assante plays as a hospitable host, conducts semi-secular and semi-theological conversations and passionately intertwines with beautiful girls, the main character named Charlie seriously seeks to repeat the feat of Jonathan Harker, that is, try not to die an idiot. Along the way, finding out what is cooler - the sword of St. George or the chainsaw. The whole scenario is based on George and his confrontation with dragons, which, it turns out, are vampires in an allegorical sense. Or is the dragon Satan? In short, all this is reminiscent of Dracula 2000 with Butler and Vampires in Exile with Carradine, that is, the idea is essentially fresh, but the incarnation is limp on both legs.
If it were not for the frankly funny attempts of girls to play surprise / fright / religious ecstasy, the most inappropriate music and unsuccessful angles that remained on the conscience of the operator, you could recommend Midnight Souls to almost anyone. Although, I think if you fall into one of the three categories above, you will find your way to this film, even at night on TV3. And you might even be happy.