Red Snow

I was immediately drawn in by the cover/poster for the 2021 horror comedy movie "Red Snow" as I stumbled upon it here in 2022. Had I heard about the movie prior to sitting down to watch it? No. Did I even know what it was about? No. It hardly mattered, as a horror comedy with vampires that I hadn't already seen, I needed no persuation to sit down and watch what writer and director Sean Nichols Lynch had in store.

The storyline was actually fair enough. Now, it has enough contents to support a single viewing, but I doubt that it can do more than just that. For me, personally, then this is not a movie that I will be returning to watch for a second time.

"Red Snow" is a fun approach on the vampire genre, and on that account then writer and director Sean Nichols Lynch certainly managed to come up with something unique enough to stand out.

The movie was nicely carried by lead actress Dennice Cisneros (playing Olivia) and Nico Bellamy (playing Luke). In addition, the movie also had the likes of Laura Kennon (playing Jackie) and Vernon Wells (playing Julius) on the cast list.

Visually then "Red Snow" was actually good. Now, hold your horses, because "Red Snow" is not a movie that was heavy on special effects, and as such, not really dependent on having great special effects. Whatever special effects that were used in the movie, however, were doing their job to the letter.

I am rating "Red Snow" a five out of ten stars.

It's cute and quirky. The acting ranges from decent to not but the production value, primarily the cabin and christmas decorations, add to the better than average rating. Is it Shakespeare? No. Frankly, it isn't even at a Lifetime channel movie level but the female has an endearing charm and handles the comedic aspect well. There is some gore, enough that I took a preventative eye closing just in case guts went a flyin'. Would I watch it again? Yeah, sure, maybe once more but not more than that. Kudos to the writers for that clever ending. And now a random sentence for the required characters.

The only reason I watched Red Snow was because it took place in Lake Tahoe, a place that I know very well as my wife is orginally from Reno. A lovely place with stunning views where I only have positive memories of. I do like horror movies as well but even though this movie is about vampires it's not really a horror movie. The acting wasn't bad, certainly not for a B-movie, because a B-movie it definitely is, it just shows. I don't regret watching it as I was entertained but would I watch it again or would I recommend it to someone else? No, certainly not, not even to people from Lake Tahoe as it could have been filmed anywhere else.

The stage curtains open ...

This film seems to be a bit mistimed, but the intentions are noble and the approach still feels fresh. I don't typically jump into an obvious low budget film like this, but from what I had read about it, my interest was piqued, so I decided to give it a chance. Surprise, suprise! It wasn't half bad, and besides, it was fun to see Vernon Wells (now in his 70's) still kicking and delivering lines. I remember him from WAY back in the day when he used to play slightly over-the-top bad guys in movies like "Commando" and "Fortress".

Our story picks up when a vampire/romance novelist, named Olivia, retreats to a family cabin at Lake Tahoe to work on her latest project. She isn't well-reviewed and has doubts about continuing on when a bat suddenly slams into the window, startling her. She gathers it up, puts it in a box out in the garage and wakes up the next morning to find that it has changed into a vampire. Injured, and weak, he is at her mercy. She nurses him back to health using pig's blood and in return, he allows himself to be interviewed to get the facts straight for her new novel. However, some of his friends come calling, and things begin to get messy.

I was a bit surprised with "Red Snow". For being so low budget, the production values seemed high. It was well shot and edited, and newcomer Dennice Cisneros handled her role fairly well, though a bit stilted at times. The interaction between our two main characters, Olivia and Luke, is the compelling nature of this film. To me though, what really makes this film work is Nico Bellamy (Luke). More than any of the others, he seemed to be the most invested into his character.

"Red Snow" is a black comedy that knows not to take itself too seriously, and subtlely deals with other subject matters such as tropes, sexual politics, and perspective. The dialogue, for the most part, is witty and intelligent. I found it amusing in parts and it garnished a smile or two, but even so, it does not come at a high recommend. The intended affect of the ending fell a little short with me. When it is all said and done, a vampire is still a vampire. 5 stars out of 10.

Both leads carried this dark comedy well. It has shaDes and vibes of what we do in the shadows, though a tinge less polished, but nevertheless, very enjoyable with a great story line. Kooky lady with a hot vamp seducer, what can go wrong? Expectant sequel would be a nice bonus to a silly Vamp romCom. Just do it...Grrr Blood, blood! ,.. Can I please have some more please ?