Trasharella

Helena Beestrom (played by actress, writer and director Rena Riffel) wants to be an actress... but is scared by the stories she's heard about the vampire who can turn into a black cat. Along the way, we hear the story of her previous life and meet the vampire.

This movie is just odd, and unless you're a Rena Riffel fan, I'm not sure if it would really be something many people would like. Low quality cameras were used, so the filming is pretty bad (sometimes on purpose, sometimes not). The sound is bad. Family members were called in to play impromptu parts (though, in all fairness, I think her parents did fine as French people).

Count Smokula is enjoyable, singing and playing his accordion. And when he pops up early on in the film, I really was digging his look. But he can't carry the film. There's also an extended scene with Mary Carey (playing burlesque dancer Lucy Les Rue) that consisted of little more than her and Rena trying on various outfits. I didn't really understand it.

Now, don't get me wrong. I like Rena Riffel. I like her as an actress and I like her as a person. And I really did enjoy this movie. But critically it's a mess, with the low grade sound, video and the disjointed plot. I loved the Paris flashback, but then the plot seemed to go from aspiring actress to a woman who just wanted to wear leather instead of granny panties. There wasn't a strong undercurrent of a plot or character development. This has a good "cult" element, but it's not something I can recommend to everyone.