Midnight Vampire

Midnight Vampire is likely Takena's most formal film. It is less metrical and self-indulgently playful with gore and instead focuses on a stricter adaptation of the horrors of life... the music is used in an Eraserhead-like atmosphere while still maintaining that 80s synthesizer jump scare sound effect. The slow pace of this particular film adds to the eeriness and realness of what we would expect in a cold red room murder kidnap case rather than a surrealistic grindhouse like Chainsaw Maid with the accompaniment of dark humor. It seems that Takena's work is almost underappreciated at times when it comes to the difficulties of stop motion animation and the creative world of his, but it also appears that this film knocked it out of the park with critics and the standard fan-based audience that he has molded beyond the likes of any other of his works.

'Midnight Vampire (2024)' is a short claymation movie about a vampire who wakes up at midnight and decides she needs something to eat. Over the course of her night, she'll find herself transitioning from predator to savior in an unexpected way. Relishing in brutal violence that's only easily palatable thanks to the fact that it's rendered with clay, the short escalates its seemingly simple setup to an action-oriented payoff yet remains oddly calm and detached throughout. It's almost as if it mimics the attitude of its central character, who treats her surely unusual night as if it's just another Tuesday. The short tells its story entirely silently, although it does make use of a few (arguably unnecessary but stylistically sound) intertitles, and it remains enjoyable and engaging for its duration. There's not all that much to it, but there doesn't really need to be. The blunt darkness of its subject matter and explicitness of its bloodshed contrasts the otherwise almost cutesy aesthetic of its characters (even the evil ones) and world, creating a unique atmosphere in which everything is nonchalantly off-kilter. The piece doesn't dwell on its darkest elements, instead using them to provide catharsis, and this allows it to stay relatively light. It's an entertaining effort, even if its simplicity is both a blessing and a curse in some ways (just like the condition of its protagonist). It's a basic but well-executed claymation short.