Daughter of Darkness

I recently bought this film for my girlfriend who had fond memories of watching it as a teenager. Being a made for TV film it does have some rather low production values, and some of the scripting is a little wooden.

However, there is no denying that it has a certain atmosphere that you don't find in many films. Perhaps it had something to do with the location (the bulk of the film is set within Bucharest in Romania) or perhaps it is the combination of the set and the subject matter.

Whatever the cause, the dreamy, sinister atmosphere of the film does make it worth watching...so long as you don't expect too much from it.

If you like vampire films and haven't watched this yet then I can recommend it, a good film also for anyone wanting to catch a flavour of Eastern Europe and some of Romania's seedy little area's.

A common storyline: young adult searches for their father in the "Old Country", who is elusive and given to certain noctural habits. Pacing for this made for TV "light" horror film wasn't terrible. Often there was something passably interesting and relevant happening, even if the individual acting skills by support cast were often stilted...honestly, that wasn't unexpected of this US/Hungary production. Creature make-up and effects was light, it was for TV after all, and maybe 6 star is a bit of a stretch but I thought Mia Sara and Anthony Perkins were good enough, though Mia often gives her known wrinkled brow agonized terror look. It's a solid one-watch, and I'm glad I found it for a mid-week time-passer.

A disappointing addition to the vampire film which definitely lacks bite when dealing with its subject - now, this may not be surprising considering the TV-movie format, but it is a bit of a surprise when the director is none other than Stuart Gordon, the gentleman renowned for his two on-the-edge additions to 1980s horror cinema, RE-ANIMATOR and FROM BEYOND. Gordon here displays little of the vitality or skill he brought to his most famous movies and instead acts like more of a journeyman director, happy to pick up his paycheque with minimal effort. Not that the film is entirely bad - sure, the Romanian setting is nice and there are some arty tracking shots and good cinematography to give the movie a Euro feel. But the script is mundane and the story, which starts off so well, soon falls by the wayside.

The first hour of the film consists of the plot set-up, with nothing being explained too fully. Thus, we have a sense of mystery and a fairly close realism building up a little tension here and there. Unfortunately once the major plot twist is revealed and the vampires come to light (as it were), the film falls to pieces and becomes yet another clichéd bad guys vs. good guys fight to the finish, displaying little in the way of logic or surprises. The effects are minimal and the vampires largely lacking in interest, a typically boring group of Gothic types. The only difference is that they suck blood through their tongues rather than with fangs, although why exactly the lore was rewritten is unexplained as it isn't used for anything other than novelty value. The violence is mostly offscreen and the only thing to recommend in the film are some fairly good makeups used for the finale.

Acting wise, there are no great surprises here and nothing to make you sit up in your seat. Mia Sara (LEGEND) portrays yet another young, fragile heroine in a matter-of-fact way and her acting is neither particularly good or particularly bad, just so-so. It is good to see Anthony Perkins (EDGE OF SANITY) employing another of his sinister characters - complete with black eyeliner - but he seems mostly wasted in an ambivalent part. Robert Reynolds is forgettable and uninteresting as the evil vampire villain, although Dezso Garas is surprisingly good as the kind-hearted taxi driver with a dark secret. DAUGHTER OF DARKNESS is only worth watching if it's a quiet night and you're looking for some easy viewing before you go to bed.

Cathy Stevens has been suffering dark dreams, and believes they have something do with her father. After the death of her mother she travels to political-torn Romania to find her father. However her investigating gets the local police questioning her motives and gaining the interest of a mysterious cult that might be able to share her information about he father.

Director Stuart Gordon brings it home again. If there's a consistent director in the horror genre, Gordon's right up there. Even with the boundaries of a low-budget TV enterprise. Gordon's 'Daughter of Darkness' is an interestingly slow grinding story-driven outing that evokes sensual titillation, dreamy flickering and makes excellent use of the decoratively alienating European locations. The film authentically looks the part and is perfectly shot too. Action is limited and sees little daylight, so does any real sort of make-up FX and special effects. When the latter comes into play, there's quite an inventive inclusion to how these vampires feed on their victims. Nice touch. On the down side the story feels minor, and the developments are traditionally dry and foreseeable. However even if this the case, it's broodingly melancholy styling of such superstitious folklore manages to hold you there and lead actress Mia Sara's sensitive performance helps shape that moody allurement. Alongside her is a modest Anthony Perkins. Even with that wobbly accent, he injects some glassy intensity. Jack Coleman, Robert Reynolds and a scene-stealing Dezso Garas offered good support. Pacing can hit a few bumps, but Gordon's infectious imagery (some piercingly eerie dream scenes) and positional work is efficiently implemented. Colin Towns' music score was nothing you would expect, as I found it to be majestically layered.

It's been many years since I've seen this movie. I would love to watch it again. It's good for anyone who likes the Vampire lore. The acting is pretty good, and Mia Sara and Anthony Perkins are great! This movie shows another side to vampires.