Carmilla

This would have made a beautiful short film, worthy of a higher rating, for acting, cinematography and concept; the actresses are as fetching as the scenery and it's a period piece - what's not to like. stretched too thin, repetitive scenes that drag on forever, and the pretty sand castle collapses as one falls asleep mid-scene. a central tenet of the plot is not well enough executed for suspension of disbelief, even for a die-hard fantasy/sci-fi fanatic like myself, who usually finds escapism preferable to hyper realism and has no patience for the 'suspension of disbelief' crowd. I haven't read the book, but it seems doubtful that this crucial detail wasn't more convincing on the written page, or that so little happened over such a long time. put a gel sleeping ice pack on your eyes, put Enya on in the background, burn some lavender incense and take a nap instead.

I have seen and own the Hammer trilogy that is famous for being one of the first to adapt the story, and I would call them tame by 1980 standards, but yet still interesting to view. I would say the same for this adaption. Being 60, I grew up in the era of plot driven stories that at drama and so do not believe that every movie is non stop action as it has been since 2000. It is not a porn flick either, it is an attempt to understand the author point of view. There are other adaptions from this time period that I have not seen. I found a new Blu Ray and paid less than $30 for it and will add to my library of fine films and movies as well as B movies that I love.

As soon as you see that word you know what you are in for. Why people feel the need to "reimagine" classic stories is beyond me. Just say it is a new story based around the source material. Read the book instead.

So the name Carmilla seems to be loaded. Or the character, but you associate the name with ... well you know what I mean. That being said, I am copletely free of that baggage, so I can't really relate if that is problematic for some. I can say that I liked the movie and the drama it build.

The oppressed, the not being able to express ones feeling(s). And the horror elements of it. Even if there were a few too many dream/nightmare sequences in it for my taste. But that is me - you may feel differently.

Good acting, good cinematography and overall very well made. The "old" setting, the sexual and occasional explicit violence is something you have to be able to dig ... go with the flow sort of. If you can the movie is quite rewarding.

The actors in this film are mesmerising and the film is beautifully shot. Definitely worth watching