Rating: ***
Review Date: 2/28/24
Music: Brian Tyler
Cast: Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Alisha Weir, William Catlett,
Kathryn Newton, Kevin Durand, Angus Cloud, Giancarlo Esposito
"I'm sorry about what's going to happen to you."
A group of criminals kidnap a 12-year-old girl named Abigail (Alisha Weir) in the hope of getting a $50 million ransom from her father. But the hunters become the prey when they find out that they're trapped and their hostage is a vampire.
Admittedly, what made me want to see this was a promo shot of Melissa Barrera with a gun, and she definitely delivers. She is super hot and by far the most sympathetic character in the film. Cute Kathryn Newton plays a computer hacker, and while she gives a good performance, she is little more than eye candy and dead weight. Alisha Weir gives a fantastic performance as the equally innocent and savage Abigail, which reminded me of the creepy vampire children from "Salem's Lot" (1979). Apart from the vampire girl, the primary antagonist is a foul-mouthed and nearly unrecognizable Dan Stevens. He's an egotistical loose cannon who uses some variation of "fuck" in every sentence he utters, which becomes quickly tiresome. That said, he gives a compelling and charismatic performance, until things get totally bonkers towards the end. The most annoying character by far is Dean (Angus Cloud), who is a sociopathic meth-head. His performance as a junkie is inspired, and it's both sad and ironic that he died of a drug overdose before the film was completed. The other actors do a fine job in their roles, but it's frustrating that we don't get any background on the characters who die first.
Originally marketed as a reimagining of "Dracula's Daughter" (1936), it has nothing in common with the original film and any connections to Count Dracula are only VERY loosely implied. "I've gone by many names," is as close as the film comes to declaring any sort of ancestry or pedigree. It's a fun and bloody vampire outing, but the protracted ending is tiresome and overdone. A lot of classical vampire lore is omitted, and Abigail's only weaknesses are wooden stakes, sunlight, and sedatives. Stakes and sunlight have shockingly explosive results, and buckets of blood and gore are strewn everywhere. The set design is wonderful and the creepy old mansion where the story takes place is utterly delightful. It's not a classic by any means, but an enjoyable diversion for undiscerning horror fans.