Le dîner des vampires

I thoroughly enjoyed this film. There were no real surprises, but it was a good fun comedy horror. A great cast and a good script made sure this romp worked well.

A gathering of a vampire council at a hidden hideaway turns into a bloodbath when the British Army ambushes them in an attempt to put an end to their local reign of terror in the new horror comedy, Eat Locals.

Charlie Cox (Marvel's Daredevil) headlines a group of eight vampires who at their semi-centennial meeting discuss matters such as territory and new members. Their meeting also introduces the fanged ones to the human at the table. Billy Cook plays Sebastian, a warm blooded human who tags along with date Vanessa (Eve Myles) unaware his date is a vampire and she is accompanying him to a flock of bloodsuckers. Sebastian quickly realizes that he is not in friendly quarters but any notion of escape is thwarted when the army erupts in gunfire. Soon, the houseguests are accepting that they are surrounded by a heavily armed force lead by a commander committed to ending the vampire race.

Vampire films have been done to nausea over the past two decades, but thanks to a tongue-in-cheek deviously funny script by Danny King (Wild Bill, 2011), Eat Locals felt like fresh fun covering familiar territory. There may not be laugh out loud moments, but the script is nuanced and seasoned with fresh characters, fun challenges and a satisfying ended that make the viewing worth recommending.

It's hard not to root for the sharp-tooth characters as they struggle to find continued cause in their existence while fighting for their very survival. Added to the comedic mix are two additional human characters (Dexter Fletcher and Ruth Jones) that have a peculiar role in context of the vampires meeting above them in the house. Not all your favorite characters will survive but everyone seems to meet their maker after a spotlight moment which will leave audiences satisfied.

We would categorize Eat Locals as more of a comedy than a horror. So too must have the director Jason Flemying who makes his directorial debut here after over 125 acting credits on IMDb.com. The director's end credits reel reintroduces each character with each actor looking like they are having a ruckus of a good time during the shoot.

But don't think for a second that there isn't a good body count to go with all the yuks. Whether it's elderly vampire Alice (Annette Crosbie who has some of the better comedic moments) standing in the open firing off hundreds of rounds with an automatic weapon likely larger than her own physical frame or a concerned military man who gets rewarded for his kindness with two sharp objects impaling either side of his neck, Eat Locals brings body bags.

By the time the lights again illuminated the theatre at the screening as part of the Toronto After Dark Film Festival, I was thankful for the experience. What a great treat right before the Halloween season.

I really didn't expect much but was surprised. Just a fun movie that didn't require a ton of analysis. If you want to have enjoy a few laughs with a lighthearted take on bloodsuckers, you can't go wrong here.

Once every few years, a secret coven of modern-day vampires meets to discuss the quotas and divisions of feeding territories in the United Kingdom. Gathering at a remote farm, this time they're joined by a potential new recruit/light snack in the form of Seb (Billy Cook, a new talent to look out for) Unknown to them they have been tracked by the team of Larousse (Mackenzie Crook) and Bingham (Robert Portal) but trapping Vampires is not easy, even with an army and soon its a battle of wits to see who is still standing by sun- up.

Eat Local had a cracking script from the beginning but sadly director Jason Flemyng, probably the hardest working actor in the UK, had to get the money from Johnathon Sothcott to shoot it - So the budget was clearly nowhere what it should have been. With such restrictions, the film struggles to hit its notes at times and occasionally the plot becomes lost. That aside Flemyng has assembled an impressive cast from Charlie Cox, Vincent Reagen, Freema Agyeman, Tony Curran, Annette Crosbie and Eve Myles who all perform terrifically on the side of the Vampires, while cameos from Nick Moran, Nicolas Rowe, Dexter Fletcher, Elly Fairman and Johnny Palmerio fill out the rest of the cast, often with very funny one-liners. A less respected person in the industry would not have been able to assemble anywhere near as much talent on screen. In the hands of anyone else such an ambitious project probably would have fallen foul of really poor casting and direction by Flemyng brings the elements together as well as can be expected and raises the bar considerably above anything else with Sothcott's name in the credits. The action in the film is well handled within the restrictive budget and comedy turns by Dexter Fletcher add much fun to the mix with his deadpan dialogue. Jason gives a nod to 12 Angry Men in his framing of the opening scene as the members of the Coven arrive and there are various other shots giving a wink to numerous other movies including The Great Escape. The score for the film is found a little wanting at times.

Despite all this not everything works in the film as well it should have but films are rarely if ever, made with the budget or generous shooting schedule that one would like to have. This film, however, is nowhere near as bad as some other reviewers have suggested. The cast give it their all and are clearly having a good time. It won't be everyone's cup of tea, but if you liked the movie Tremors and other similar B-Movie Comedy Horror then this should be right up your street.

Terrible script. Awfully written dialogue & the actors do their best with what they've been given but it's obvious throughout that the cast had marvellous fun making the film & because it shows on screen, it's also still very enjoyable to watch, regardless. Not a classic & nor is it great, but it's a light-hearted, cheesy movie that doesn't take itself too seriously so I'd still recommend people see it, just for the few laughs it provides.