Kiss of the Damned

Visually, nice and dark, as it should be, and cinematographically surprising, considering the rating.

It is underrated to be sure. The group that created and carried through with this work should be encouraged to continue. This is not the usual treatment of the subject matter, and was a highly worthwhile viewing experience for me. This one is different, and enjoyably so. There are rough spots, of course, but on balance, it has earned its place. I am glad that I have been reading user reviews of late, because bare IMDb ratings have not consistently been reliable guides, especially in non-blockbuster situations.

At the time that I am writing this review, this movie has an abysmal rating on IMDb (less than five stars).

If IMDb were a room full of people with exceptional taste, I guess I would understand why. The movie is thoroughly derivative; it tries a little too hard. I get the feeling that it's supposed to be a 'Hunger' for the modern era, moody and atmospheric-- they've even traded the classical and operatic soundtrack for haze-scene and low key beats looped with synth harpsichord melodies -- and yes, sometimes it falls a bit short and comes off amateurish.

But IMDb is not a room full of people with taste, so I don't get it. There so many movies on this site with absolutely no redeeming value that have ridiculously high ratings. This movie, while not art, did try; it never came off heavy handed, overall it was approachable, and entertaining. I keep asking myself what about it is causing people to react so negatively; the only thing I can figure is that perhaps the vampire crowd are portrayed as too cultured or something, I don't know.

Ultimately I guess I'm writing this review for people like me, those who put a lot (perhaps too much) stock in IMDb ratings. As a fan of films like The Hunger and the whole 'artsy, excessively classy but tortured immortal' cliché I can honestly tell you that I didn't think this film was an utter waste of time (at least no more so than many other movies). It was a perfectly fine hour and a half spent on a rainy afternoon.

I find its current rating a bit unfair.

In the countryside near to New York, Djuna (Joséphine de La Baume) lives alone with her housemaid Irene (Ching Valdes-Aran) in a manor that belongs to her friend Xenia (Anna Mouglalis). When she meets the screenwriter Paolo (Milo Ventimiglia) at a video rental store, they immediately fall in love with each other. However, Djuna discloses to Paolo that she is a vampire and while making love, she turns him into one. Paolo moves to her house and they happily live together. Out of the blue, her wicked and troublemaker sister Mimi (Roxane Mesquida) appears to stay for a week with them, turning their lives upside-down.

"Kiss of the Damned" is an underrated and sexy film romance with a good romance with an international cast where the female vampires are French actresses. The plot is well developed and the music score is classy. In 2013, Jim Jarmusch wrote and directed the cult "Only Lovers Left Alive" with a similar storyline. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Beijo do Vampiro" ("The Kiss of the Vampire")

"Kiss Of The Damned" is a modern Gothic vampire tale that melds elements of classic romance with dramatic thriller edginess. The film is directed by Xan Cassavetes and stars Milo Ventimiglia, Joséphine de La Baume, Roxane Mesquida . In the movie Djuna falls in love with a young man Paolo whom she tries to resist. Her desire and connection to the suitor overtakes her convictions and she begins a relationship with the man. Soon he becomes her companion in the world of night and vampirism. By no means is this a horror film. "Kiss Of The Damned" is more of an Erotic Thriller than it is anything else. Keep that in mind when watching this film if you are expecting a "True Blood" high intensity or gore level because you will be disappointed. That being said, I really enjoyed the movie. Let me explain…

"Kiss Of The Damned" carries us back to the golden age of vampire tales when we held a romantic and dark desire for the creature of the night. This film is what I would imagine reading one of those supernatural themed Harlequin-eque romance novels would be like. The director explored the more passionate side of daily life and love affair between a vulnerable but strong woman and a man desperate to love her in every way. It was down right Gothic and sweet. The film didn't bother getting too graphic or soft-core with the heightened sexuality of the relationships depicted in the movie but it was adult enough to be sheer supernatural eye candy. This movie is a great date movie for that vampire loving partner or person you want to kick it with. The story was compelling in true dramatic style that expresses the lives we expect vampires to enjoy. Just note that this is not a "horror" movie nor do I believe the director ever intended it to be one.

"Kiss Of The Vampire" is a film that flows more as an emotional heart- song with moments that rise to melodrama before sliding darkly down into melancholy. There is plenty of blood soaked sequences that express the true nature and conflict that lives within the vampire but it does not push the themes to the level of grindhouse or exploitation. The movie will not be for everyone and if you enter the tale looking for high octane exuberance, of ravenous creatures as monsters, with bodies writhing in guts and gore- then you will not be satisfied. However if you remember the classic view of the more romantic creature of more Gothic tales of the vampire then this movie gives you the heat, passion and- yes -the bloodstains as well.

If European cinema in the 1960s had access to HQ digital cinematography and sound, then a vampire film made then would be like this. Xan Cassavetes has crafted a deliberately retro feel to the movie and it works. I love the soundtrack, which has variety (just listen to the opening few minutes). It uses experimental sounds to crank up the tension for example. If you ever loved prog-rock, and know then that punk rock by comparison has no class, no depth, you will love the fact (is it an in-joke?) that the baddie comes complete a with a punk rock soundtrack. Xan reveals herself to be a delightful musical snob. She is also firmly on the side of the vampires.

This great-looking movie is a mixture of what works and what doesn't, hence a seven. Kudos to getting French actress Anna Mouglalis to play Xena. While beautiful, Anna actually plays Xena as a character actor. What a voice! When her character 'loses it' later on in the film, Anna beautifully conveys the tics, twitches and desperation without overdoing it. She should be in more movies. The bourgeois party scenes are convincing. The film tells a conventional but slight, linear story, with a beginning, middle and end.

On the minus side, although the initial romance is convincing, a better film would have gone deeper into the romance and involved the viewer more, with more complex characters. Another better version would have gone all out to scare you, successfully. The 'horrific' bits here are not really horrific.

This is deliberate. The film is by design a mood piece. It is even relaxing in parts, making it a good film to 'wind down' to with your partner in the evening. Xan understands that relationships, even in a vampire flick, are more interesting than blood and screaming. But she is even more into the 'feel' of the movie. Viewers raised on the Texas chainsaw massacre remakes and their ilk might not want 'relationships' or 'feel'. If you can understand these things before you watch it, you should enjoy the movie.