The Unwanted

I started watching this movie on Netflix without having any idea what I was about, and I suspect that is the best way to watch it. Then the vampire twist part way through, while somewhat foreshadowed, is still rather surprising and pleasantly shocking.

Hannah Fierman is the stand out performer as Laura, the young woman fascinated by the drifter Carmilla (Kristen Orr in an understated performance). William Kat is the least convincing, chewing the scenery as Laura's semi-psychotic father.

The movie works in its own right as a modern Gothic, ad is also a retelling (rather loosely) of Carmilla that vampire aficionados will appreciate. The movie starts rather slow but the narrative and cinematography built towards an evocative and visually compelling ending.

My biggest issue is the music. It's as if they were trying to force things along.

Good acting/ good Director/ .

I never quite understood the mesmer aspect to intense love, or at least how it can be portrayed on the screen. This updates an old story and so has a bit more edginess that earlier adaptations. But ultimately it is mood over storytelling.

Sadly, not in a good way. It is entirely a drama, maybe, just maybe 2 or 3 horror elements thrown in there so it can cover a wider range of genres, but overall the movie is a flop.

If you are heavily into adult movies and horror, you will be disappointed. If you're a horror die fan, you'll be annoyed. And if you just want to watch something for 18 years+, you can do better! It's more of a torture porn production, with a lot of self inflicted wounds and a decent plot, surely enough, but far from being my coup of tea.

My personal vote is 4. I won't ruin it for others, but I kinda do fail seeing how this can be appreciated.

Cheers!

In this Southern Gothic retelling of Sheridan Le Fanu's vampire story 'Carmilla,' a young drifter (Christen Orr) arrives in a rural town seeking the whereabouts of the mother she never knew. When she becomes sexually involved with an emotionally fragile waitress (Hannah Fierman), she exposes the secret of her mother's disappearance and incites the wrath of the girl's overprotective father (William Katt).

William Katt was a nice catch. He has been thrilling audiences for decades, and obviously has the horror credibility with "Carrie" and "House". (More people should also see "Big Wednesday".) The quality of the film is good, even if the acting at times is only mid-level. For what is probably a very low budget film, one should not expect so much. What may be a draw for some are the lesbians aspects. Far more than earlier versions of "Carmilla", this film makes that stuff explicit. Not gratuitous or pornographic, but certainly no secret.