Returning to her childhood home, a woman attempts to woo her friend away from his current girlfriend which sparks a cult of followers to a demonic being her mother promised her to at birth before being stopped to intervene, unaware that doing so is part of a ploy to resurrect their vampiric leader.
This was a fantastic effort with a lot to like about it. Among the better aspects to be had here is the standout storyline that provides this one with plenty of opportunity to run wild with supernatural genre setpieces. The central tale here involving the original birth being ordained by a deal with the demonic figure forcing the family to pay it off by sacrificing their child to the figure and his followers, only to renege on everything and stop him which signals the curse coming to pass later on when she returns to the area with her friends as a teen is immensely intriguing. This sets up a wholly worthwhile Gothic horror piece involving the followers attempting to abduct her to carry out the terms of the original pledge forcing them into dangerous tactics to do this including the failed seduction attempts on her boyfriend or bringing her out to the ritual altar to observe ceremonies of devotion to their guiding demonic spirit. Playing with the idea of generational curses and the idea of children doomed to suffer because of the short-sighted actions of their parents offers a fun touch as this one goes along. This approach to Gothic atmosphere continues in the series of scares throughout here, with the setting being a large part of this. As the ceremonial crypt where the followers are congregated manages to be a truly spectacular setting with the open spaces, ornate statues of demonic beings, large bejeweled pieces housing dark magic, and openings that provide the perfect launching pad for hiding the coffins where they sleep, this creates a slew of memorable images involving the entire fog-enshrouded location housing their dark practices. Also managing to involve the rituals and sacrifices itself in addition to the scenes of the cursed follower trying to interfere in the girls' life by trying to steal her boyfriend despite his assurances it's all harmless, it all creates a kind of fun setup to the second half introducing the nightmarish vampire on the loose to the community as well as the exploits of the cult trying to ensure they stay apart so the plan can come to fruition. As it becomes more obvious that the corruption attempts where never about disrupting the relationship but instead releasing the vampire so he can begin his rampage, the action picks up and starts introducing a series of high energy sequences, from the raid on the crypt hideout, a chase with a horse-drawn carriage, or the final battle against the vampire. This brings about the kind of stellar final battle where the concept of how to defeat the final vampire is a wholly intriguing and original touch where the various religious symbols being brought about to deter him is a fun touch, the wild brawls has a lot to like, and the actual method of dispatching him makes for a wholly enjoyable conclusion. These allow the film to work through all manner of fantastic Gothic make-up on the lead vampire who has a fantastic look, including the massive fangs, bloodshot eyes, and disgusting facial scars that leave quite a distinguished impression on everything he touches. Overall, there's quite a lot to like here as there are a few drawbacks to bring this down. The main issue is a seemingly backward means of storytelling involving how the whole plan to bring the daughter into the cult's grasp is ultimately missing the point of what everything is about. The point of the curse was for the cult to abduct the daughter, which was a result of how she was originally conceived in the first place to be sacrificed for their means, so when she returns as an adult years later, being the outsider in the love triangle makes little sense. It would make for a much darker feature to be the one in the relationship that needs to be broken off so that the smitten boyfriend is more concerned with his new girlfriend and leaving her easy pickings for their journey, and how it's handled here makes for a backward setup. As well, there's also the film's somewhat cheap and flimsy production that shows itself off at certain points here, with awful day-for-night photography, no gore at all, and rudimentary special effects that aren't damaging but do hold it back some.
Rated Unrated/R: Violence and Language.
