The Unwanted

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.

Inspired by the Joseph Seridan LeFanu's famed Gothic novella, The Unwanted is a suspense filled thriller. A young woman, Carmilla (Christen Orr) comes to a rural town seeking the truth about her mother. She crosses paths with an emotionally unstable young woman Laura (Hannah Fierman) who serves as the key to the mystery of her pursuits. Unfortunately an overprotective father Keith (Robert Hatch) creates a barrier to the truth. This movie has many twists and turns and keeps you on your seat as the action unfolds. As the movie pierces the surface, it stirs up some unforeseen tensions. Lynn Talley plays a believable vulnerable torn woman in Karen and even though local Atlanta actress Kylie Brown shares few lines as Millarca Karnstein ( the lost mother) the emotion is raw and real. I saw this movie as part of the Atlanta Film Festival and enjoyed seeing many local Atlanta landmarks. This movie keeps you going as you discover what happen to mommy dearest.

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.

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.

Was expecting a horror movie but it turned out to be a thriller/drama/mystery. The acting was good though, plot has interesting twists and turns but just don't expect this to be in the horror category and it can be pretty decent to watch.