Crucible of the Vampire

I have stopped writing reviews on IMDB due to the sheer quantity of films we watch.

"Can you get a vampire movie/" my wife asked. As there hadn't been any vampire movies for a long tie I decided to get this. Huge mistake.

This movie is a disaster in every way. The acting, the directing, the dialogue, the 'special' effects, the actors themselves - what a mess. How anyone could have come up with the money for this piece of garbage is a wonder.

Please - spare yourself a waste of 96 minutes and watch paint dry - it will be more interesting.

If you are willing to accept all the aspects that come with a low budget, such as unpolished camera work, amateur acting and lack of special effects, than this is a decent niece film to watch for those who like vampire movies or low budget horror.

The main actress was the only one that could portray a realistic character with some depth of emotion. Never the less, the suspension is decent in this one.

If you like polished high-end Hollywood blockbusters skip this one, if you appreciate low budget fun projects, add this to your watch list.

Crucible Of the Vampire: An interesting Folk Horror film which has echoes of Witchfinder General, The Wicker Man and the Vampire Lovers. A young archaeologist, Isabelle (Katie Goldfinch) travels to a Gothic stately pile to examine half a cauldron which has been found during renovations. This may be the missing half of a Druidic cauldron which Isabelle's University holds. The family at the old house are rather creepy with the father apparently intent on selling the artifact. The dancing daughter has her sights set on Isabelle. There are flashbacks to the 17th Century when a Witchfinder and his soldiers hang a man they accuse of sorcery and cleave his cauldron in twain. The local woods are reputed to have been cursed by evil since ancient times. Some of the effects are a bit ropey but there are are effective dream and vision sequences. The mansion provides long corridors for chasing and the Vampires do have some bite. Not a classic but worth watching. Directed and Co-Written by Iain Ross-McNamee. I watched the Director's Cut on Flick Vault. 6/10.

A young museum curator (Katie Goldfinch) is sent to a country manor a few hours northwest of London to investigate an artefact unearthed in the basement. The family seems nice, but strange things start to mount up, causing the woman to want to flee. Florence Cady is on hand as the questionable blonde daughter of the estate.

"Crucible of the Vampire" (2019) is low-budget Indie horror in the tradition of Hammer Films. Although a flaw surfaces here or there, such as the introduction of Scarlet (Cady), the filmmaking is professional enough. The focus is on creepy mood rather than fast pace or constant thrills, although everything builds to an exciting last act in which the F/X are impressive considering the budget.

Carla Cresswell in the prologue stands out in the female department, a great way to open the movie.

If you don't mind low-budget Indies and are in the mood for spooky atmosphere at an old British mansion in the mold of "Jane Eyre," "House of Usher," "The Others," "Dracula, Prince of Darkness" and "Witchfinder General" (aka "Conqueror Worm"), give it a watch.

The flick runs 1 hour, 44 minutes and was shot in Shropshire, England, which is about 3 hours northwest of London and about 45 minutes northwest of Birmingham.

GRADE: B-

It would be very easy to dismiss a movie like this, but it's not the total disaster that some have described it as. Certainly there are a number of short set pieces which were engaging. What lets it down is the desire to be too many things: is it a vampire movie, a psychological thriller or a ghost story? is it based on power, revenge, or lust? At various points it tries to be all of these things but sadly never truly manages to be any of them well. There are far too many unnecessary ingredients here, which means that the good ideas don't have room to breathe, and not enough space is given to the viewer to become truly engaged before the plot jumps on to the next part of the story.

Casting is a positive, and despite what has been said, the acting is never terrible. For the most part the central characters deliver their lines well but again, crowded out by too many ideas, the dialogue ends up needing to push the plot forward rather than allowing them to relate especially well to each other. Far too often, the moment any interesting relationship starts to develop, we are shunted on to the next set piece like a passenger on a ghost train. This limits the opportunities for the actors to bring us anything that we might empathise with.

As a classic Hammer enthusiast, I really wanted to enjoy this film, and there are some genuine highlights for fans of the genre that make it worth a look, but like the crucible in the story itself, what could have been a powerful story is left disjointed and half-buried. Every time it piqued my interest, it changed its mind about where it was going. The ambition is admirable, but in the end the characters, the plot, and ultimately the viewer are all left bravely grasping for something that they never quite reach.