Carmilla

I gave it a 5 rating because this is still a movie that you might want to see. But just be forewarned that this movie does not do the Carmilla story justice.

The actresses in this film are good-looking and there is some chemistry between them, but otherwise they are not very talented or special. The film setting and costumes are good enough to be convincing of the time period, and you might enjoy the cinematography. But there is a lack of a story being told.

And the story is also lacking any explanation about who Carmilla is or even what exactly happens at the end of the movie. There was also much room to tell more of a story than what is being told here that goes to waste. Finally the film is full of the usual lesbian movie clichés which I found tiresome. So if you're looking for a good lesbian movie, this is not it.

As soon as you see that word you know what you are in for. Why people feel the need to "reimagine" classic stories is beyond me. Just say it is a new story based around the source material. Read the book instead.

So the name Carmilla seems to be loaded. Or the character, but you associate the name with ... well you know what I mean. That being said, I am copletely free of that baggage, so I can't really relate if that is problematic for some. I can say that I liked the movie and the drama it build.

The oppressed, the not being able to express ones feeling(s). And the horror elements of it. Even if there were a few too many dream/nightmare sequences in it for my taste. But that is me - you may feel differently.

Good acting, good cinematography and overall very well made. The "old" setting, the sexual and occasional explicit violence is something you have to be able to dig ... go with the flow sort of. If you can the movie is quite rewarding.

One of the characters believes that after death, there are "deserts of eternity". I experienced these while watching this beautifully shot but so, so, so slow-moving film.

The acting by Jessica Raine and Hannah Rae is good. However, the story fails to get out of first gear. While there are some great moments, there is no suspense, and you won't remember much about the film a week after viewing. Slow and beautiful like Kubrick does it but without any message.

I LOVE vampire movies, i've seen as many as i can get my grubby little hands on, and i really loved this one. This one has a very beautiful ambiguity that i really really love. At lot of these other reviews seemed to hate that, but in this adaptation you don't know of carmilla really a vampire, you just know something isn't right with her, and i loved that. It's still visually very beautifully gothic, but if you want candelabras and fangs on necks this isn't necessarily a traditional vampire flick.

In the original novel, lara doesn't reciprocate carmillas advances but this one is this very strange, romantic love story between the two of them that i think works much better than original antagonist carmilla.

There is a bit of gore in this one, it's mildly graphic, but i think it works really well especially in the context of the whole movie.