Cold Hearts

I'm not sure what I think of this movie. It's definitely low-budget, but I did find myself watching the whole thing without even meaning to. The writing and dialogue were good, and the movie had a very particular atmosphere to it. Part of that atmosphere is lifted from The Lost Boys, which this pays homage to, but part of it was... something else. I can't quite put my finger on it. Maybe it's the fact that these vampires felt like real people. They seemed like people you might know, only with some unusual problems.

The acting was pretty decent. It took me a while to figure out that the suicidal anorexic vampire was actually the Pink Ranger from that terrible old Power Rangers show. The lead, Marisa Ryan, did a pretty good job in particular. The only real weak spot was the guy who played Seth. It wasn't so much bad acting on his part as it was a matter of miscasting. He just had way too much boy-next-door "aw shucks" goofyness to him.

The only really bad part of this movie was the special effects. I guessed what Seth was early on, and the whole time I was waiting for him to dramatically reveal himself in a cool sort of way. When it finally happened, it looked so bad I almost fell out of my chair. Totally killed the moment.

Anyway, not a bad flick if you're looking for an inexpensive little horror movie with some decent characters.

This low-budget indie film about grungy, vampire youths haunting the beachfront (sound familiar?) could have been smart and amusing, but instead comes off like a fanged version of some WB-style TV show. It misses some clever opportunities to be both stylishly violent and sexy, and instead relies on long conversations between a brooding female vampire (who consistently delivers monotonous sad stories to everyone she meets), and a frat boy with a dufus persona and a dubious moral code. Technically competent but utterly adolescent.

Viktoria (Marisa Ryan) and Alicia (Amy Jo Johnson) are 'good' vampires and together with Darius (John Huertas) are close friends living in a coastal American city. When the newcomer Seth (Robert Floyd) arrives, he has a crush on Viktoria. Charles (Christopher Wiehl), a 'bad' vampire, does not like the proximity of Seth and Viktoria, and decides to disturb Seth with his gang. A great surprise waits for Charles in the end of the plot.

"Cold Heart" is a unoriginal story that blends Near Dark', with 'Lost Boys', plus 'Angel' and 'Buffy'. The result is not totally bad, but in the end, it is just a forgettable vampire movie. There is a scene, supposed to be funny, in the middle of the credits, when two guards find the remains full of blood of the two dead vampires. Why these vampires were not converted into dust? Further, why Viktoria was able to walk in the sun, only with minors burns? My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): 'Filhos das Trevas' ('Sons of the Darkness')

Note: On 11 December 2021, I saw this film again.

I was bought this film for only £4 and even then I feel robbed. I have watched some poor films but this was quite one of the worst. I have never watched a film about depressed vampires before in my life was this some kind of spin to the old horror movie genre. It only goes to show that for every interview with the vampire there must be at least ten or so of these movies in creation. The best bit of this film was quite probably the end credits.

Typically I wouldn't bother doing a review of film like this that wasn't really anything special, nor was it a horrible film you just want to forget either. Full disclaimer, this is definitely a B-movie in every regard, low budget, marginal effects, acting just passable, and an ok, but unoriginal story. "Cold Hearts" in no way compares to the better films of the genre, like "Lost Boys" & "Near Dark", among others.

However, all of that said, there is something about it, just different enough, just interesting enough to make it a decent watch if you like these types of films. This will be shocking to those that hated it, but I've actually watched it three times; all the way through!,,,,lol. Admittedly for me, part of my appreciation for the film is this odd fascination with the lead, Marisa Ryan, not the most beautiful or talented actress in the world, but she has something uniquely appealing about her. The story, though somewhat predictable, was worth staying with til the end also, and I found the ending satisfactory.

Finally, I gave this movie 7 stars because for a low budget film of this genre, and if you like this genre, it can be a fun watch on a weeknight or weekend day when you have nothing better to do. Personally, I found it a decent watch for a low budget film of this genre, but some others who find they may like it, may consider it one of those "so bad that it's good" type films, & I can understand that feeling!