Embrace of the Vampire (2013)
Starring: Sharon Hinnendael, Kaniehtiio Horn, C.C. Sheffield
Writers: Andrew C. Erin, Sheldon Roper, David Sanderson
Director: Carl Bessai
Synopsis (From Anchor Bay):
Charlotte is a timid and sheltered teen
who has just left an all-girls Catholic school for a new life at a
co-ed university. But an ancient evil has followed her here,
tormenting her with disturbing nightmares and tempting her with
forbidden desires. It is a hunger that can only be satiated by
sensual pleasures of the flesh... and a thirst for blood. It's a
battle for her soul... and one she's losing. But Charlotte is a
fighter. The chaos and torment threatens to unleash her own inner
beast, and anyone even close to her may find themselves embracing
their own horrific fate.
Review:
Embrace of the Vampire 2013 takes a
much different road than the original film, and I'm sorry to say that
I'm not totally pleased with the outcome. Usually, I prefer for a
remake to do its own thing, and admittedly, this film got off to a
great start. It's much stronger story-wise, and characters are fleshed out a bit more. But the eroticism that the original carried so
proudly is supplemented with horror this time around, and for a film
called Embrace of the Vampire, it just doesn't really work. Is it
completely void of bare flesh and sex? No. There's a girl-on-girl
moment in this film that's fantastically gorgeous, and it goes on for
a good bit of time. There's some additional moments of bare skin
throughout, but ultimately, the sensual aspect is lacking. Embrace 2013 goes more for story, and that would be fine if
it didn't fall apart in the second half.
As previously mentioned, the setup is
nice. Charlotte in this movie is much more
sympathetic; a girl who comes from a mysterious and tragic past. You're
meant to care for her, and quite honestly, I did. The friend, Nicole,
who was somewhat vague in the original, is given a stronger bond with
Charlotte, and it works. Unfortunately, the effort is ditched early on. There's an attempt to bring it back
last minute, but at that point it's unimportant. The same can be said
for the character of Chris, who isn't a boyfriend in this film, but a
guy who gives Charlotte a job and very much wants to be with her.
He's really charming, but much like Nicole, he's built up and ultimately goes nowhere. The character of Eliza on the other hand, is
actually even better than what she was in the original. She's worthy of the power to spit
venom here, and the vibe of her being a trollop is about ten times
more apparent.
Sharon Hinnendael plays Charlotte, and
she gives all we need to like her. She's insanely cute and able to
take care of herself. Embrace 2013 adds an athletic element, making
Charlotte a complete badass at fencing. These scenes are particularly
good, and Hinnendael does a bang up job of making it believable. This
version never really shows Charlotte strongly under the influence of a
vampire. At least, not nearly as much as the original film did. She's
tougher here, and I can't complain about Hinnendael's performance
whatsoever. Kaniehtiio Horn plays Nicole. As mentioned,
the friendship between her and Charlotte is more explored, at first. Credit to Horn; she's
completely charming in the role and gives enough emotion to
come off legitimate. Ryan Kennedy plays Chris, Charlotte's
employer/love interest. Really good character, and Kennedy excels at
making Chris seem genuinely in awe at Charlotte's personality
and beauty. I'm not really sure why Nicole and Chris are built up so much only to drop off later on. Lastly, Eliza is played by C.C. Sheffield, somewhat of an
adversary to our lead. Sheffield is crazy sexy in the part, which is
why I am griping that Embrace 2013 isn't
as sensual as its predecessor. All the tools are here to make a
solid erotic thriller. Anyway, Sheffield's portrayal of Eliza is about ten times more easy to hate than Jordan Ladd's --which is saying a lot, because Ladd was quite good. No
real qualms with the acting.
And yes, there's a fair amount of gory
stuff in Embrace 2013. Vampire bites send blood flying and flowing strong.
It looks pretty impressive, too. But the fact that this movie wants
to be more seeded in the horror genre doesn't make me appreciate it
more. Oh yeah, I almost forgot to talk about the vampire side of this film. That's because it's pretty vague. Way too much time is taken in revealing the evildoer. Normally, I like a slow build, but it doesn't really work when it's so ridiculously obvious from the start. The reveal gives nothing more than a "Duh" reaction, sadly.
Final Word:
I'm not a person to dislike a remake
just because it's a remake. I actually stand by a lot of them. Embrace 2013 just
didn't work for me, though. It started off well enough, but ended
pretty blandly. With that being said, someone not big on the deep
erotic aspect of the original might possibly feel more positive about
this film, as it does lack in the sexual department and delivers more in
terms of story, characters, and horror. So, if that sounds good to
you, by all means, give it a go.
Blu-ray:
Anchor Bay's release of Embrace of the Vampire 2013 comes Unrated in a Blu-ray + DVD Combo package, as well as standard DVD. The film is presented in Widescreen (1.78:1) 1080p on Blu, with a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 audio track. The DVD provides a Dolby Digital 5.1 Audio track. No special features provided.
Buy the Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack HERE
Buy the DVD HERE
Instant Video available HERE
- Eric (Brobocop)
