Xan Cassavetes’ “Kiss of the Damned”

Kiss of the Damned (2012)

Occasionally interesting romantic vampire story let down by an uneven script, poor music and some weak acting

Having only discovered this by reviewing lists of recommended horror and picking out gaps in my viewing, this is a bit of a novelty that could have been better. It feels as if it wants the tone of Tony Scott’s “The Hunger” but sways from bursts of Argento to Twilight-like imagery. Before we even get a chance to know the characters and understand their motivations, the film throws Djuna(Josephine de La Baume) and Paolo(Milo Ventimiglia) together before we know them (or they even know each other). La Baume does well with what she’s given but Ventimiglia puts in a wooden performance that is distracting throughout particularly because the supporting actors (Roxane Mesquida, Anna Mouglalis, Michael Rapaport) are so solid.

The thing about a cast in a film is that they’re like the hull of the boat. A bad performance from secondary cast might just fall above the water line and that’s okay, but with a lead, it sinks the ship particularly in what is a character-led drama.

In case you’re wondering about the name, Xan Cassavetes is the daughter of John Cassavetes and Gena Rowlands. This film has a scene that recreates a moment from “Opening Night” featuring Mouglalis in a blonde wig making her look a lot like Rowlands.

With so many great alternatives to the romantic vampire genre (Park Chan-wook’s “Thirst”, Tony’s Scott’s “The Hunger”, Neil Jordan’s “Interview With The Vampire”, Jim Jarmusch’s “Only Lovers Left Alive”, Ana Lily Amirpour’s “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night” and Bill Gunn’s “Ganja and Hess”), it’s hard to justify recommending this though if you’re determined, it does have its moments.