JP Nunez
Vampires are arguably the most versatile horror monsters around. Their movies can be fun superhero romps like Blade, poignant dramas like Let the Right One In, or just about anything in between, so no matter what your cinematic tastes, there’s bound to be something for you in this time-honored subgenre. That’s why I was really excited when I first heard about the trailer for Kicking Blood. I didn’t know what end of the spectrum this movie would lean towards, but since I love all vampires, I couldn’t wait to find out.
The film is about a vampire named Anna who falls in love with an alcoholic. She helps him recover from his addiction, and that inspires her to quit drinking blood and try to live like a human again. However, like most vampires, she needs blood to live, so her attempt to kick the habit could have deadly consequences.
Even if we didn’t have a trailer, that premise alone is interesting enough that I’d still be interested in Kicking Blood. Sure, the idea may not be totally original, but it’s different enough from the majority of vampire movies that it still feels like a breath of fresh air.
And when we add in the awesome trailer, this movie just becomes more and more intriguing. It looks like it’s going to blend the pathos of a straight up drama with the genre chops of a more traditional vampire film, and the combination seems to work just about perfectly.
On top of that, this trailer also does a great job of making us sympathize with the characters even though we’re only with them for a couple of minutes. Even without having seen the movie, I’m already rooting for them to kick their addictions, so I can’t wait to go on that journey with them and see how they fare.
In particular, I love the scene where Anna gives the guy a drink to alleviate his withdrawal symptoms, but then he just pours it onto the floor. It’s a great representation of how hard we need to fight against the chains and addictions that hold us back, so even though it’s more or less devoid of context, I still find it really touching.
All of these elements come together to promise a great cinematic experience, so I can’t wait to see this film. It hits VOD on March 31, and if it’s as good as the trailer suggests, Kicking Blood just might join the ranks of my favorite vampire movies.
