Sanguivorous

Director - Naoki Yoshimoto
Starring - Masaya Adachi (Rain for the Dead), Ayumi Kakizawa, and Ko Murobushi (Dove Siete? Lo Sono Qui)
Release Date - 2011
Genre - Horror
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (screener)

     The vampire sub-genre has become tarnished over the years.  The vampire lure has always fascinated people.  The thought of a creature that lives by feeding on the living is enough to send chills now your spine.  However, over the years the vampire sub-genre has been romanticized when people became intoxicated by the thought of immortality and lasting love among the living dead. I miss a time when movies depicted vampires as monsters and not heartthrobs.  Over a year ago I was sent the avant-garde Japanese vampire flick Sanguivorous.  The film looked interested so I tossed it on my shelf to check out where other films took over my time and I slowly forgot I had it until recently when I was rearranging my collection.  This one was sent to me by MVD.
     The film follows a troubled young woman who has been sick for sometime but has been unable to pinpoint what exactly ails her.  When she was younger she was told a story about vampires and how some vampires can go generations before that gene is actually awaken.  She soon learns that she is, in fact, a vampire and struggles with her inner beast when around the boy she loves.


     Vampires should be vicious.  They need to be bloodthirsty, infectious, and the good ones are ancient.  The thought of a vampire falling in love with women and denouncing human blood is stupid and degrades the traditional vampire mythos.  Human blood is what makes these creatures so terrifying.  It takes man, the so-called top of the food chain, and knocks them down a peg.  Sanguivorous is a rather unique film that puts some bite into the vampire sub-genre but fails to offer up anything that can be called a coherent film.  The acting in this one is different than what you see in most modern horror movies.  The film is mostly a silent film so it is up to the cast's actions to tell the story but the way the film was shot and edited makes it almost impossible to truly see what the cast has to offer.  The story for this one is very simple but the film itself is anything but.  The film tries to set itself apart from traditional horror films by shooting scenes using various film styles while paying homage to the silent era.  Sadly, this backfires.  The film is a chore to watch and almost impossible to follow.  There was several scenes where I had no idea how they came about or what was going on.  Originality is always key but so is coherence.  Finally, the film has a death or two but they are weak.  The film chooses to make a film that is unlike most horror films and decides to not show any kills that are worth a damn.  Overall, Sanguivorous is a very ambitious vampire film that fails to offer up anything fun or entertaining.  I can not and will no recommend this one.