Dance of the Damned is a vampire movie unlike any other that most might see and that is a good thing. Directed by Katt Shea and starring Cyril O’Reilly as the vampire and Starr Andreeff as a stripper named Jodi, the movie has a definite Anne Rice vibe to it all and manages to avoid most of the tropes associated with the genre to deliver something on a deeper level.

It is by far the most interesting vampire film that one might digest given that the bulk of the picture is spent in conversation. O’Reilly’s vampire is a lonesome one and seeks that which he does not have – knowledge. He wants to know what certain things feel like, what the experience of having the sun shine upon one’s skin might elicit and among other things, he just wants someone to talk to. Admittedly, he has been alive a very long time when he meets up with Jodi. While she wants nothing to do with the man, before she even realizes what he is, it comes to a point where she discovers that she is in need of someone to talk to as well. Revelations are made on both sides and as the night passes, the feelings that emerge about themselves and about each other lead to a confrontation that was bound to happen right from the outset of the movie.

Shea does an outstanding job in the director’s chair, creating an incredibly tense and moody atmosphere throughout, one filled with pain, hurt, sadness and even a little joy. Only featuring the two characters for the most part, she paints a picture of two desperate and tormented people just trying to find their way in the world and realizing that they might not have a place in it. By the end of it all, both characters emerge differently than when it first began and while Shea leaves it all on a cliffhanger, one has to wonder if Jodi and the vampire made it out alive. Despite being two completely different people, they are also two sides of the same coin which is why they were able to empathize and come together as they did. That last shot gives one hope that they did and that maybe they do not have to be alone any longer.

There is little horror within unless one counts the lives the two characters lead when it all begins and the special effects used throughout are minimal given this is no ordinary vampire movie. What little there was worked fine and looked good within the confines of the budget and the story and nothing else was needed. There is a bit of nudity given that Jodi is a stripper and just a wee bit of violence when it is called for which again, hammers home just how low-key this entire affair was. For most, this will be out of their wheelhouse but for those looking to find a truly intriguing take upon a vampire movie, Dance of the Damned does not disappoint.

4 out of 5