Review of Theresa & Allison

Vampire stories are tough to manage. are they sparkling troubled teens? Are they Byronic decadents? Are they brutal meat monster killing machines? It all depends on what you want, or really what the creator of the book or movie want them to be. Of course this movie is not an exception to the rule. The writers and director made choices and followed them. And it works. It really, really does. The worldview is brought into focus by Miranda, played with low key sincerity by Alyson Danielczuk. She is a kind of narrator and chorus who with a sweet, nerdy simplicity describes the chamber of horrors Theresa has been thrust into. And it is a gory, red, and raw world indeed. In the beginning I worried that the movie would take a road into camp. Theresa sits at a desk and is blandly introduced to the vampire world via a nearly Kafkaesque beurocrat. But soon she meets Allison, and the game really begins. All the principle acting in this mostly female cast is well done. Arielle Hope (Theresa) and Sarah Schoofs (Allison) give their all to their roles and shine. And they are such real and natural looking women that seeing them naked in bed with each other feels warm and true and honest. We see real women in an unreal place and it is intense. That pays off later when things really get rolling. Charles Lincoln plays Tony, and his performance is true and solid as well. Sure, some of the minor players are pretty weak, even groan-inducing at times. The character Paisley is never really brought to life. Ah well. The low budget movie is shot well and the visuals are very nice, with attention to composition and style. There is a great scene with a naked and blood covered Theresa talking on the phone that is filmed just right, and I felt all the gravity of the moment. I'm a horror fan, so let me assure you this has all the gore and bare flesh you want. But all of it, and I mean every bare body and drop of blood is used to ideal effect and enhances the story. In key scenes Theresa needs to be naked for the purity of verisimilitude, and it works. If she were clothed there would be safety, or sanity. It is not a mistake that Miranda is never seen nude, and dresses simply and conservatively. Watch this movie. You'll like it.