Directed by Meredith Edwards
Written by Naomi McDougall Jones
Starring Naomi McDougall Jones, Christian Coulson, Naomi Grossman
Rating: Unrated
Runtime: 83 Min
Available for Digital Download February 8th

by Whitley Albury, Staff Writer

‘Tis the season for cheesy romances! For an admittedly non-romantic person, I have a soft spot for out-of-the-box romantic comedies, and this one falls properly into that category.

Sarah (Naomi McDougall Jones) is a vampire. I’m not talking about fangs and sunlight-averse here. She’s more of a medical vampire: vampirism is a biological condition that doesn’t allow her body to make enough energy on its own, so she has to find an external source. That source, of course, being blood. And yes, there are plenty of jokes about “not drinking… wine” and getting treatment through vitamins. It’s a fun little nod toward invisible illnesses and chronic illnesses, with treatment suggestions like yoga and vitamins. Only Sarah’s version of vampirism also includes a spiritual element: she’s been running a church for eight years. That church consists of her two roommates Chrissy (Naomi Grossman), an out-and-proud vampire, and Lily (Mahira Kakkar), who was recently dumped by her mundane (not-vampire) boyfriend because of her condition. Vampirism is all over the news because of reality TV (featuring a fun cameo from musician Aurelio Voltaire), and because Sarah’s ex-husband, Stacz (Antino Crowley-Kamenwati), is public about his status as a vampire.

Since Sarah’s church falls under a questionable category, she gets audited by the IRS. Because, even in a fantasy world, vampires still gotta pay taxes. Enter James (Christian Coulson), an IRS agent who hates his job but doesn’t really know what else he’d like to do. He’s immediately here for this blue-haired vampire with a face tattoo, but is just kind of clueless about, well, everything. He’s charming, in roughly the same way Hugh Grant was charming. He does own up to his faults, which truly hit almost too close to home for me.

From here, it’s your standard romantic comedy. There aren’t really any twists along the way that make it vastly different from the run of rom-coms in the early Aughts. Yes, having vampires is a nice change of pace. But it takes a long time to get to the point of vampires, and how it’s a life path that people actively have to choose, as opposed to “being turned” or “being reborn.” There’s not an eternity that these vampires are facing. They’re just people. There were a few bits that feel accidentally on the nose (like Sarah going all in for the alt-girl look). It’s also kind of funny, in an accidental way, that this movie comes out at the same time as Vampires in America, a docuseries, hits the Travel Channel. If you’re familiar with the “real” vampire subculture, then the film feels a little cringey at times. There’s a scene at a Vampire Ball and I could feel my baby-goth heart swell in embarrassment. Everyone’s rocking capes, garish jewelry. It’s exactly how I would’ve wanted my Sweet Sixteen party to be, but I was that weird child who was really into Amelia Atwater-Rhodes books.

Overall, it’s a sweet film, and it’s memorable if only for the fact that the lead isn’t following a “traditional” career path. It’s a perfect flick to check out for Corporate Romance Day.