A Review of ‘DreadClub: Vampires Verdict’ – An engaging A.I. flick about legendary bad blood
Four college students, who are investigating an apparent cult story-inspired death on campus, mull the possibility that the main suspect is a vampire.
‘DreadClub: Vampires Verdict’ – An engaging A.I. flick about legendary bad blood
Cast: (All A.I.-generated)
Critic’s Rating: 3.5 Stars out of 5
Director: Hooroo Jackson
Duration: 1 hour, 28 minutes
Genre: Horror/Mystery/Romance/Anime
Language: English
Release: September, 2024
What’s it about?
Four college students, who are investigating an apparent cult story-inspired death on campus, mull the possibility that the main suspect is a vampire.
Review:
This, the first Artificial Intelligence anime movie to be made, is a fascinating experience with an outlandish story, juicy dialogue and intriguing characters. However, what starts out as an interesting premise of a novel about two star-crossed lovers and the cult movement that their cursed romance spawns at a present-day college, turns into a rather convoluted journey. But while this horror/mystery/romance flick gets more bizarre by the minute, it still holds the viewer’s attention for the most part. One is kept guessing if and how the supernatural will intervene and whether the various characters involved are what they appear to be.
College reporter Clara Boone speaks into a camera about a controversial 80-year-old book named Apocalyptica written by a Dr. Peter De Ve. The publication tells the story of a forbidden romance between a woman Elize of the Dravidian clan, and a man Emiral, belonging to the De Ve family. This couple’s doomed existence can only be quashed with the murder of three persons whose hearts must be ceremoniously offered on the occasion of 'Blood Moon', which falls on August 20th. The cult status of the book breeds a secret organisation at the Bonecove College called the DreadClub. When a college freshman - Sienna Weaver - mysteriously dies on May 18th, which is the date of the first murder mentioned in the book, a wave of fear washes over the whole institution.
Meanwhile, the curiosity of the Dreadclub, which includes males Felix and Liam and ladies Clara and Betty, is further stoked when Betty stumbles onto an enigmatic necklace. This is because such jewellery plays a critical role in Apocalyptica. The narrative then switches to the earlier era portrayed in the book, revealing that the lovers are incapable of dying. Back in real life, Dean Morgan confronts Betty about her involvement in Dreadclub, which the college has banned. However, he promises to ignore the infraction if she works on campus through the summer and helps uncover other Apocalypica-inspired clubs in the college – in particular, the Fang.
The Dean had got wind of the Fang from a student informer Triswald. It turns out that this cult identifies as Dravidians who are hell-bent on the destruction of the rival De Ve group and vice versa. A mysterious blonde shows up questioning the DreadClub about the recovered necklace and revealing herself to be Sophie De Ve - an actual descendent of Emiral. She adds that she is the sister of another college-goer named Duchamps, the girlfriend of who is the deceased Sienna. Clara tracks down Duchamps who enlightens her further about the ancestral conflict and hands her a sample of a powerful drug. With the death of another girl on campus, ostensibly by an overdose, the needle of suspicion turns towards Duchamps. He soon finds himself in court with his old friend Triswald representing him.
Suspicions, fed by claims from unexpected sources, abound that Duchamps is actually a vampire. Is he luring unsuspecting young women for his own nefarious ends? Will Betty, with the aid of her fellow club-members, wring the truth out of Duchamps? And will more strange facts come to light? Also, what exactly is the agenda of Triswald and Sophie? Plus, what is the true nature of the relationship between Emiral and Elize and the mystical necklace that binds them? Yes, writer-director Hooroo Jackson’s multi-dimensional script keeps the viewer wondering how all the loose ends will tie up. Jackson has crafted a tale with numerous twists and revelations, making for a roller-coaster ride...that doesn’t let up!
However, as was the problem with Jackson’s first A.I. film Window Seat (2023), the dialogue unfolds at breakneck speed. Yes, the words fly out too fast for the audience to grasp entirely. But the varied anime imagery works well, apart from occasional occurances when it changes at too frenetic a pace. There is some amount of levity, courtesy droll humour, in the first few scenes. But this gives way to heavy, unrelenting drama. Still, it is clear that much effort has gone into editing the film and splicing A.I.-generated voice and visual together. Odd detours from the main story detract from the film somewhat while the absence of actual blood-sucking, flesh-eating vampires is a mystery. Yet, on the whole, the viewer is assured of an engaging pageant of myth, mystery and melodrama.
