Last week, “Drained,” the latest feature from British filmmakers Peter Stylianou and Sean Cronin, arrived in North America on VOD from Level 33 Entertainment.
Co-directed and produced by Cronin and Stylianou from a screenplay by the latter, the film is set in London and follows Thomas (Ruaridh Aldington; “Dirty Boy”), a jobless post-graduate concept artist. We’re introduced to the character as he pleasures himself to his own artwork, which consists of nude or scantily clad women, which he has posted above his desk. It’s a bad first impression that is compounded when you learn how lazy and entitled he is while living under his mom’s roof. In fact, there are very few redeeming qualities about Thomas in the film. This makes it really hard for a viewer to sympathize with him when he’s being kicked out of the house by his mom and her boyfriend with no job or money or when he starts down a dangerous path with Rhea, the mysterious woman he meets in a bar that turns out to be a vampire.
Played by Madalina Bellariu Ion (“Dampyr”), who fittingly grew up in Transylvania, Rhea is an attractive, quiet seductress who quickly garners the attention of Thomas when she shows up at a bar one night, bearing a striking resemblance to some of the women he’s created in his art. The first encounter spooks Rhea, who flees the scene, presumably because she feels remorse about her vampirism. Still, the ill-fated couple quickly find their way back to each other to engage in a twisted romance where Thomas offers up his blood in trade for Rhea’s companionship.
One of the bright spots in the film is Rhea, not just in the character but also in some of the liberties the filmmakers took with vampire lore. The film completely bucks one of the most common traits of a vampire (even using it for a comedic moment in the movie) while also changing how a person can be turned into one. Another interesting aspect is that vampires in this story must deal with an uncontrollable bloodlust that comes on the night of the full moon, which we quickly learn has a lot to do with Rhea and Thomas’ relationship.
Interestingly, while Thomas seems driven by sexual desires, the sexual content in this film is nothing like I anticipated. It almost feels like a bait and switch because Thomas is portrayed as this overtly sexual, horny guy at the start of the film, but when it comes to being in a relationship with Rhea, it never surfaces. Even on their first night together, Thomas doesn’t try to take things further and seems content with her just being in the same bed. While most vampire romance films are ripe with sex and nudity, “Drained” showcases the eroticism of the relationship through Rhea’s feedings, which is a win for viewers who tend to dislike this kind of content in their vampire films.
As Rhea and Thomas’ relationship intensifies, the film’s themes come to light. Thomas’ lust for Rhea quickly starts to look like an addict looking for their next fix. Even as he begins to realize that she’s slowly killing him, he can’t help but want more. As Thomas spirals, the toxicity of their relationship also boils to the surface as Rhea attacks and exploits Thomas’ insecurities in an effort to keep him under her control. It’s here the film highlights the real-life horrors of things like addiction, toxic relationships, and abuse.
It all becomes too much for Thomas, and in the end, it takes a toll on his health, landing him in the hospital for what doctors think is anemia. Here, Thomas has a chance to reset his life to what it was, being allowed to move back under his mom’s roof. But it’s too late, and Rhea’s thirst for his blood is intensified by the upcoming full moon, leaving Thomas and those closest to him in grave danger.
It’s here the film horror elements finally come into play as you watch the cast of characters quickly picked off in different ways, leading up to the film’s conclusion.
In all, the film does a great job as an allegorical tale about addiction and abuse, and it’s here that it’s probably at its strongest. As a viewer, this is what kept me invested. Unfortunately, as a vampire horror romance, it fell flat in both the romance and the horror. You never really feel the connection between Thomas and Rhea enough to care about it or even feel that it’s more than superficial. As a result, the film’s final minutes lose their impact, and while the actors try their damndest to make it believable, the prior hour and 40 minutes or so don’t do enough to sell it to the audience. In fact, another relationship that acts as a subplot during the film feels like it carries more weight than what we see between Thomas and Rhea.
On the horror front, beyond the vampire elements, the majority of the horror is baked into the final act. But even here, when the audience should be feeling the dread of what’s to come, it just doesn’t connect. But at least we get some added bloodshed to close things out.
While “Drained” is slow going and falls flat on the horror font, it does have its moments, and the fresh take on vampirism is refreshing, considering how entrenched many of the tropes are.
