Bumbling Harry Balbo (Sean Patrick Flanery) is a pretty big loser. He dresses like the nerds you picked on in high school, doesn’t have a gratifying job, gets bullied at work, doesn’t have a girlfriend and doesn’t have any friends except for a clerk at a convenience store.Yet, when Harry witnesses a beautiful vampire ripping the head off of one of her victims, his life gets a bit more interesting.
When the police don’t believe his vampire story, he becomes obsessed with catching the vampire and stopping her gruesome killing. After getting scratched by the vampire, Harry turns to a vampire site to get some answers and discovers the site’s paraplegic administrator (Michael Biehn) actually lives in his building. The two hatch a plan to stake the vamp, but when Harry has his opportunity he turns into a big softie and lets the vamp live. He then lures her to his basement, where he has built a steel cage, and traps her inside. He then begins to build a strange relationship with the vampire, named Tatiana (Charlotte Ayanna), bringing her bunnies to drain. Tatiana soon becomes insatiable, though, and Harry must decide who to sacrifice next for her needs…
The Insatiable is a quirky, different kind of vampire film. It doesn’t rely on glamorizing vampires and making them “hip”, instead focusing on their seductively feral nature. Plus, the film spends most of its time on Harry instead of Tatiana. Even though Harry is pretty much a dweeb, I still found myself rooting for the guy. Writers Cary Solomon, Chuck Konzelman (both co-directing) and J.R. McGarrity did a great job arousing sympathy for the awkward Harry. I really hoped that all those that wronged them got their just desserts!
Speaking of Harry, Sean Patrick Flanery put on a very memorable performance! I loved all the odd twitches and forced interactions he had with people! I never though I would see Sean Patrick Flanery in the role of a weakling who is always picked on, but he totally nailed his role and made it believable. His performance and character were the best things about the film! Also, Charlotte Ayanna as the vamp Tatiana was equally wonderful as well, carefully balancing her predatory seductiveness with an innocent sweetness.
The film had its slow moments, but overall it was well-paced. It’s more of a dark comedy than straight-up horror flick, so don’t go into it expecting a lot of gore or bloodshed. One guy gets his throat ripped out, another gets an arm ripped off and there are lots of bloody aftermaths, but it definitely keeps any violence on the light side. There are also lots of quirky, humorous scenes that keep the film pretty breezy.
The direction by Cary Solomon and Chuck Konzelman was pretty solid; the only things I had complaints about were some shoddy CGI shots, but those are easily overlooked in sight the rest of the film. The film probably had a small budget, but besides the bad CGI you really won’t be able to tell. Everything looks crisp, clean and glossed to a professional sheen. Kudos to Solomon and Konzelman for sticking within their means!
The Insatiable is a pretty fun, eccentric vampire film. It’s definitely different than your typical glossy Hollywood vampire picture and is populated by an odd smattering of characters that’ll hold your attention until the very satisfying ending. Many haven’t heard of The Insatiable, but more people should definitely take a bite out of this vampire movie!
Buy it on Amazon!
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