💎 Horror Gem #121—🏆 2023 Ranked 🏅 Top 100

"This is extremely unusual. We should be seeing a reaction in the hypothalamus when stimulated by acts of violence. Instead, it's her ventromedial prefrontal cortex that's all lit up." "What does it mean?" "It means the girl's compassion is triggered by images of humans dying. Not her hunger."

Easily film of the year for me—and with just eight days left. This is going to be a horror classic. I’m fairly certain.

Humanist Vampire impressed me immediately with its compassion. I expected this the moment I saw the title. And what a title it is—I fell for the title long before I got the chance to see this film, and now that I’ve seen it, it was absolutely what I hoped it would be: as humanist and nuanced as the name. And the title drop was an interesting and satisfying moment. And hilarious as well. You’ll see.

Frequently poignant and genuinely moving as well as wry, witty, and cheekily grim, Humanist Vampire almost instantly drew me in and made me care about Sasha and her family as they negotiate the requisites of vampiric maturity. The father and mother act in identifiable and familiar ways. Somehow, that they are vampires flows entirely naturally—the dynamics are universal and don’t need species-specific clarificatory exposition. I especially loved the father—he's exactly the sort most of us would love to have. Al of this is more riveting when they’re all vampires, and yet the writing is never arch or camp. It just feels right.

The complete family dynamics remain amusing throughout, but the real star here is Sasha. Sara Montpetit is so well cast. Everything about her feels like the character she’s enacting, and her performance is charming, sympathetic, and psychologically nuanced. There is an inevitable air of romance in vampire films, and she nails that too without drawing any attention to it or making it her point of existing. Humanism or friendship or romance are all wonderful, but food and drink are a much more immediate and urgent point existential requirement when lacking and make a compelling argument for unpalatable and urgent decisions and actions.

While watching Humanist Vampire, I was so swept up I genuinely forgot to think about anything technical, and that’s a great thing. That said, it was beautifully filmed and a pleasure to watch. The conclusion was in every way stunning from writing through cinematography and performance.

Ariane Louis-Seize has written a film that feels inevitable and necessary, as if it were always going to need to be discovered and it’s been waiting there in the world of all possible plots, nearly fully formed and ready to be snatched out of the ether and nurtured into life. When I feel this about a work of art, I’m certain it’s good, and this already feels like a classic.

Thanks to the team that made this. Now please go watch it. Strongest possible recommendation. You’ll be entertained, moved, and charmed as well.

Some Lists:

🏆 2023 Ranked
🏅 Top 100
💎 Slightly Hidden Horror Gems #121
🌱 Hidden Horror Candidates
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