'Midnight Son' DVD Review

A well-made, low-budget "un-vampire" movie.

Jacob is a 20-something loner who works the nightshift as a security guard in an office building and lives a quiet, solitary life in a basement apartment with the windows covered to prevent exposure to the sun -- a necessity, given he has a skin disorder that causes severe burns if he ever goes out in the daylight. To compensate, he spends much of his time painting pictures of the sun, which litter his cramped home.

Lately, his skin condition has taken a backseat to a ravenous hunger that can't be satiated. He visits a doctor, who says he's actually undernourished and could be suffering from anemia. Jacob isn't so sure, though, as his rabid appetite sends him spiraling down the food chain from cooked meat to raw meat to animal blood to, ultimately, human blood. But blood isn't easy to come by, and when he becomes entangled with a shady hospital orderly who offers to provide him some of the precious liquid at a price, Jacob's world begins to spiral out of control, endangering those around him -- including his new on-again, off-again girlfriend Mary.

As a vampire movie, Midnight Son might prove off-putting to genre purists craving fangs, crosses, holy water and the like, as it rejects traditional vampiric tropes in favor of a "realistic" approach to bloodsuckers. Basically, the only remnants of typical cinematic vampire lore are the desire to drink blood and the aversion to sunlight. This minimalistic strategy suits not only the film's slim budget, but also its artsy indie sensibility. It's a dramatic, character-driven piece with great performances by the small, mostly unknown cast, and despite a slow pace, it maintains a palpable sense of intrigue about the nature of Jacob's condition and his relationships with other people.

The DVD

Special features include deleted scenes, interviews and commentary.

Movie: B-
DVD: C+

Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the distributor. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.