Film Review of National Vampire: A Documentary

Documentary on the Vampire Subculture Over two Years in the Making

Jan 10, 2009

Directed by Geoff Harkness, National Vampire: A Documentary takes a look at the vampire scenes in several cities across the United States.

For those that live in the dark when it comes to horror (or maybe in this case live in the light), vampires are one of the most popular and definitely the most apparent figures in the genre. They epitomize everything a person could want to be in their various forms; sexy and powerful, dark and mysterious. For some, the image of the vampire equates to inner desires, and the person becomes an avid fan.

For others, like the people pictures in this documentary from director Geoff Harkness, it can become a fascination, obsession, or even a way of life.

National Vampire gives a great insight into the various vampires scenes around the country, and most importantly provides evidence as to why vampires are so popular (hint: diversity). From people who enjoy vampire-based role-playing games to those that are into the S&M scene and like to toss in a set of vampire fangs to people who honestly believe that drinking blood keeps them alive, Harkness gives a diversified look that, for those that are new to the subject, will find at the least intriguing.

Also, thanks to interviews with vampire subculture expert and PhD holder Katherine Ramsland, as well as Father Vincent and other leaders of the various vampire scenes, viewers can be assured that they are getting the most authentic look at the US vampire subculture possible.

Production Quality And Lack of DVD Content of Geoff Harkness' National Vampire - AKA "The Bad"

While National Vampire has great subject matter and interesting interviews, it lacks when it comes to overall production quality. With the exception of the interviews, which were shot, cut, and lit well, much of the video feels amateur, and gives the feel of a college film student production rather than one by a professional.

Granted, the places filming was done were often dark and crowded, but allowing viewers to watch as the camera tries to auto-focus doesn't really inspire awe. The final nail in the coffin (excuse the pun) was a few frames of orange-tinted film that were very obviously not supposed to be included, but were rather missed by the editor. The inclusion of a less-than-hilarious extra soundbite from one of the interviewed "real vampires" concerning their job as a telemarketer after the credits packed the dirt over the grave of the film, solidifying it as a less-than-professional production.

The sometimes shoddy editing and lack of any extra features on the DVD begs the question: what was the rush?

In the end, National Vampire provides a quality look at vampires as they exist in the United States today, but falls short of being a great documentary all on its own. However, it's the only widely-available recent documentary on the subject, so for now it's as good as a vampire fan can get.

The copyright of the article Film Review of National Vampire: A Documentary in Documentary DVDs is owned by Robert Becka. Permission to republish Film Review of National Vampire: A Documentary in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.