Midnight Son
Midnight Son

Whatever happened to movie monsters that women were scared of? These days a female lead is more likely to jump on anything without a pulse, be it zombie (Warm Bodies), vampire (True Blood) or a choice between werewolf and bloodsucker (Twilight).

While Midnight Son appears to be stowing away on that particular bandwagon, it was actually shot in 2007 - a year before Twilight's release - with a few scenes added years later. Had this film been released six years ago, its decision to ask the audience to feel sympathy for someone who stalks the night(shift) would have seemed much fresher.

The story follows Jacob (Zak Kilberg), an overnight security guard who enjoyed a normal childhood until a rare skin condition forced him to seek shelter during daylight. A joke by his girlfriend Mary (Maya Parish) and a sudden dip in health - where no amount of eating can satisfy his hunger - has him renting vampire movies and eyeing his teeth in the mirror to see if he might be on the change.

As you might expect from writer/director/producer Scott Leberecht (The Blair Witch Project), Midnight Son uses its low budget to great effect. Verite-style camerawork gives it a raw edge, witnessed in the handheld back and forth of a street conversation or the extreme close-ups of its insatiable lead character. It works well and paints Kilberg as RPattz without the sparkle, all tortured looks and bleak confusion.

Leberecht's artistic input, meanwhile, even extends to the painted pictures of sunrises and sunsets Jacob obsessively crafts. Moody, mean and with a glimpse of LA's darker side, it's just a shame his film didn't see sunlight for so long.

VERDICT: 8/10

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