Kiss of the Damned

At a DVD rental store (they still have those?) Djuna and Paolo are instantly attracted to each other. They go to her place, and what a place it is, but she kicks him out, she suffers from a skin condition she tells him. But they can't resist each other. He comes back, they kiss through a chained door-very cool. She confesses that she's a vampire and everything that entails. He doesn't care. They become intimate, she turns him and introduces him to her world- a world of art-loving ancient vampires who live in hiding, who answer to a boss- the theater actress Xenia. Everything is going well; they make plans to travel to Italy, they hunt together in the woods for animals and drink synthetic blood, no vampire attacks humans. But then Djuna's sister Mimi shows up, and she's bad news- young, reckless, fun-loving, authority-challenging. She's on probation almost as Xenia is sending her to rehab to the West coast so she's only with the sister for a few days. Mimi likes all sorts of sex with humans, and she drinks their blood and kills them, she even seduces Paolo, and has plans for Xenia. Kiss of the Damned is exactly what I imagined and hoped it would be when I saw the original movie poster, not the one slapped on the DVD. It's a tribute to vampire movies from the past. It's very stylish but without replacing style for substance. It's settles on a 70s European horror movie style. It's erotic (plenty of sex but almost no nudity), has great music, and the story moves along more slowly. There are plenty of brilliant shots and camera angles. The closeness of Paolo and Djuna is well portrayed and you root for these two. There are some weaknesses too of course. The aforementioned lack of nudity is odd to say the least. It's unclear why they cast so many French actresses, who may be good actresses when they're speaking French but aren't such good actresses in heavy-accented English. The lead actress is particularly weak, she's somewhat attractive but not enough. However, Roxane Mesquida just steals the show, she's hot and cute and mischievous. Kiss of the Damned is an astonishing feature film debut for writer/director Alexandra Cassavetes. Horror needs more movies like Kiss of the Damned and less remakes and lost-footage junk.

All jokes aside, Xan Cassavetes' directorial debut is destined to become a cult classic. From the opening shots of the lonely mansion by the lake, the film sets a tone that has you hooked. Cassavetes uses the long empty corridor, the endless staircase, and the empty lake foreshadowed by the overcast weather to put the viewer in exactly the right mood for what's to come. Her unique style of directing skips any unnecessary prologue and tells the story through the interactions between her characters. We first meet Djuna (Joséphine de La Baume), a neurotic introvert who spends her nights scavenging the forest for animals and watching romantic movies. It is her love of the latter that causes her to cross paths with a handsome young man named Paolo (Milo Ventimiglia) in a video store one night. From the moment their eyes meet for the first time, both characters form an undeniable chemistry. However, Djuna has a secret that could force an end to any possible relationship. She's a blood-sucking vampire who lusts for the innocent flesh of mortals. Paolo's naivety to such detrimental truths draws him closer to Djuna despite her rejection of his advances. Like a fly caught in a spider's web, eventually Paolo's persistence reaches a deadly apex. He discovers the truth behind Djuna's dilemma, but instead of running for the hills like one would expect, his infatuation remains undeterred. He would rather be cursed as a vampire forever than live a life, regretting the love he denied. Immortal love happily ever after, right? WRONG! Paolo and Djuna's romantic harmony is soon disrupted by the arrival of Djuna's sister, Mimi (Roxane Mesquida). From the moment Mimi steps foot in the door, trouble looms like a dark cloud. Mimi is loud, obnoxious, psychotic and exudes a sexual presence that threatens to uproot Djuna's bond with Paolo. Wherever they go, Mimi sticks out like a sore thumb. She lacks regard for social etiquette at a formal gathering of vampires, she openly hunts for human victims in public areas, and she hosts sex parties in Djuna's home without her approval. Mimi is the epitome of a villainous vampire. She lacks the moral fiber that the other vampires cling to and consciously attempts to undermine their ethics. Events begin to spiral more and more out of control until the final shocking act. Xan Cassavetes must be highly commended for her first effort here. She treads a thin line that borders on vampire exploitation but never crosses it. She intersects horror and romance genres effortlessly without the film ever becoming self-parody. Her use of atmospheric scenery, shot selection, lighting, and an eerily effective score are impeccable. There were moments where I thought I was watching Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut. To those whose opinion of vampires has been tarnished by the Twilight series, please watch this film to see it done correctly for once. 3.5/5

Like Tilda Swinton's "Only Lovers Left Alive", this is a vampire story for serious adherents to the genre. No ridiculous spraying of fake blood, and I loved the philosophical discussion as to vampires' targets and the relationships between humans and vampires. 8 out of 10 stars, keep it up we the consuming audience will lap this up and clamor for more - standing ovation !!!! If only every vampire offering had this level of thought we wouldn't be so thirsty for decent offerings... I loved this film and look forward to more from writers and directors....

With passion comes great responsibility ... especially if you are not able to control it. The main character is a very strange one and the actress has a tough role to play. There is a stretch in what she has to depict. The story itself is more adult than your average teenage movie that came out lately (yes Twilight and any spawn it gave "birth" to), but also very predictable. I watched it at a Festival, so the audience knew or expected this to be a strange one. If you are about to watch it, you should note that too. There is a lot of sexuality and some violence in this, something to consider too. A nicely done movie about containment, self control and love in general. Also about the meaning of life ... it does have to say a lot, as you can see

In the countryside near to New York, Djuna (Joséphine de La Baume) lives alone with her housemaid Irene (Ching Valdes-Aran) in a manor that belongs to her friend Xenia (Anna Mouglalis). When she meets the screenwriter Paolo (Milo Ventimiglia) at a video rental store, they immediately fall in love with each other. However, Djuna discloses to Paolo that she is a vampire and while making love, she turns him into one. Paolo moves to her house and they happily live together. Out of the blue, her wicked and troublemaker sister Mimi (Roxane Mesquida) appears to stay for a week with them, turning their lives upside-down. "Kiss of the Damned" is an underrated and sexy film romance with a good romance with an international cast where the female vampires are French actresses. The plot is well developed and the music score is classy. In 2013, Jim Jarmusch wrote and directed the cult "Only Lovers Left Alive" with a similar storyline. My vote is seven. Title (Brazil): "O Beijo do Vampiro" ("The Kiss of the Vampire")

I saw this movie at this year's SXSW. It's refreshing to see a vampire movie that features vampires in classical form... and it is even more refreshing to see a story from the vampire's perspective. This movie may not have hardcore CGI and 3D Gore splashing out into the audience, but it does however offer an interesting 'to the point' storyline and creative indie film tactics. People giving this movie poor reviews are probably looking for the next "Interview With A Vampire" or "Twilight" and are judging it on a summer blockbuster 10 million dollar budget scale. I found this movie to be plenty entertaining and worth checking out.

I saw Kiss of the Damned at SXSW film fest in Austin Texas. It honestly blew my mind. Great Director. Great film. Actresses were hauntingly stunning.Im sure they will be working all the time after word gets out. The sound track was to die for. The Images are staying with me everywhere I go. Please make more films Mz Xan Cassavetes. The relationship of the sisters can be related to many real life siblings and/or friendships .The timeless feel of the home the sets the lighting the music...its an other worldly experience.It might be ahead of its time for people to get right away but its going to be something that people will be drawn to for years to come. more more more please.

The only interesting thing about this movie is the fact that it was directed by John Cassavete's daughter, Xan. He had a reputation for making off-beat dramas, and his offspring has his eye for the strange. Djuna lives alone in a big, creepy house, until one day at a video store she meets Paolo, a screenwriter, and it is kismet; well not right away, but eventually after a bitten tongue, he discovers that she is a vampire. While having sex, she bites him on the neck, and, he is now one of the undead. They have a lot more sex, and attend dinner parties with fellow travelers of the night, and just have a grand old time. Trouble arrives with Djuna's sister, Mimi(Roxane Mesquida from Rubber and Fat Girl). The sibling rivalry erupts and many victims are drained of their blood along the way. The problem is that Kiss of the Damned is never scary, and the erotic scenes are tepid and downright boring. Beware of this boring film.

If European cinema in the 1960s had access to HQ digital cinematography and sound, then a vampire film made then would be like this. Xan Cassavetes has crafted a deliberately retro feel to the movie and it works. I love the soundtrack, which has variety (just listen to the opening few minutes). It uses experimental sounds to crank up the tension for example. If you ever loved prog-rock, and know then that punk rock by comparison has no class, no depth, you will love the fact (is it an in-joke?) that the baddie comes complete a with a punk rock soundtrack. Xan reveals herself to be a delightful musical snob. She is also firmly on the side of the vampires. This great-looking movie is a mixture of what works and what doesn't, hence a seven. Kudos to getting French actress Anna Mouglalis to play Xena. While beautiful, Anna actually plays Xena as a character actor. What a voice! When her character 'loses it' later on in the film, Anna beautifully conveys the tics, twitches and desperation without overdoing it. She should be in more movies. The bourgeois party scenes are convincing. The film tells a conventional but slight, linear story, with a beginning, middle and end. On the minus side, although the initial romance is convincing, a better film would have gone deeper into the romance and involved the viewer more, with more complex characters. Another better version would have gone all out to scare you, successfully. The 'horrific' bits here are not really horrific. This is deliberate. The film is by design a mood piece. It is even relaxing in parts, making it a good film to 'wind down' to with your partner in the evening. Xan understands that relationships, even in a vampire flick, are more interesting than blood and screaming. But she is even more into the 'feel' of the movie. Viewers raised on the Texas chainsaw massacre remakes and their ilk might not want 'relationships' or 'feel'. If you can understand these things before you watch it, you should enjoy the movie.

Imagine what you are left from a * movie if you cut all the scenes with actual sex. Now stretch those 5 minutes for an hour and a half and you get this type of movie. It is a waste of time. The only quality of this movie is the fact that Roxane Mesquida is hot. Unfortunately she appears in only a couple of scenes.It is a video equivalent of women's cheesy novels. It will appeal to those that have loved Twilight and other brain dead people.There have been a lot of romanticizing of vampire movies lately so I tell some of my ideas on vampire myths. If vampires would exists this rules would apply: 1. Sun light only weakens not destroys them 2. They do not need to feed very often. They can feed once every few years with one or two humans and would be enough. But to have superhuman strenght to heal faster or to have powers they need to feed more often. Basically the more often you feed the stronger you are. 3. Vampyres cannot consume synthetic blood or animal blood. It is not the consumption itself that gives them their power. The act of consumption of human blood is part from a demonic contract. In return of this act they gain rejuvenation and others. 4. Turning something into a vampire involves a contract between the human and the vampire sealed by the act of consuming each other blood. It cannot be done by accident. As a conclusion this movie has only one target: horny women. If you are not in their target you will waste time of your life for nothing.