Shadowplayed Kinda saw that coming, didn't you? The title I mean. Yeah, the very subjective take on not particularly great film that threw around Joy Division references and "Means to An End" at crucial moments. I'm sold! If Styria had been made in the 70s its spirit and iconography it was trying to recreate would have been a memorable piece. Still, I kinda feel for the pure fanboyism for the film and music of that period this piece displays and am on board. Would I do the same, given the opportunity? You bet!Stephen Rea. Time to face the facts: greatest actor that never was! Loved this gent since Citizen X, but he just did not give his 100% here. Just kind of exists and wanders through this film hoping for it to be over already.Can't shake the feeling Styria was an ambitious project. What it lacks in story telling and filmmaking skills makes up in pure enthusiasm. Usually, it is not enough. Was enough for me though, at least this time. I'd "blame" it on predominant music choices, couple of lovely gals, Hungarian countryside and some brief gore. Captures that Gothic atmosphere quite well. So, mission accomplished, as far as I'm concerned. Means to an end. Yeah.

WakenPayne I've read the original J.S LeFanu novella written in 1872 and putting it in a modern setting doesn't seem like a bad idea (the key word being "seem") and the castle they rented out as the location looks amazing even when measured against other, higher budgeted versions of Carmilla. My problem with it is that it seems a little disjointed in terms of what works and what doesn't.Being that Dracula was the 19th Century vampire book that caught on I'll assume that you don't know the plot. Lara (or Laura as she's known in the book) stops a car accident (or carriage) from killing a woman named Carmilla. Friendship blossoms between them, with lesbian subtext (although in the movie it's shot in a way which there's no mistake) but soon young girls start dying and a general tries to stop Carmilla from killing more people.Here's what I didn't like. Stephen Rea being the most bankable star looks like he's sleepwalking through the entire movie. Kind of like a "I'm clueless about my daughter in this movie. Okay, Where's my paycheck?". Being that the emotional core of the novella and this movie is Carmilla and Lara's relationship as she's forced to kill a lover thanks to her being a vampire (I assume it was written with a different mindset in the 1870's but that's definitely an interpretation) and it's rushed. It's kind of like "BAM! They've just met and now they're having a romantic night under the stars!" and I mean the day they meet! Elanor Tomlinson as Lara doesn't do well either and it half-translates the novel to a 1989 setting. Meaning half of it has moments that would have worked better in the 1800's. Parts like the townspeople referring to Carmilla as a "gypsy girl" and The General saying something like Lara is of the devil due to her dodging questions and making her uncomfortable. Oh and making Lara a 1980's emo just doesn't work.Onto what I liked. The cinematography and the locations make this seem like it was shot on a much higher budget then it is. The castle especially looks brilliant even by the standards of other adaptations. Then there's Julie Pietrucha as Carmilla, she is brilliant in the role and I do like how this movie portrays vampirism. I also don't mind the change of having The General know and help Carmilla to stop from killing people and it also managed to throw in themes of feminism and it actually blends seamlessly with the story.So is this the Carmilla adaptation I wanted? No. But it's a damn shame considering how close this was to being a good movie for me. So far, if you want a good Vampire movie with lesbian subtext and themes of feminism, I'd suggest something like We Are The Night. This however is worth a look but it just doesn't do it for me as a fan of the book.

LeonLouisRicci Made by Foreign Directors, Mauricio Chernovetzky, Mark Devendorf, in a Foreign Land, this Update of Carmella looks and Feels Foreign when Compared to Stateside Movies of its Type.It is Better because of it. The Film is Dark, Dank, and Depressingly Decaying with its use of a Remote Castle in a Far Away Land of an Era Gone by. The Good Cast also Lend some Eeriness to the Proceedings.The Organic Sets, that needed No Embellishment, and the Classic Story of a Lesbian Vampire is right at Home in the Undergrowth. The Movie always seems Disconnected from Modern Times, even though the Soundtrack, the Troubled Teen, and other things are Distinctively Today. More like a Crack in Space-Time Existing Simultaneously. This lends the Film an Other Worldly Template that befits the Gothic Subject Matter. It Echoes Universal and Hammer Horror at Times.The Third Act opens up to some Serious Bloodletting and the Storytelling may Lose a bit Over the Course of the Movie. But, Overall it is an Oddity of a Film that is surely Worth a Watch for Vampire, and Horror Movie Fans in general. Others Might Even Enjoy it because it is Anything but Typical.Note...Also known as "Angels of Darkness".

santiagodommar Styria comprising all the elements of a renown film, and it will stay on the collective unconscious of those who know which are the real condiments so difficult to achieve, practically, its not only an excellent work of direction of Mauricio Chernovetzki and Mark Devendorf, its an impeccable work of production design, an exquisite photography, and the art work its nothing less than a luxury. With actors like Stephen Rea, Eleanor Tomlinson and Julia Petrucha make the shape for a classic work and one of the few that will stay on the memory of people that really appreciate art works like Styria. Its a shame that always be the movie dealers or business mans that chose the target, most of the time a commercial one. But nonetheless, its classic work