The vampire rom-com takes on a whole new meaning in this fun and wacky indie film as it debunks certain myths about the creatures.

Sarah a goth and emo woman with one little affliction. She is a vampire. She just wants to keep to herself. However, when vampiric church leader Stacz goes on a reality show, she is shocked to see that the fact he is a vampire could end up outing her. However, it does inspire Chrissy, a fellow vampire to want to do a viral video to out herself as a vampire. Things do go even more south when the IRS plans to audit the “church” and force it to shut down.

When Sarah meets auditor James, he is convinced that the church needs to shut down. However, he feels sympathy and offers to help Sarah and promises to help as long as she can gather the necessary documents. When she invites James to a vampire party, the two soon hit it off. Soon enough, James and Sarah fall head over heels in love. However, many obstacles stand in the way of this budding romance. Will the two be able to overcome everything and be together for eternity?

When one think of vampires and romance, immediately chances are one will think of Twilight. However, the major turn off with the vampire myth here is that the vampires there will sparkle. What co-star and writer Naomi McDougall Jones did for this meshing of vampire film and romantic comedy is definitely a debunker on the vampire mythos. The vampires here can walk during the day and are seemingly normal people with the exception of having to drink blood to survive. It brings something more unique and not rely on stereotypes here.

Christian Coulson has great chemistry with McDougall Jones as James, the lowly tax auditor who like Sarah, has his own problems at home. This includes a very religious mother in the form of Annie Golden’s Faith (coincidence?). The film’s protagonists have that somewhat typical romantic comedy schematic. First comes the uneasy first meeting, then the slow bonding process, then the romance begins. While the uneasy meeting does answer questions in terms of debunking the vampire mythos, we learn about Sarah’s affliction, and it makes the viewer feel nothing but sympathy for her.

The same can’t be said about two particular characters, who are more into themselves than caring about others. While James has the overreligious mother, the call out goes to Antino Crowley-Kamenwati’s Stacz and Naomi Grossman’s Chrissy. Stacz is a vampire leader who goes on reality TV and practically outs the vampires, who most rather stay quiet but when Chrissy comes up with the idea of outing herself on a video she believes will go viral, it leads to a slow dissention. The same can’t be said for Mahira Kakkar’s Lily, who struggles with being both a vampire and being Muslim. The struggle with these complications is much like the real-life struggles of biases we see today.

Bite Me is a different brand of meshing of vampire film and romantic comedy. Major vampire stereotypes are debunked and the chemistry between stars Christian Coulson and Naomi McDougall Jones is very well done.

WFG RATING: A-

Under the Milky Way presents a Blue Firefly Films and Kali Pictures production in association with Legacy Pictures and Twin Dragons Productions. Director: Meredith Edwards. Producers: Naomi McDougall Jones and Sarah Wharton. Writer: Naomi McDougall Jones. Cinematography: Judy Henderson. Editing: T.J. Misny and Chris Steele-Nicholson.

Cast: Christian Coulson, Naomi McDougall Jones, Antino Crowley-Kamenwati, Naomi Grossman, Mahira Kakkar, Annie Golden, Harold Surratt, Brownen Carson.