WFG RATING: A-

Lionsgate presents a Ginger Biscuit Entertainment/Genesius Pictures production. Directed by Euros Lyn. Produced by Debbie Gray, Written by Talitha Stevenson; based on the novel by Matt Haig. Cinematography by Nanu Segal. Edited by Jamie Pearson.

Stars Damian Lewis, Kelly MacDonald, Harry Baxendale, Bo Branason, Jay Lycurgo, and Shaun Parkes. 

A family’s attempt at a new life becomes affected by their affliction in this horror drama from Euros Lyn.

The Radleys may seem like your typical next door family. Consisting of patriarch Peter, matriarch Helen, and teen children Rowan and Clara, they have moved into a country home where they are greeted and accepted by the townsfolk. When Rowan and Clara are invited to a party, things start out well. Clara instantly befriends Evan, one of the locals, and Rowan begins to develop feelings for her new friend. However, things are soon to take a dark turn.

When Clara meets a suitor, a leisurely walk starts to turn into an assault when the suitor attempts to attack her. However, Clara discovers she isn’t normal. She is a vampire and she kills the suitor in self-defense. When Peter and Helen catch wind of what’s happened, they must reveal to their kids that the whole family are vampiric but can walk in the daylight. However, two people are set to change the course of their new lives. One is Evan’s father, who is somewhat of a vampire hunter who has been tracking them for sometime now. The other is Peter’s estranged twin brother Will, who has returned and has quite an agenda on his plate. 

Euros Lyn does something quite intriguing with this vampire drama. While we’ve seen films like Twilight and Blade involve vampires that can survive during the daytime, negating the mythos of the creature, Lyn meshes a coming-of-age story with the complications of starting a new life as there are various obstacles that threaten the nature of the latter especially. 

Damian Lewis is excellent in the dual roles of estranged twin brothers Peter and Will. Peter is the more grounded brother, a vampire who is just trying to provide for his family not only in terms of killing animals instead of humans (perhaps this was inspired by the Meyer novel) and work an actual job. He wants to be the nuclear dad despite his affliction. As for Will, he’s the typical family member in film who is not just a bad apple, but a bad influence. He wants to destroy his brother’s family out of jealousy and thus, attempts to seduce his sister-in-law and even serve as a mentor for Rowan, who is coming to terms with both love and his vampirism. 

Kelly MacDonald is great as Helen, who like Peter, wants to live a normal life. However, once Will comes into the picture, she knows that he is going to be a major problem, which leads to a little twist in their story. Harry Baxendale is also great as Rowan, the young teen son who is coming to grips with not just being a vampire, but falling for local kid Evan, played by Titans’ Jay Lycurgo. Bo Branason’s Clara becomes the catalyst for the issues that plague the family and happily accepts who she is, but keeps her humanity intact thanks to her friendship with Evan. As for Shaun Parkes’ Jared, he really doesn’t offer much in terms of the vampire hunter effect but more as the concerned dad of Evan, fearing his son may end up becoming lunch for Rowan and/or Clara. 

The Radleys offer something a bit different in the vampire lore, but overall, a really good family drama thanks to the performances of the cast. If you like vampire films, this one should go on your list.