PopHorror Let's Get Scared
I’ve always been fascinated by vampires. As someone who fears death as much as I do, the thought of living forever definitely has its appeal. But what’s the point in living forever if you don’t have anyone to share it with? This is just one of many questions that How Far Does The Dark Go seeks to answer.
Synopsis
Grace’s life has been a series of disappointments. Addicted to morphine, the nurse (Anna Hindman) doesn’t have much reason to fight back when Evienne (Chloe Carroll), a vampire, kidnaps her. Deep below Philadelphia, Evienne has preyed on the city for eighty years from a series of forgotten subway tunnels. Now, with her still-human son Henry (Robert Picardo) dying of cancer, Evienne has nowhere to turn for help but from the innocents who are normally nothing more than dinner.
Grace and Evienne develop a strange bond that caring for the same person creates, or is the vampire just beguiling the nurse, twisting reality, and lowering her inhibitions? However, more than one vampire curses the streets of Philadelphia. Evienne’s spurned ex-girlfriend Tempest (Sam Rothermel) has returned full of bloodlust and vengeance and wants nothing more than to draw Evienne away from what little humanity she has left.
As Evienne ushers Grace into her secret life as the world’s apex predator, the mounting bone-dry body count soon draws the pursuit of Dayanara (Telita Perry), vigilante vampire slayer. But does Grace even want to be rescued? The undead life offers her more control than she could ever attain as a human but her patient, who has studied his mother his whole life, begs Grace not to become just like her, a monster.
How Far Does The Dark Go was written and directed by Bears Rebecca Fonte. The film stars Chloe Carroll, Anna Hindman (American Siege), Sam Rothermel (Gothic Slayers), Robert Picardo (The Howling), Telita Perry, Jim Schubin, and Kim Wong.
I was absolutely enamored with How Far Does The Dark Go. There are a lot of converging plotlines to follow, but the story is told in a way that it feels natural and doesn’t feel overwhelming. I really enjoyed the relationship between Evienne and Grace and how it was kind of a balancing act, with Evienne the vampire not always having the power in the relationship. Grace isn’t as helpless as she initially seems. I liked how their relationship seems to develop in a natural way through a mutual attraction. Things start of pretty sweet and cute. One of the most realistic things about the portrayal of the relationship is how as the balance of power sways back and forth things take a turn into a more toxic direction.
Chloe Carroll and Anna Hindman are excellent as Evienne and Grace. It’s a lot of fun watching them try to navigate this new relationship and all of its intricacies. Chloe Carrol is scary in a calm, collected and calculated way. What’s interesting is that she doesn’t know how to act when Grace doesn’t fear death so she’s not afraid of her. Anna Hindman plays Grace with a sense of fearlessness, defiance, and curiosity. I really enjoyed genre veteran Robert Picardo as Evienne’s human son Henry, who is very much the moral compass of the film. He sees everything as cut and dried and that his mom is just pure evil, incapable of love.The real answer is a lot more nuanced then that though.
Final Thoughts
How Far Does The Dark Go is an entracing slice of lesbian vampire romance that shows how in passionate relationships we can all easily become monsters. Highly recommended.
