Review of Afflicted (2014) by Filipeneto — 23 Aug 2020

Vampire movies exist by the dozens. This, however, is the first "found footage vampire film" and, to be honest, I am not particularly impressed. Far from being a breath of fresh air in a worn-out horror subgenre, it brought all the flaws of both styles into one film.

Very briefly, the film is about the journey of Derek Lee and Clif Prowse (I love when actors have the same name as the characters, will they be alter-egos? Freud would certainly have something to say about it) across European lands, all live through a blog. However, a mysterious woman attacks him in Paris, and after that, his health deteriorates rapidly. I think the condition that affects Derek becomes obvious more quickly for us, who are watching the film, than for him, which is irritating. In addition, the insertion of footage in the final credits, with events after the film, ruins the effect intended by the "found footage" style.

Filled with blatant amateurism, the film is fraught with flaws and problems and the cast is absolutely one-dimensional and forgettable. The best of this film, without a doubt, are the special effects and the CGI that mimics burns, vomiting, blood, wounds and impressive jumps and fights. Yes, we've all seen it much better, but if we take into account the style and budget of this film, I think that there was a consistent effort by those responsible and that is worthy of praise. Bad or good, they committed themselves to the film. Still, its tiring and sometimes irritating.