Review of The Forsaken (2001) by Carl M — 31 Jan 2013

A simple cross-country trip turns into a fierce battle for survival when a group of desert vampires set their sights and Sean and his new traveling companion in THE FORSAKEN. THE FORSAKEN borrows generously from films like NEAR DARK and John Carpenter's VAMPIRES, only to come off feeling unoriginal and uninspired.

We spend the majority of our time with our hero Sean (Kerr Smith), who spends the entire time worrying about his car and making it to his sister's wedding despite the unholy terrors that are unfolding around him.

Johnathon Schaech serves as a decent villain, but his vampire cohorts range from being minor annoyances to complete distractions. Phina Oruche's ungodly performance, in particular, detracts from everything else that is occurring on screen.

The action and horror are both bland and predictable, and although the plot introduces some interesting new ideas to the vampire mythos, it frequently contradicts itself. If we are to believe that vampirism is a virus, why would killing the head vampire cure anyone that has been bitten? Overall, THE FORSAKEN is familiar and bloody enough to earn a passing grade for vampire fans.