Love blooms and blood flows during vampire turf wars with a neon glow in Netflixs Night Teeth.
Isnt that the problem with intra-vampire spats, though?
All the worst bloodsuckers bleed out, even when theyre really the most fun to watch.
Yet we shouldnt linger on the sad parts.
The premise is fairly simple.
What makes this more interesting than usual vampire entertainment is its similarity to crime films.
Zoe sneers at the idea of being lumped in with such amateurs, but the drivers got a point.
This is consistent throughout.
The vampire club owner Rocko is only given one scene, but it almost steals the movie.
But Ludwig feels dangerous and unpredictable.
Its fun to watch.
Most of the violence perpetrated on the upper echelon is done off-camera.
We are shown bloody aftermaths, but Victors battles are left the imagination.
Zoe and Blaire make up for it.
They also come across an ancient vigilante order, which still hunts with crossbows.
One of the biggest flaws in their plan is that Benny is behind the wheel in the limo.
This isnt anyones fault.
Even Benny didnt know he would be driving until minutes before he pulled out his only suit.
He keeps part of this promise, even making a meal of it.
Fry and Ryan have great chemistry.
The two characters maintain a stream of steady sarcasm in the direst of situations.
The slow-building romance between Benny and Blaire is conditional.
We believe it is contingent on the driver maintaining his cool, and knowing when to lose it.
This gives the film a chance to breathe and establish character backgrounds.
Night Teethhas one advantage over some of Netflixs other young-aiming horror offerings, like the vampire street fightVampires vs.
The players are more mature here, and more can be teased.
Why bother producing a vampire piece without erotic danger?
The two leads are alluring, though they reserve this for only the most appropriate situations.
This is a disappointment, and is obvious in lost opportunities.
Night Teethdoesnt shy away from gore, but also doesnt bare its fangs.
When vampires burn, they implode rather than explode, which makes it less showy, but more effective.
The configs, however, are nicely stylized.
Director Randalls Los Angeles is a world of neon nightlife, velvet ropes, and foreboding underground parking lots.
It is a visually engaging landscape.
We dont get enough of the secret ancient world which lies buried under the Boyle Heights neighborhood.
As talky as the film is, it could have afforded more history to the setup.
The main problem withNight Teethis the problem of most modern vampire entertainment.
There is a cookiecutter formula which must be maintained, and that means the vampires must die.
Night Teethhits Netflix on Oct. 20.
Rating:
3.5 out of 5
